Photo credit: Dale Brown

Photo credit: Dale Brown

Mr. Womack was a teenager and singing mainly gospel when Sam Cooke signed him and his brothers to a recording contract. They wrote, performed and recorded as "The Valentinos" and in 1962 recorded "I'm Lookin for a Love" (a minor hit at the time). They then wrote and recorded "I Used To Love Her, But It's All Over Now," a small hit for them which became the first major hit for The Rolling Stones.

In 1971, the J. Geils Band recorded a version of "Lookin' for a Love" [we hated their version] and in 1973, almost by accident, Womack used the song to warm up his vocal chords before a recording session. The studio engineer had a tape rolling...and what you hear below was done in one take. It was released in 1974 and became a major national hit.

We found a YouTube video of Bobby Womack lip-synching it on Soul Train...and his singing is so good that it eclipses what's on the video.

Mr. Womack also did a terrific version of "Fly Me to the Moon" as well as "Woman's Gotta Have It" and "If You Think You're Lonely Now." Among his anonymous contributions: he recorded the opening theme used by Wolfman Jack when he beamed his shows out of Mexico on XERB/1090. ("Hey stop! Don't you move that dial! Here comes the Wolfman, child!...He's on the Big X...I said the Big X!!")

Mr. Womack struggled with drugs and multiple illnesses, and in recent years seemed to have overcome most if not all of his demons. The cause of his death wasn't immediately released.

At the 2009 Long Beach Blues Festival, Mr. Womack paid tribute to Sam Cooke, telling the audience that he was one of a kind. So was Bobby Womack.

Photo credit: Dale Brown