The post Bobby Womack Got Sh*t For Doing Unthinkable With His Iconic Friend’s Adult-Daughter appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Who are the three lovely young ladies in the above photo? Well, there isn’t a simple answer to such a complicated question. These ladies go by the name, The Womack Sisters. So, your first guess would likely be ‘They must be Bobby Womack’s daughters,’ right? Nope, their truth is far more complex. So lets dig into their truth — it begins with Sam Cooke. Follow me on this web of relationships that produced these beautiful young ladies with a last name so renowned and respected in soul music.

The Breakdown Of Their Complicated, Yet Iconic Family Tree

Soul singer, Sam Cooke, married his then-wife, Barbara Cooke. After Sam passed away, Barbara then married his close friend, blues music legend, Bobby Womack. Barbara already had a daughter, Linda Cooke, who is the child from her prior marriage to Sam Cooke. Then the plot thickened even further. So, not only did Barbara and Bobby Womack wed, but Bobby had an affair with…wait for it…Barbara’s then-young daughter, Linda Cooke!

Yes, Bobby Womack married Sam Cooke’s widow, Barbara, and eventually began an affair with her and Sam’s daughter; Linda (for which he got shot, but that’s another story) during their marriage. You following me thus far ILOSM fam’? Okay, good. But hol’ up, wait a minute though…there’s more…

In short, The Womack Sisters are the children of Linda Cooke-Womack (Sam Cooke’s daughter) and Cecil Womack (Bobby Womack’s brother). They are also the granddaughters of both Sam Cooke, and his — and Bobby Womack’s — ex-wife, Barbara Cooke. And their Mother’s ex-boyfriend is their uncle, Bobby Womack. Whew…that was a loaded entanglement to unpack wasn’t it?!!

The Womack Sisters’ Parents, Cecil and Linda Womack

By the way, Linda and Cecil Womack had a successful recording career under the name, Womack & Womack, penning songs for artists such as Wilson Pickett, James Taylor, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti Labelle, Debbie Harry, Eric Clapton and Elton John.

Watch The Womack Sisters Perform – They Can SANG!

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Womack Sisters (@thewomacksisters)

What do The Womack Sisters do, you ask? Their R&B group consists of sisters, BG, KC, and Imani – three soulful vocalists and songwriters, who also sometimes go by the name:

The Womack Sisters are performing to crowds of 10,000 plus, working with the Rolling Stones, Kid Rock, Bonnie Rait, Ozzy Osborne, Annie Lennox and many more, are all in their own way life changing moments that have crafted the sound, the feel and the depth of the Womack Sisters.

Wow, what a rollercoaster! But we’re glad to see that The Womack Sisters are in touch with their musical roots, because those ladies can SANG. Check out one of their live performances below…

As you can see, those musical genes rom their iconic family tree runs all up, down, and through their DNA. Wishing The Womack Sisters much continued success.

And simply because we dig Sam Cooke’s and Bobby Womack’s music, here at I Love Old School Music, enjoy two of their classics below…

Bobby Womack’s “If You Think You’re Lonely Now”

Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”

Be sure to join our I Love Old School Music fam’ on Facebook and Instagram.

The post Born Into Iconic Music Family Full Of Entanglement, Betrayal, Hostility…Their Story’s Complex appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Bobby Womack seemed to have lived a reality show of a life so to speak. It was filled with some really tumultuous and/or strange events. It’s so bad that he should have created a movie about his life, well Bobby Womack did write a book about it, so that was good enough.

In his book, “Midnight Mover,” he revealed that he not only betrayed his music mentor/close friend when he married his friend’s wife, he also admitted to sexing his friend’s daughter! The friend whom Bobby stabbed in the back is none other than…

He Betrayed His Mentor, Sam Cooke…But There’s More…

The legendary Sam Cooke! Bobby confessed that just 3 months after his good friend, Cooke, died after having been shot to death by a hotel manager, Womack married Cooke’s wife, Barbara.

