The Valentinos
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The Valentinos | |
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Also known as | The Womack Brothers |
Origin | |
Years active | 1952–1974 |
Labels | Pennant, SAR, Chess, Jubilee, Clean |
Past members | Friendly Womack, Jr. Curtis Womack Bobby Womack Harry Womack Cecil Womack |
The Valentinos (also known as The Womack Brothers) was an American family R&B group from
Biography
Origins
The foundation of the Valentinos started in church where the five Womack brothers – Friendly, Jr. (born 1941), Curtis (1942–2017),
Attracting a gospel following, in 1954, the group, under the name Curtis Womack and the Womack Brothers, cut a single, "Buffalo Bill" with the Pennant label; both Curtis and Bobby Womack were only ten years old at the time of the recording.[2] In 1956, Sam Cooke discovered the group performing while he and his then group, the Soul Stirrers, were headlining and was so impressed with the brothers that he promised to help the group advance in their careers. In 1960, a couple of years after he founded SAR Records and becoming a crossover solo sensation, Cooke made good on his promise signing the teenage act to the label.[3] The group arrived to California in a beat-up Cadillac prior to Cooke signing them.
Still going by The Womack Brothers, SAR cut two gospel singles the group recorded in 1961 and 1962 including "Somebody's Wrong" and "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray".
Success
Shortly afterwards, the group under its new moniker, recorded "Lookin' for a Love", which was a pop rendition of "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray".[3] The song peaked at number eight on the R&B charts and number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100, going on to sell two million copies.[5] The hit landed them an opening spot on James Brown & The Famous Flames' national tour.[6]
In early 1964, the group issued their next hit, "It's All Over Now", which was co-written by Bobby and sister-in-law Shirley. Prior to them releasing it, however, word got around that the Rolling Stones wanted to cover it. Despite Bobby's initial protests, the Stones were eventually allowed to release it and their version became their first national hit in the U.S. Bobby's anger cooled after he received his first royalty check for the single following the Stones' release of the single.[7]
Around 1963, Bobby Womack began touring as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist. Bobby added instrumentation to several of Cooke's albums including Night Beat and
Scandal
Struggling to deal with the sudden loss of Cooke, the group temporarily broke up. Not long after Cooke was buried, however, in February of the following year, Bobby, just before his 21st birthday married Cooke's widow, 29-year-old Barbara Cooke.
Bobby Womack's success, Harry Womack's death and breakup
Following Cooke's death, SAR Records folded and the remaining Valentinos auditioned for several record labels before
Meanwhile, Bobby Womack's career was on a rise again, this time as a session musician and songwriter. After contributing guitar to recordings by
In 1971, Bobby signed with United Artists Records and released his breakthrough album, Communication, which featured the top ten R&B hit, "That's the Way I Feel About Cha", to which the rest of his brothers (the Valentinos) contributed background vocals. The brothers featured on several of Womack's other albums over the years including Understanding, Facts of Life and Lookin' for a Love Again, the latter album in which the brothers re-recorded "Lookin' for a Love" in a modern funk setting. The remake later shot up to number one R&B and number ten pop becoming the biggest hit the brothers ever sang on, selling over two million copies. Bobby Womack later produced a version of "I Can Understand It" for the remaining Valentinos, releasing it on the Clean Records label.[3] The song gave the Valentinos some traction again on the R&B charts leading to them appearing on Soul Train where Bobby was a frequent guest.
However, this period of success was short-lived. On March 9, 1974, Harry Womack was stabbed to death by his girlfriend during a fight while living in Bobby's Los Angeles home.[3] Bobby said later that he received a phone call from his oldest brother Friendly, Jr., who told him of what had happened to Harry. Bobby was then doing an interview for a local radio station while "Lookin' for a Love" was rising on the charts when he got the call. Bobby said he was shocked by the news and tried to escape the building of the station, later landing in a hospital from his fall where he made a full recovery. In response, Bobby moved his entire family including parents Friendly and Naomi to California to strengthen a fragile family bond. The Valentinos ceased recordings as a group after Harry's death, settling on background work with brother Bobby.
Post-breakup
Bobby Womack's solo career struggled following the death of his brother as did the careers of the other ex-Valentinos. In 1982, Bobby Womack's solo career received a boost with the release of "If You Think You're Lonely Now", which featured his surviving brothers and other singers backing him. The following year, Cecil Womack, now married to Linda Cooke, Sam Cooke's daughter and Bobby's former stepdaughter, began finding success on his own with Linda as the duo Womack & Womack, releasing the album, Love Wars, which boosted the hit single, "Baby I'm Scared of You", which Cecil and Linda wrote. The duo later had a hugely successful international hit with "Teardrops". Friendly Womack and Curtis Womack continued to provide background vocals for brother Bobby's recordings until the nineties when both singers announced retirements.
