The Valentinos
| The Valentinos | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Womack Brothers |
| Origin | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | Gospel, R&B, soul, doo-wop |
| Years active | 1952–1974 |
| Labels | Pennant, SAR, Chess, Jubilee, Clean |
| Associated acts | Sam Cooke, Mary Wells, Bobby Womack, Cecil Womack |
| Past members | Friendly Womack, Jr. Curtis Womack Bobby Womack Harry Womack Cecil Womack |
The Valentinos (also known as The Womack Brothers) was a Cleveland, Ohio-based family R&B group, mainly famous for launching the careers of brothers Bobby Womack and Cecil Womack, the former brother finding bigger fame as a solo artist and the latter finding success as a member of the husband and wife team of Womack & Womack with Linda Cooke. During their 22-year existence, the group was known for R&B hits such as "Lookin' for a Love", notably covered by the J. Geils Band and later a solo hit for Bobby Womack, and "It's All Over Now", covered by the Rolling Stones.
The foundation of the Valentinos started in church where the five Womack brothers - Friendly, Jr. (born 1941), Curtis (born 1943), Bobby (1944-2014), Harry (1945-1974) and Cecil (1947-2013) - performed at their father Friendly's church located from the East 85th & Quincy area of Cleveland. The group started out around 1952 when eight-year-old Bobby Womack played guitar for his father after he had broken a string. Following this, he discovered that all five of his sons could sing, forming the Womack Brothers.
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. 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. The group arrived to California in a beat-up Cadillac prior to Cooke signing them.
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