As if that wasn’t lowdown enough, he admitted to sleeping with Sam and Barbara’s teenage daughter, Linda (she was about 18 at the time). Here’s what Bobby wrote about how they eventually got caught in the act by his wife:

“I’m lying there kissing Linda and the light comes on — ‘You dirty fu**ing bastard. What are you doing with my daughter?’ It was Barbara.”

After that, Barbara shot Bobby with a .32 pistol and it grazed his scalp as he was running out of the house and into the garage. That is why they abruptly divorced in 1970. Barbara and her daughter never spoke again. [Sources: “Midnight Mover” book; Rolling Stone]

How did Bobby Womack fill about betraying his friend, Sam, and marrying his widow…then ultimately sexin’ up his wife and Sam’s daughter? :

“That was all really fu**ed up,” said Womack.

That was just foul on so many levels, wasn’t it?!!

Mr. Womack was one of the baddest blues legends in the game, and for that, we will always honor him for his contributions to music. What would music have been without songs like “Across 110th Street,” “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” and “Harry Hippie?” Those songs are still CLASSICS to this day that cannot be denied.

Now as far as Mr. Womack’s  personal life, yeah he did some jacked up stuff to the folks he loved, but it just goes to show that celebrities are no different than us regular folks- they are perfectly flawed human beings. May Bobby Womack and Sam Cooke continue to rest peacefully.

The post Vintage Entanglement: Bobby Womack Got Shot For Sleeping With Daughter Of His Celebrity-Friend appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

How Bobby Womack Ended Up Marrying Friend, Sam Cooke’s, Wife Wife

For starters, let’s dig into what Mr. Womack revealed in his book, about his family abandoning him after he married Barbara Cooke. Bobby married his mentor, Sam Cooke’s, wife, Barbara, just a few months after Sam was killed in 1964. That caught many by surprise, because they’re history goes way back. Sam helped Bobby and his brothers get a recording contract and they became good friends after that.

However, shortly after Cooke’s death, Womack offered counsel and comfort to Cooke’s widow, Barbara. But just three months after Cooke’s death -and just as Womack turned 21 years old- he went a step further, marrying Cooke’s still-grieving wife. He claimed she needed a shoulder to lean on at that time, so he went for it.

Womack’s Career Suffered & Cooke’s Brothers Beat Him

That caused a myriad of problems for Bobby Womack back then. Black radio reportedly abandoned him, by not playing any of his music for a long while.

Sam’s brothers beat him up in Chicago and wanted to kill him.

Then his own family abandoned him. According to Bobby Womack:

“My brothers were reluctant to be around me. They knew the threats that were out there against me for marrying Barbara (Sam Cooke’s widow). They didn’t know what to do, but without them I was totally alone, all by myself, and, because my father and mother had been against the marriage to Barbara, there was no family in my corner.”

Womack’s Momma Tried To Warn Him

Womack added:

“My mother had said, ‘I don’t think you should marry that woman, you don’t know anything about that woman. That’s Mrs. Cooke, that’s Sam’s wife.’

He told her “Mom I am getting married anyway.”

Womack Died In Debt

Decades later Bobby Womack left his family with more battles to conquer. Despite racking up on mega-hit songs Womack wrote for Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, and more, sadly, he was reportedly broke when he lost his battle to pneumonia, Alzheimer’s disease, and prostate cancer in 2014.

According to TMZ, after his passing his family were still allegedly trying to pay off debts left behind that include $250,000 back child support, which was stated in court docs by his widow, Regina Womack. Other debts included an unpaid loan for $400,000. Bobby Womack’s valued assets totaled approximately $7,250; and he reportedly had a cash reserve of $52,000…not enough to cover his debts.

Moral Of The Story

Like we always say – there is always a lesson, message, or example we can learn from Old School legends. But in this case, it’s clearly a message of what-not-to-do.

Was Mr. Womack wrong for marrying Sam Cooke’s wife? Absolutely YES. Should he have taken his Mother’s advice to NOT marry Sam’s wife? No doubt about it, because that was just foul.

