When I first heard the name of Bobby Womack, I was determined on pursuing not the music in vogue from Europe or America but my tastes, a kind of rock brought from ones far from the post-U.K. new wave idols. I found the sleeve of "The Poet II" released in '84 which had the photo of Bobby Womack wearing red leather jacket and trousers and large glasses and holding his guitar as if he said "Hey, baby". I honestly say that my first impression was such as "That's weird, don't you think?". I remember that among the music programs on the radio I had heard there was the one done by a serious British rock fan, who also played at times the discs of soul singers of the '70s or their reminders and highly appreciated Bobby Womack. I got fond of Teardrops heard from the program, which was sung by Womack & Womack, the duo of Cecil,Bobby's younger brother, and Linda, his wife and daughter of Sam Cooke (this is contained on "Conscience"). And I got to love the voice of Sam Cooke and got involved in the oldies soul. It was the time when I happened to catch in my eyes the sleeve of "Understanding" which had the picture of Bobby sitting on an easy chair and letting his son sit in front of him. He was so cool that I got the album in no time, and I found myself getting a series of Bobby Womack albums. As I mention later, the relation of "In any place where there is any Womack, there is Sam Cooke" suggests the complication more than the great influence on Bobby's music and life. Thanks to his gospel-trained sultry voice and skill of guitar, however, he could go through rushing difficulties and yield his own sound melting not only soul or funk but rock or folk or country.
Sam Cooke could not satisfy his own success after converting from gospel into secular music. He played the role of an agent who recommend any gospel fellow to go into the more lucrative secular side, and in order to let the world listen to their voices gospel voices and to establish themselves he and his buddies became the co-owners of SAR. SAR cut some gospel sides of the Soul Stirrers, the ex-colleagues of Sam, and some R&B sides of Johnnie Taylor who became solo from the group. As you can hear on "Sam Cooke's SAR Records Story", SAR gained the gospel quintet Womack Brothers under the strict instruction of their father Friendly Sr., for they got acqueinted with Sam who stayed in the Soul Stirrers. After Sam's insistent recommendations they changed their name as the Valentinos, and had a smash Lookin' for a Love, the composition of doo-wap chorus in full gospel essence and Bobby's voice thrusting itself into it. While Bobby did some backing with Sam as a guitarist, he also wrote songs in his own right. Rock'n'rolling It's All Over Now was covered by the Rolling Stones and he found himself enjoying a considerable royalty.
However, Sam Cooke was shot to death and SAR was closed, and after a short while Bobby got married with Sam's widow Barbara Campbell (they finally divorced later). This led to his infamy in the R&B circle and financial difficulties on Bobbby and the Valentinos. To make both ends meet, Bobby held back and joined the sessions with Joe Tex, King Curtis or Aretha Franklin at American Studios of Memphis or in Muscle Shoals. Wilson Pickett, who was then produced by the American Studios' owner Chips Moman, picked up his I'm a Midnight Mover or I'm in Love. These renditions brought Bobby to the sunny side again, and Bobby's own readings can be heard on the compilation in his heyday since the late '60s to the middle '70s "Midnight Mover". After in a Pickett's favor, he teamed up with Chips Moman at Minit label and came to have hits including his own tunes such as It's Gonna Rain or More than I Can Stand and other's tunes such as Fly Me to the Moon or I Left My Heart in San Francisco. The live recording of Sam Cooke's Laughing and Clowning is prominently bluesy and tasty for the help of Percy 'the Poet of the Blues' Mayfield. After his solo career went smooth, his Trust Me was picked up by Janis Joplin and he was said to have guitar sessions on Sly & the Family Stone's "There's a Riot Goin' on" which has no credit of musicians.
At United Artists which absorbed Minit his albums in the '70s were recorded mainly in Muscle Shoals : especially "Communication", "Understanding", "Facts of Life", "Lookin' for a Love Again" are full of good tunes. Tunes which begin with his talk just like preaching and continue with his song in the rhythm of gospel are hung over in the atmosphere which only he can generate : Woman's Gotta Have It (his step-daughter Linda I told above is the co-author), That's the Way I Feel About Cha, I Can Understand It, Harry Hippie (despite not his composition, this finally became an ode to his younger brother Harry who passed away later), I'm Through Trying to Prove My Love to You or You're Welcome, Stop on by. Not to mention Come L'Amore, co-written by Leon Ware, Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline、 or the blues since before the depression in the '20s Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out, the title tune of the original soundtrack of the blaxploitation film "Across 110th Street" is so cool that I can understand why Quentin Tarantino feature it in his "Jackie Brown". After the hit of the re-recording of the Valentionos' Lookin' for a Love, he cut some albums including a west-coast production "Danger Zone" , however, his smartness in his prime faded because of his own drug problem and the disco era which was likely to be off the tempo of his gospel rhythm.
In the '80s he revived by the trilogy "The Poet", "The Poet II" and "Someday We'll All be Free" from an independent Beverly Glen. On If You Think You're Lonely Now or Love Has Finally Come at Last featuring Patti LaBelle, you may find that the soulful voice is put forward out of so-called sophisticated black contemporaries and the backing sound which sometimes contains electric ping-pong notes is decent enough to keep the balance. "Only Survivor" contains tunes of the corporate MCA where he moved such as I Wish He Didn't Trust Me So Much or So Many Rivers , and it also has That's Where It's at, one of my favorite Sam Cooke songs. I don't know whether he reached the place as this lyrics says, however, the moment he gives voice and picks guitar he may realize "That's where it's at". (2007/05/06)