Womack and Womack

Many Soul music fans believe that, when tracing back the roots of modern Soul, all roads ran through Sam Cooke.  Well, that was literally true in the case of the singing/songwriting duo Womack & Womack.  Cecil Womack was one of the famous Womack brothers (the most notable being Bobby Womack) and was a member of the Valentinos, the sibling singing group that was mentored by Sam Cooke before his tragic death.  Linda Womack is Sam Cooke's daughter (and was for a time Bobby's stepdaughter) and became Cecil's wife and musical partner.

Womack & Womack established a stellar reputation as songwriters of melodic, intelligent songs that were recorded by others especially during the period 1975 - 1990.  Perhaps most notable of their songs were "Love TKO," originally recorded by Teddy Pendergrass and recently remade by Hall & Oates, Patti LaBelle's "Love Bankrupt" and the wonderful ballad "New Day," immortalized by George Benson. 

Cecil (who was at one time the husband of Motown great, Mary Wells) and Linda also had a relatively short but notable recording career.  Their 1983 debut album, Love Wars, was a critical favorite, and spun off the minor hit "Baby I'm Scared of You."  It was a great album front-to-back, and included their own version of "TKO" as well as the smooth "Good Times."  They followed over the next half decade with the solid but less commercially successful Radio M.U.S.I.C. Man, Conscience and Starbright before moving to RCA in 1991 for Family Spirit.  Their 1993 recording Transformed Into The House Of Zekkariyas was their last as Womack and Womack.

Cecil and Linda moved to Africa in the 90s.  They later recorded with their seven children as The House of Zekkariyas, and released the album Sub Conscience in 2002.

In 2004, Australia's Raven Records released Strange and Funny: The Best of Womack & Womack 1984-93. 

Sadly, Cecil died on February 1, 2013.

By Chris Rizik