However, do I also respect the brotha as an incredible artist and musician, just as many of you do? YES. And for that reason, it’s sad to see music legends who’ve given us some phenomenal bodies of work, like Bobby Womack, be dead broke, with nothing to leave to their loved ones at the end of their journey here. Some say that is deservingly bad karma for Womack, and others say that it’s simply unfair.

Regardless, there’s no denying that soul and blues music wouldn’t have been the same without hits like Bobby’s If You’re Think You’re Lonely Now, or Sam Cooke’s You Send Me and more. So, in honor of both of these legends, we simply say: “Thank You.”

ILOSM fam’ feel free share your thoughts on this in the comments on on our Facebook page!!!

The post Bobby Womack Confessed: “After Marrying Sam Cooke’s Wife My Family Abandoned Me” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Bobby Womack seemed to have lived a reality show of a life so to speak. It was filled with some really tumultuous and/or strange events. It’s so bad that he should have created a movie about his life, well Bobby Womack did write a book about it, so that was good enough.

In his book, “Midnight Mover,” he revealed that he not only betrayed his music mentor/close friend when he married his friend’s wife, he also admitted to sexing his friend’s daughter! The friend whom Bobby stabbed in the back is none other than…

He Betrayed His Mentor, Sam Cooke…But There’s More…

The legendary Sam Cooke! Bobby confessed that just 3 months after his good friend, Cooke, died after having been shot to death by a hotel manager, Womack married Cooke’s wife, Barbara.

As if that wasn’t lowdown enough, he admitted to sleeping with Sam and Barbara’s teenage daughter, Linda (she was about 18 at the time). Here’s what Bobby wrote about how they eventually got caught in the act by his wife:

“I’m lying there kissing Linda and the light comes on — ‘You dirty fu**ing bastard. What are you doing with my daughter?’ It was Barbara.”

After that, Barbara shot Bobby with a .32 pistol and it grazed his scalp as he was running out of the house and into the garage. That is why they abruptly divorced in 1970. Barbara and her daughter never spoke again. [Sources: “Midnight Mover” book; Rolling Stone]

How did Bobby Womack fill about betraying his friend, Sam, and marrying his widow…then ultimately sexin’ up his wife and Sam’s daughter? :

“That was all really fu**ed up,” said Womack.

That was just foul on so many levels, wasn’t it?!!

Mr. Womack was one of the baddest blues legends in the game, and for that, we will always honor him for his contributions to music. What would music have been without songs like “Across 110th Street,” “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” and “Harry Hippie?” Those songs are still CLASSICS to this day that cannot be denied.

Now as far as Mr. Womack’s  personal life, yeah he did some jacked up stuff to the folks he loved, but it just goes to show that celebrities are no different than us regular folks- they are perfectly flawed human beings. May Bobby Womack and Sam Cooke continue to rest peacefully.

The post Vintage Entanglement: Bobby Womack Got Shot For Sleeping With Daughter Of His Celebrity Friend appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Who are the three lovely young ladies in the above photo? Well, there isn’t a simple answer to such a complicated question. These ladies go by the name, The Womack Sisters. So, your first guess would likely be ‘They must be Bobby Womack’s daughters,’ right? Nope, their truth is far more complex. So lets dig into their truth — it begins with Sam Cooke. Follow me on this web of relationships that produced these beautiful young ladies with a last name so renowned and respected in soul music.

The Breakdown Of Their Complicated, Yet Iconic Family Tree

Soul singer, Sam Cooke, married his then-wife, Barbara Cooke. After Sam passed away, Barbara then married his close friend, blues music legend, Bobby Womack. Barbara already had a daughter, Linda Cooke, who is the child from her prior marriage to Sam Cooke. Then the plot thickened even further. So, not only did Barbara and Bobby Womack wed, but Bobby had an affair with…wait for it…Barbara’s then-young daughter, Linda Cooke!

Yes, Bobby Womack married Sam Cooke’s widow, Barbara, and eventually began an affair with her and Sam’s daughter; Linda (for which he got shot, but that’s another story) during their marriage. You following me thus far ILOSM fam’? Okay, good. But hol’ up, wait a minute though…there’s more…

In short, The Womack Sisters are the children of Linda Cooke-Womack (Sam Cooke’s daughter) and Cecil Womack (Bobby Womack’s brother). They are also the granddaughters of both Sam Cooke, and his — and Bobby Womack’s — ex-wife, Barbara Cooke. And their Mother’s ex-boyfriend is their uncle, Bobby Womack. Whew…that was a loaded entanglement to unpack wasn’t it?!!

