Born in Cleveland, Womack cut his teeth early on when he joined with his siblings Cecil, Curtis, Harry, and Friendly Jr. to form the gospel quintet the Womack Brothers.

From there, under the tutelage of the forefathers of soul music like Sam Cooke, Sly Stone, and Wilson Picket, Bobby Womack's talent grew. It was the heyday of American soul in the '60s music, and success found Womack after he penned the song "It's All Over Now," which was swiftly picked up and made famous by the Rolling Stones. Soon after, controversy brewed when Womack married Cooke's widow, Barbara Campbel. He became a pariah in the R&B community, seen as an opportunist to cash in on Cooke's success.

Undeterred, Womack continued playing guitar for major artists in the late '60s, including Ray Charles, Joe Tex, King Curtis and Aretha Franklin. He embarked on a solo career in the early '70s with his debut Communication followed by a string of successful albums including 1972′s Understanding and Across 110th Street.