An estrangement in the family occurred following the 1977 divorce of Cecil Womack and Mary Wells as it was alleged that a reason for the divorce (filed by Cecil) was due to Mary Wells carrying on an extramarital affair with Curtis. Curtis and Mary continued to date and in 1986, Wells gave birth to Curtis' daughter Sugar. Mary and Cecil had three children during their marriage including record producer
Some of the group's recordings are most noted for their covers by artists of various genres. Alongside the Rolling Stones,
Naming controversy
A popular Australia-based rock combo attempted to appropriate the name of the original Valentinos but had to change their name when faced with the threat of possible litigation by Bobby and his brothers.[13] This group later changed their name to the Lost Valentinos.[14]
Since then, an a cappella doo-wop group and a Detroit-based rock band have also tried to use the original group's name.[15][16]
Deaths
Four of the five Womack brothers are now deceased.
- Harry died on March 9, 1974 [17]
- Cecil died on February 1, 2013,[18]
Only Friendly Jr. - the eldest brother - remains alive.
Cover versions
- "It's All Over Now" - The Rolling Stones, The Sharks, Rod Stewart, Ry Cooder, Molly Hatchet, Johnny Winter
- "Looking for a Love" - The J. Geils Band, Bobby Womack (solo), Ryan Shaw
- "I Found a True Love" - Wilson Pickett
- "Everybody Wants to Fall in Love" - Solomon Burke
- "I Can Understand It" - The New Birth
Partial discography
The Valentinos' national and regional hit songs included:[20]
- "Lookin' for a Love"
- "It's All Over Now"
- "Everybody Wants to Fall in Love"
- "Baby, Lots of Luck"
- "I Can Understand It"
- "What About Me"
- "Do It Right"
- "I've Found a True Love"
- "Sweeter Than the Day Before"
- "Two Lovers History"
- "Tired of Being Nobody"
- "I'm Going to Forget About You"
- "Let's Get Together"
In 2015, The Valentinos' Lookin' for a Love: The Complete SAR Recordings was released on CD for the first time.[21]
References
- ^ a b "Obituary for Howard Curtis Womack at Seaver Funeral Home & Cremation Service". Seaverfuneralservice.com.
- ^ a b c "Soulwalking: The Valentino's Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^ ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ISBN 0-316-37794-5.
- ^ "The "B" side: Bobby Womack of the Valentinos - A Lonesome Man (Checker 1122)". Redkelly.blogspot.com. September 12, 2006. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
- ^ Guralnick 2005, p. 422.
- ^ Guralnick 2005, pp. 566, 587–588.
- ^ Guralnick 2005, pp. 474, 549, 625–628.
- ^ "Sam Would Want It This Way—Barbara Cooke: Widow of Slain Singer Marries Friend 77 Days After His Death". Jet. March 18, 1965. pp. 46–49.
- ^ Guralnick 2005, pp. 645–648.
- ^ "Bobby Womack To Take Stepdaughter On Road To Teach Showmanship". Jet. May 17, 1979. p. 60.
- ^ "Bobby Womack performs at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony 2009". YouTube. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
- ^ "The End Of The Valentinos In News : Mess+Noise". Messandnoise.com. April 24, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
- ^ "Re-Name The Valentinos : Mess+Noise". Messandnoise.com. April 25, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
- ^ "The Valentinos: Treasure Chest (00 1 CD)". Singers.com. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
- ^ "Detroit Rock and Roll with Love". Thevalentinos.com. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
- ^ "Singer's Brother Is Buried After Stabbing By Woman". Jet. Vol. 46, no. 1. March 28, 1974. p. 52.
- ^ "Cecil Womack: Soul star dies aged 65". BBC. February 7, 2013.
- ^ "Bobby Womack, R&B singer-songwriter, dies at 70". Hattiesburgamerican.com.
- ^ "The Valentinos: Do It Right (A Multi-Label Greatest Hits Collection) - Official OFCD 6016". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
- ^ "Lookin' For A Love: The Complete SAR Recordings". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
External links
- The Valentinos on The Future Rock Hall website
- All Music Guide - The Valentinos Bio
- "It's All Over Now" - The story of The Valentinos' original song, the group's history, and the Rolling Stones' cover version
- The Valentinos - A history in pictures from the Soulwalking U.K. website
- Bobby Womack page on the Soulwalking U.K. website
- YouTube videos-Bobby Womack gets inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Rolling Stone Ron Wood inducts Bobby Womack into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.
- Bobby Womack performs on his 2009 induction into The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.