The Womack Sisters’ Parents, Cecil and Linda Womack

By the way, Linda and Cecil Womack had a successful recording career under the name, Womack & Womack, penning songs for artists such as Wilson Pickett, James Taylor, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti Labelle, Debbie Harry, Eric Clapton and Elton John.

Watch The Womack Sisters Perform – They Can SANG!

What do The Womack Sisters do, you ask? Their R&B group consists of sisters, BG, KC, and Imani – three soulful vocalists and songwriters, who also sometimes go by the name:

The Womack Sisters are performing to crowds of 10,000 plus, working with the Rolling Stones, Kid Rock, Bonnie Rait, Ozzy Osborne, Annie Lennox and many more, are all in their own way life changing moments that have crafted the sound, the feel and the depth of the Womack Sisters.

Wow, what a rollercoaster! But we’re glad to see that The Womack Sisters are in touch with their musical roots, because those ladies can SANG. Check out one of their live performances below…

As you can see, those musical genes rom their iconic family tree runs all up, down, and through their DNA. Wishing The Womack Sisters much continued success.

And simply because we dig Sam Cooke’s and Bobby Womack’s music, here at I Love Old School Music, enjoy two of their classics below…

Bobby Womack’s “If You Think You’re Lonely Now”

Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”

Be sure to join our I Love Old School Music fam’ on Facebook and Instagram.

The post Born Into Iconic Music Family Full Of Betrayal, Entanglement, Hostility…Their Story’s Complex appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

How Bobby Womack Ended Up Marrying Friend, Sam Cooke’s, Wife Wife

For starters, let’s dig into what Mr. Womack revealed in his book, about his family abandoning him after he married Barbara Cooke. Bobby married his mentor, Sam Cooke’s, wife, Barbara, just a few months after Sam was killed in 1964. That caught many by surprise, because they’re history goes way back. Sam helped Bobby and his brothers get a recording contract and they became good friends after that.

However, shortly after Cooke’s death, Womack offered counsel and comfort to Cooke’s widow, Barbara. But just three months after Cooke’s death -and just as Womack turned 21 years old- he went a step further, marrying Cooke’s still-grieving wife. He claimed she needed a shoulder to lean on at that time, so he went for it.

Womack’s Career Suffered & Cooke’s Brothers Beat Him

That caused a myriad of problems for Bobby Womack back then. Black radio reportedly abandoned him, by not playing any of his music for a long while.

Sam’s brothers beat him up in Chicago and wanted to kill him.

Then his own family abandoned him. According to Bobby Womack:

“My brothers were reluctant to be around me. They knew the threats that were out there against me for marrying Barbara (Sam Cooke’s widow). They didn’t know what to do, but without them I was totally alone, all by myself, and, because my father and mother had been against the marriage to Barbara, there was no family in my corner.”

Womack’s Momma Tried To Warn Him

Womack added:

“My mother had said, ‘I don’t think you should marry that woman, you don’t know anything about that woman. That’s Mrs. Cooke, that’s Sam’s wife.’

He told her “Mom I am getting married anyway.”

Womack Died In Debt

Decades later Bobby Womack left his family with more battles to conquer. Despite racking up on mega-hit songs Womack wrote for Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, and more, sadly, he was reportedly broke when he lost his battle to pneumonia, Alzheimer’s disease, and prostate cancer in 2014.

According to TMZ, after his passing his family were still allegedly trying to pay off debts left behind that include $250,000 back child support, which was stated in court docs by his widow, Regina Womack. Other debts included an unpaid loan for $400,000. Bobby Womack’s valued assets totaled approximately $7,250; and he reportedly had a cash reserve of $52,000…not enough to cover his debts.

