We lost Bobby Womack, one of our kings of Soul, who leaves behind a creative legacy that’s more than a half-century old.
Among many reasons to dig this Brother, I deeply admire him for remaining true to the craft he loved.
Think about this for a moment — we began to see a migration away from Soul music during the 80s, where pressures created by The Industry as well as artists’ desire to stay marketable for its business masters drove deeply-rooted Soul creators to jump or dance on a ceiling.
But not Brother Womack. He struck early in that decade with the Soul-drenched “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” thus proving to the world that Soul as we know it is not dead; it all depends on what you know.+
Personal drug battles aside, Womack would continue to create – on his own terms – for his entire career.
He wasn’t stuck in a genre warp, as evidenced by his musical tie-ups with artists like Todd Rundgren, Santana, Mica Paris, Wilton Felder, Paul Shaffer and Gorillaz. But every performance he gave was laced with unshakable evidence of his Soul and Gospel foundations.
I’m taking a YouTube break right now since I feel a groove comin’ on. Rest in Love, Brother Womack…
+ All praises due to Brother Roscoe Mitchell.
mentalunrest.com 