Taking after their father, who sang gospel music, Bobby Womack and his brothers formed their own group in 1952. In 1954, under the moniker Curtis Womack and the Womack Brothers, the group issued the Pennant single, "Buffalo Bill". Bobby Womack was only ten years old at the time. Sam Cooke took an interest in the Womack Brothers, and they recorded for Cooke's SAR record label in the early 1960s. Renamed the Valentinos, and encouraged by Cooke to go in a more secular and commercial direction, they scored a hit with Womack's "It's All Over Now" in 1964; the Rolling Stones' version of the song became a major hit, earning Womack generous royalty payments.
Sam Cooke died in late 1964; Womack married Cooke's widow, Barbara, a short time later, creating something of a scandal. Things became even more complicated when his younger brother, Cecil, married Cooke's daughter, Linda. As a session guitarist, Womack worked at producer Chips Moman's American Studios in Memphis, and played on recordings by Joe Tex and The Box Tops. Until this point, around 1967, he had had little success as a solo artist, but at American he began to record a string of classic soul-music singles including the 1968 "What Is This" (his first chart hit), "It's Gonna Rain" and "More Than I Can Stand," all of which featured his elegant, understated rhythm-guitar work and his impassioned vocals. During this period he became known as a songwriter, contributing many songs to the repertoire of Wilson Pickett; these include "I'm in Love" and "I'm a Midnight Mover."
After moving to the United Artists label in the early '70s, he released the album Communication, and on an album with guitarist Gabor Szabo introduced his song "Breezin'," which later became a hit for George Benson. He also became known for his interesting taste in cover versions, essaying Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin' " as well as "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" and James Taylor's "Fire and Rain'" and "California Dreamin'." Perhaps his most well-known work from this period is as guitarist on Sly & the Family Stone's 1971 There's a Riot Goin' On.
He continued to have hits into the '70s; these include "Lookin' for a Love" (a remake of his 1962 Valentinos single), "Across 110th Street," "Woman's Gotta Have It" (covered by James Taylor in 1976), "You're Welcome, Stop on By," and the masterful "Daylight." All are excellent examples of burnished yet gritty 1970s soul music, and reveal a pop-music sensibility akin to that of Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield.
Bobby Womack's 1981 album The Poet was a surprise hit and contained the hit single "If You Think You're Lonely Now." K-Ci Hailey, a notable admirer of Womack's work, covered "If You Think You're Lonely Now" in 1994. The song is referenced in Mariah Carey's song "We Belong Together", a number-one hit in June 2005. Carey sings "I can't sleep at night /When you are on my mind / Bobby Womack's on the radio / Singing to me: 'If you think you're lonely now.'"
Film director Quentin Tarantino used "Across 110th Street" (which, in a different version, had been the title song of the 1972 movie) in the opening and closing sequences of his 1997 film Jackie Brown.
A 2003 Saab commercial shone a spotlight on Womack’s interpretation of "California Dreamin'".
In 2010, Womack contributed lyrics and sang on "Stylo" alongside Mos Def, the first single from the third Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach. Womack was told to sing whatever was on his mind during the recording of "Stylo". "I was in there for an hour going crazy about love and politics, getting it off my chest", said Womack.[4] He also provides vocals on the song "Cloud of Unknowing".
In 2010 Bobby Womack appeared on the main pyramid stage at Glastonbury with the Gorillaz.
The Bravest Man in the World Songfacts reports in 2012, Womack's first album of original material since 1994's Resurrection was released. The Bravest Man in the World was produced by Damon Albarn of Gorillaz and XL Recordings boss, Richard Russell.
Womack died on June 27, 2014 at age 70.
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Bobby Womack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid
And Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
And if you ever saw him
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Play in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
"Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then all the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
You'll go down in history!
Bobby Womack's version of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer is a cover of the classic Christmas song that tells the story of Rudolph, the most famous reindeer of all. The song begins by listing all the other reindeer in Santa's team, including Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, before introducing Rudolph as the most famous one. Rudolph is unique because of his bright red nose, which glows and shines. The other reindeer used to tease and exclude him, not allowing him to join in any reindeer games.
However, on one foggy Christmas Eve, when Santa Claus was struggling to deliver presents because of the bad weather, he turned to Rudolph for help. Santa recognized the value of Rudolph's unique trait and asked him to guide his sleigh that night. Rudolph was thrilled and led the way, and all the other reindeer finally appreciated him as they cheered and sang his praises. From that day on, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer went down in history as a hero and an important part of Santa's team.
The song is a poem that tells a story, and it has become a Christmas classic that is played and sung every year. It has been covered by many different artists, including Gene Autry, who wrote and recorded the original version, and Burl Ives. Bobby Womack's version is a soulful, upbeat rendition, with horns, background vocals and a lively rhythm.
Line by Line Meaning
You know Dasher and Dancer
You are probably familiar with the reindeer names Dasher and Dancer
And Prancer and Vixen
You might also know about two more reindeer named Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid
In addition, there are two other reindeer named Comet and Cupid
And Donner and Blitzen
Two more reindeer with names Donner and Blitzen exist along with the others mentioned earlier
But do you recall
However, there is one reindeer you may have forgotten
The most famous reindeer of all
This reindeer happens to be the most well-known out of all the reindeer
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
This famous reindeer is named Rudolph and he has a red, shiny nose
Had a very shiny nose.
Rudolph's nose was exceptionally bright and glimmering
And if you ever saw him
If you had the chance to see Rudolph in person,
You would even say it glows
you would definitely describe his nose as glowing
All of the other reindeer
Unfortunately, Rudolph's nose made him different from the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They used to make fun of him by calling him names
They never let poor Rudolph
The other reindeer were always excluding Rudolph
Play in any reindeer games
Rudolph wasn't allowed to participate in any of the fun festive games the other reindeer played
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
One Christmas Eve when it was foggy outside
Santa came to say
Santa Clause appeared and said
"Rudolph with your nose so bright
"Rudolph, your bright and shining nose
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Can help guide my sleigh during my Christmas journey tonight?"
Then all the reindeer loved him
After Rudolph showed off his talent of guiding the sleigh, the other reindeer had an appreciation for him
As they shouted out with glee
They were excited and shouted out in joy
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
They even recognized and celebrated Rudolph's difference that set him apart
You'll go down in history!
This event made Rudolph legendary, and it would be remembered for generations to come
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GEORGE KLEINSINGER, ROBERT L. MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind