Ok now……a little background:
Robert Dwayne Womack (Bobby)was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1944, the third of five brothers.
By the age of ten he joined his siblings Curtis, Harry, Cecil and Friendly Jr,
touring the Midwest gospel circuit as the Womack Brothers.
Although Bobby was left-handed, he played a right-handed guitar upside down, without restringing it, which produced his unique rhythm.
The brothers opened shows for Sam Cooke’s Soul Stirrers and were soon signed by Cooke to his SAR Records label in 1960. He encouraged them to try a more soul and pop sound, relocate to Los Angeles and change their name to The Valentinos.
A month after The Valentinos released his song It’s All Over Now, the Stones
put out their cover version. Bobby needed to be convinced to let them use it, asking: “Why can’t they get their own songs?”
But it gave the Stones — and Bobby — their first UK No.1.
Just when things were looking good, Cooke was shot dead in December that year.
Bobby, 21, provided a shoulder to cry on for his pal’s widow, Barbara, 31. But three months after Cooke’s funeral, they caused outrage by getting married.
Suddenly, Bobby was public enemy number one. He fell out with his siblings,
was booed at concerts and was beaten up by Barbara’s brother.
For the next three years he had to get by as a session musician.
He toured with Ray Charles and contributed to hits including Elvis Presley’s
Suspicious Minds, Aretha Franklin’s Rock Steady and Wilson Pickett’s I’m A
Midnight Mover.
He wrote 17 songs in this time, all of which he gave to Wilson Pickett, so
that when he recorded his 1968 debut solo album, Fly Me To The Moon, it was
all cover versions.
He split with Barbara in 1970 after she found him in bed with her 18-year-old daughter Linda (yes, Sam Cooke’s daughter, she later married Bobby’s brother Cecil and formed Womack & Womack). (also Cecil was once married to Mary Wells).
Dear God, why won’t somebody make a movie about all this???!?
Baby I’m Scared Of You
TKO (I never knew this was written by them and remade by Teddy P!)
They wrote this for Bobby….Lawd what a family
I Wish I Had Someone To Go Home To