Moral Of The Story

Like we always say – there is always a lesson, message, or example we can learn from Old School legends. But in this case, it’s clearly a message of what-not-to-do.

Was Mr. Womack wrong for marrying Sam Cooke’s wife? Absolutely YES. Should he have taken his Mother’s advice to NOT marry Sam’s wife? No doubt about it, because that was just foul.

However, do I also respect the brotha as an incredible artist and musician, just as many of you do? YES. And for that reason, it’s sad to see music legends who’ve given us some phenomenal bodies of work, like Bobby Womack, be dead broke, with nothing to leave to their loved ones at the end of their journey here. Some say that is deservingly bad karma for Womack, and others say that it’s simply unfair.

Regardless, there’s no denying that soul and blues music wouldn’t have been the same without hits like Bobby’s If You’re Think You’re Lonely Now, or Sam Cooke’s You Send Me and more. So, in honor of both of these legends, we simply say: “Thank You.”

ILOSM fam’ feel free share your thoughts on this in the comments on on our Facebook page!!!

The post Bobby Womack Confessed: “After Marrying Sam Cooke’s Wife My Family Abandoned Me” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Bobby Womack seemed to have lived a reality show of a life so to speak. It was filled with some really tumultuous and/or strange events. It’s so bad that he should have created a movie about his life, well Bobby Womack did write a book about it, so that was good enough.

In his book, “Midnight Mover,” he revealed that he not only betrayed his music mentor/close friend when he married his friend’s wife, he also admitted to sexing his friend’s daughter! The friend whom Bobby stabbed in the back is none other than…

He Betrayed His Mentor, Sam Cooke…But There’s More…

The legendary Sam Cooke! Bobby confessed that just 3 months after his good friend, Cooke, died after having been shot to death by a hotel manager, Womack married Cooke’s wife, Barbara.

As if that wasn’t lowdown enough, he admitted to sleeping with Sam and Barbara’s teenage daughter, Linda (she was about 18 at the time). Here’s what Bobby wrote about how they eventually got caught in the act by his wife:

“I’m lying there kissing Linda and the light comes on — ‘You dirty fu**ing bastard. What are you doing with my daughter?’ It was Barbara.”

After that, Barbara shot Bobby with a .32 pistol and it grazed his scalp as he was running out of the house and into the garage. That is why they abruptly divorced in 1970. Barbara and her daughter never spoke again. [Sources: “Midnight Mover” book; Rolling Stone]

How did Bobby Womack fill about betraying his friend, Sam, and marrying his widow…then ultimately sexin’ up his wife and Sam’s daughter? :

“That was all really fu**ed up,” said Womack.

That was just foul on so many levels, wasn’t it?!!

Mr. Womack was one of the baddest blues legends in the game, and for that, we will always honor him for his contributions to music. What would music have been without songs like “Across 110th Street,” “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” and “Harry Hippie?” Those songs are still CLASSICS to this day that cannot be denied.

Now as far as Mr. Womack’s  personal life, yeah he did some jacked up stuff to the folks he loved, but it just goes to show that celebrities are no different than us regular folks- they are perfectly flawed human beings. May Bobby Womack and Sam Cooke continue to rest peacefully.

*SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES SO YOU NEVER MISS ANY OF OUR STORIES*

The post Vintage Entanglement: Bobby Womack Got Shot For Sleeping With Daughter Of His Celebrity Friend appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The late Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, was once engaged to a Temptation member when they were both at the height of their careers. We don’t know how in the world they kept this quiet back in the day, but somehow they did. Aretha and this Temp’ actually spoke about their relationship and the love they continued to have for each other, after their romance had ended and their engagement was called off.

The Temp’ was the late Dennis Edwards, who also had a daughter with another VERY famous soul singer. Remember Dennis? He was the Temptation who went on to have solo success with his 80’s hit “Don’t Look Any Further,” featuring Seidah Garrett.

Aretha revealed that Dennis basically missed out on his opportunity to become her husband and Dennis eventually confessed that he regretted not marrying her. Check out what was reported by Ebony magazine a few years ago:

Like so many women, one thing Aretha had to learn the hard way would turn out to be one of life’s toughest lessons: the men she would love wouldn’t always know how to love her. Take, for example, Dennis Edwards, formerly of The Temptations, to whom Aretha was once engaged.

