Remembering Bobby Womack ft Lana Del Rey & Damon Albarn Gorillaz
The
son of two musicians, Womack began his career as a member of Curtis
Womack and the Womack Brothers with his siblings Curtis, Harry, Cecil
and Friendly Jr. After Sam Cooke signed the group to his SAR Records in
1960, they released a handful of gospel singles before changing their
name to the Valentinos and earning success with a more secular, soul-
and pop-influenced sound. In 1964, one month after the Valentinos
released their hit "It's All Over Now," the Rolling Stones put out their
version, which went to Number One on the U.K. singles charts.
Three
months after the death of Cooke in 1964, Womack married Cooke's widow,
Barbara Campbell, and the Valentinos disbanded after the collapse of SAR
Records. After leaving the group, Womack became a session musician,
playing guitar on several albums, including Aretha Franklin's landmark
Lady Soul, before releasing his debut album, Fly Me to the Moon, in
1968. A string of successful R&B albums would follow, including
Understanding and Across 110th Street, both released in 1972, 1973's
Facts of Life and 1974's Lookin for a Love Again.
After the death
of his brother, Harry, in 1974, Womack's career stalled, but was
revived in 1981 with the R&B hit "If You Think You're Lonely Now."
Throughout most of the Eighties, the singer struggled with drug
addiction, eventually checking himself into a rehabilitation center for
treatment. A series of health problems would follow, including diabetes,
pneumonia, colon cancer and the early signs of Alzheimer's disease,
though it was unclear if any of these ailments contributed to his death.
Womack was declared cancer-free in 2012.
In 2012, Womack began a
career renaissance with the release of The Bravest Man in the Universe,
his first album in more than 10 years. Produced by Damon Albarn and
XL's Richard Russell, the album made Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of
2012 alongside numerous other critical accolades. "You know more at 65
than you did at 25. I understand the songs much better now," Womack told
Rolling Stone at the time. "It's not about 14 Rolls Royces and two
Bentleys. Even if this album never sells a nickel, I know I put my best
foot forward." Upon his death, Womack was in the process of recording
his next album for XL, tentatively titled The Best Is Yet to Come and
reportedly featuring contributions by Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart and
Snoop Dogg.
Womack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in 2009. "My very first thought was — I wish I could call Sam Cooke
and share this moment with him," Womack said. "This is just about as
exciting to me as being able to see Barack Obama become the first black
President of the United States of America! It proves that, if you're
blessed to be able to wait on what's important to you, a lot of things
will change in life."
Robert „Bobby“ Dwayne Womack (* 4. März 1944 in Cleveland, Ohio; † 27. Juni 2014)
Los Angeles - Im Alter von 70 Jahren ist am Freitag die Soul-Legende
Bobby Womack gestorben. Dies teilte eine Sprecherin seiner Plattenfirma
XL Recordings in Los Angeles mit, ohne weitere Details zu nennen. Womack
schrieb eine Reihe von Welthits. Unter ihnen waren "Lookin' for a Love"
sowie der Song "It's All Over Now", mit dem später die britische
Rockgruppe Rolling Stones Riesenerfolge feierte.
SPIEGEL ONLINE
Bobby Womack ist tot; er starb im Alter von siebzig Jahren in Los
Angeles. Die Pop-Musik verliert mit diesem absehbaren Lebensende –
Womack war unheilbar krank – einen ihrer größten Stilisten und
Songschreiber, der den Soul von Anbeginn an, fünfzig Jahre lang, geprägt
hat. Womack war, laut seinen Albumtiteln, der „Poet“, der „Last Soul
Man“ und, zuletzt und überhaupt, „The Bravest Man In The Universe“. So
hieß die Platte, für die ihn der Brite Damon Albarn 2012 nach
zehnjähriger Pause noch einmal aus der Versenkung geholt hatte, eine
quecksilbrig dahinfließende und doch so tief empfundene,
leidenserfahrene Musik, wie sie der Soul nur sein kann, und ein
allerletzter Kritiker- und teilweise auch Publikumserfolg. FAZ
Aufzuhören wäre Bobby Womack nie in den Sinn gekommen. Auf seiner
Homepage sind noch acht Konzerte für den Juli angekündigt. Dass sein
Gesundheitszustand seit einiger Zeit besorgniserregend war, beeindruckte
ihn nicht. Im Lauf seiner spektakulären Karriere war der Soul-Titan,
den seine Kollegen wegen seiner autoritären, tiefen Stimme "The
Preacher" nannten, oft am Boden. Jedes Mal stand er wieder auf, er
schien jede Niederlage als Herausforderung zu nehmen. SPIEGEL ONLINE
