Harry Womack
| Harry Womack | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Harris Womack |
| Born |
June 25, 1945 Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
| Died | March 9, 1974 (aged 28) Los Angeles |
| Genres | Gospel, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and roll, doo-wop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, instrumentalist |
| Instruments | Vocals, bass |
| Years active | 1952–1974 |
| Labels | Pennant, SAR, Chess, Jubilee, Clean |
| Associated acts | The Valentinos, Bobby Womack |
Harris "Harry" Womack (June 25, 1945 – March 9, 1974) was an American singer and musician, most notable for his tenure as a member of the family R&B quintet, The Valentinos.
Harris "Harry" Womack grew up the fourth of five sons to Friendly and Naomi Womack in Cleveland's east side. The brothers were very close as they grew mersde affectionately attaching nicknames to one another, Harry's was "goat", just where that was derived from, was never figured it out, but it stuck, with him, for many years. Raised as Baptist, all five brothers began singing together when Harry was seven, forming The Womack Brothers. Like his brothers Bobby (1944–2014) and Cecil (1947–2013), Harry took up instruments, playing bass guitar before reaching his teenage years. Along with brothers Cecil and Curtis, Harry was a tenor vocalist while Bobby and Friendly, Jr. were baritones. In 1960, when he was fifteen, Sam Cooke signed the act to his SAR Records label, having told the brothers – and their father – that he was willing to work with them. Friendly Womack made Sam Cooke promise him that the brothers would continue to sing gospel and not what he referred to as "the devil's music".
Following two gospel releases with SAR, Sam Cooke suggested the group change their sound and name. In 1962, Cooke renamed them The Valentinos and produced and arranged the group's first major hit, "Looking for a Love", which was led by Bobby. The record became a hit and landed them an opening spot on James Brown's Revue. Following several modestly successful R&B releases, the Valentinos' next hit, "It's All Over Now", was released in 1964. While successful on the R&B chart, the song became internationally successful after The Rolling Stones covered it and it has been covered by several bands hence.
Following Cooke's death at a L.A. motel in December 1964, SAR folded and Bobby Womack, now married to Sam Cooke's widow, Barbara, left the group for a solo career. The Valentinos briefly disbanded before regrouping as a quartet in 1966, signing with Chess Records where they recorded the Northern Soul hit, "Sweeter than the Day Before". However, the group got dropped from Chess after only two singles and Cecil Womack followed Bobby out of the group after he married Mary Wells. In 1968, the remaining trio of Harry, Curtis and Friendly Jr. signed with Jubilee Records where they recorded the Cecil-composed "Two Lovers History" before being dropped in 1970.
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