Singer influenced early rockers
Hall of Fame career began in early 1960s
Bobby Womack, a colourful and highly influential R&B singer-songwriter who made an impact on artists from the Rolling Stones to Damon Albarn, has died. He was 70.
Womack’s publicist Sonya Kolowrat confirmed Friday that the singer had died but had no other details to provide.
Womack was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease two years ago and dealt with a number of health issues, including prostate cancer.
Womack caught the attention of the Stones in the 1960s and influenced many early rockers.
Albarn and XL Recordings president Richard Russell helped Womack regain his career in 2012 with a comeback album, The Bravest Man in the Universe.
Womack performed earlier this month at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., and seemed in good health and spirits. He had been scheduled to perform at multiple events across Eur-
The Alzheimer’s diagnosis came after he began having difficulty remembering his songs.
ope in July and August.
He told the BBC in 2013 the Alzheimer’s diagnosis came after he began having difficulty remembering his songs and the names of people he had worked with.
The soul singer cut a wide path through the music business as a performer and songwriter during his 50-year career. In 2009, Womack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website, Womack was born in Cleveland and sang gospel music at a young age. Under the influence of gospel and R&B legend Sam Cooke, Womack moved into secular music. During the early 1960s his group recorded It’s All Over Now, which was covered by the Stones and became their first No. 1 hit.
Womack’s songs have been recorded by multiple artists.
He played as a session musician in Memphis during the 1960s before he faded from popular music for more than a decade
“I don’t think he ever really thought that he would do anything again,” Albarn said of Womack in March. “Watching his rehabilitation and watching his ability to confront new material and new challenges was nothing short of miraculous at the time, and he still today continues to battle his demons and his illness.
“But he’s a beautiful person and when he opens his mouth and that voice comes out, it is something that is somehow touched by God.”