A quintessential figure of the latter half 20th century music scene, Bobby Womack lived a storied life and built a name for himself with endearing songs and an unmistakable voice. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in a Baptist family by a father who was a minister and a mother who played organ in the church, Womack began playing guitar at the age of 8 and quickly distinguished himself with adept musicianship and a knack for composition. Starting a gospel group with his brother and his parents in 1954, Womack would go on to hone his characteristic baritone voice in addition to refining his skills on the guitar. After being noticed by singer/songwriter and occasional music aficionado Sam Cooke, Womack and his brother were convinced to switch from gospel to pop music; however, after telling their father of the decision to create secular songs, they were forced to leave the family home. Relocating to Los Angeles, the brothers adopted the name The Valentinos and released the hit single "Looking for a Love" in 1962. Continuing to make music and write songs, one of which was covered by The Rolling Stones, Womack was left shaken after his mentor Cooke was shot dead in 1964 in a Los Angeles motel. Managing to establish a solo career after Cooke's death, Womack entered into a period of controversy and career limbo after he married Cooke's widow, Barbara Cambel, three months after Cooke was killed. Continuing to play guitar and establish himself as a go-to session player in Los Angeles, Womack would eventually release his debut solo LP, Fly Me to the Moon, in 1968 to little fan fare. Slowly managing to reestablish himself with soul, funk and R&B songs that begged for repeated listens, Womack would go on to become one of the more recognizable voices to have cemented itself in the 1970s pop culture zeitgeist. Over Womack's decades-long career, he has fallen on hard times, including overcoming a severe cocaine addiction as well as the loss of two children; however, the talented singer managed to experience somewhat of a comeback when he released an album that was produced by Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn as well as XL Recordings chief Richard Russell, 2012's The Bravest Man in the Universe.
