Bobby Womack

Bobby Womack was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1944. He started singing early with his family, performing gospel as one of the Womack Brothers around the Midwest. By the mid-1960s he'd moved into secular music, writing songs for other artists like Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin before releasing his own debut album in 1968.

That album, 'Fly Me to the Moon,' included what became one of his signature songs, 'Lookin' for a Love.' His voice had a particular kind of worn-in quality that worked whether he was singing something like 'If You Think You're Lonely Now' or the theme from 'Across 110th Street.'

He had a complicated life, with periods of addiction and personal loss that found their way into his writing. The music that came out of it, though, felt direct and unvarnished. You can hear it in songs like 'California Dreamin',' where he takes a familiar tune and makes it sound like something he just remembered.