“Dennis Edwards was about 15 years too late,” she says, explaining why they never married. Meaning exactly what? “Meaning,” she says, “by the time he realized the value of what he had, it was just too late. I was no longer interested. He had drop-kicked me a couple of times and I had just had enough.”

Edwards himself has admitted as much. “I should have married Aretha,” he has said. “It was all in my court and I think I’m the one that was so scared of marrying this superstar.”

It sounds like our beloved Dennis Edwards had to learn his lesson after the thrill was gone on Aretha’s end. Obviously, both moved onto other loves, but they remained friends. The queen of soul remained with her longtime boo-thang, William Wilkerson, until the end of her life…

Embed from Getty Images

And Dennis was married to his wife, Brenda, up until his passing…

Dennis wasn’t Aretha’s only famous love interest. She apparently had a big crush on Sam Cooke and there were even rumors that they had a thing going on, but that was never confirmed. According to Sam Cooke’s brother, L.C. Cooke (who is also a soul singer), Aretha’s dad, Rev. C.L. Franklin, did not want her hooking up with Cooke, but he instead wanted her to date L.C., because he felt that he was more settled.

Check out what L.C. revealed to Esquire Magazine about Aretha and her Pops below…

“The first tour Aretha Franklin ever went on, was Sam’s and mine,” says the gentle, sweet-tempered Cooke. “One day in 1961, Aretha called me. She said, ‘L.C., I need you to do me a favor. I asked my father if we could use his new car to go on Sam’s tour.’ Her father [the legendary Reverend C.L. Franklin] had a 1961 Continental, you know, with the suicide doors. Aretha told me she could use it on one condition: only if I drove. So I called Sam. And he said, ‘No, man. I’m trying to make you a star. I don’t want you driving nobody. Not even me! You’re nobody’s chauffeur.'”

After some finagling, Sam relented. L.C. went over to the Reverend’s house. Young Cooke was expected to return the car exactly as it was. The only change allowed would be its mileage.

LC then realized the Rev. had otehr plans though:

“Later on, I figured out what Reverend Franklin’s motives were,” says [L.C.] Cooke, chuckling. “He wanted me to get with Aretha. He figured Sam would break her heart. I didn’t find that out ’til 1970! That’s when Aretha’s road manager came over to me and said, ‘L.C., Aretha can do a lot of things. But she do not know how to pick a man.'”

Wow…we learn smethin’ new everyday ’round here, I tell ya.’

The post Aretha Was Engaged To A Temptation Singer Who Regrets Not Marrying Her appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Roy Smith, a janitor at Burke High School in Omaha, Nebraska, brought down the house on Tuesday night with his amazing rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” at the school’s orchestra performance.

“They had asked me to sing to with them,” Smith humbly said of his impressive pipes.

To the students, Smith is so much more than a janitor. They often find him wandering the halls, singing his songs and putting smiles on their faces as he works away.

“Whistle while you work, that’s my motto,” he said.

Smith also made headlines in 2014 for his incredible performance at the school’s Christmas concert, and he’s clearly shown no signs of quieting down since then.

“I’m like that every day,” he said of his harmonious hobby. “It brings joy to the students. The ones that are down and out, I give them something to cheer them up.”

He said he does most of his singing at church, something he’s grown up doing since he was a kid.

“I’m originally from New Orleans,” said Smith. “When I was there, I started singing when I was 13 impersonating James Brown.”

And if you ask him, the 2014 James Brown movie “Get on Up” was good and all, but “they should’ve gotten me to do that,” Smith joked of playing the lead role. More than anything, he just loves the joy that his songs bring to his beloved students.

“They’re awesome,” Smith said of the Burke High kids. “I get enjoyment out of it. If I could make your day, I’m happy then. If I do that, then my day is complete.”

Source

The post Old School Janitor Gets Chance To Sing At School Recital. Shocked Crowd! appeared first on I Love Old School Music.