Singer. He sought stardom as an American rhythm and blues vocalist starting in the mid-20th century. Born Howard Curtis Womack, he was the brother of legendary singer Bobby Womack. He was a member of the singing group "The Womack Brothers," which became "The Valentinos." The group was a Cleveland, Ohio-based family R&B group, mainly famous for launching the careers of brothers Bobby and Cecil Womack. His father, Friendly Womack, assembled a family band in the late 1950's, which included Friendly Jr, Curtis, Bobby and Harry. They started touring the Midwest gospel circuit as the "Womack Brothers", along with their mother, Naomi, playing the organ and their father on guitar. The brothers met up-and-coming singer, Sam Cooke, who invited them to open for one of his shows and later signed them to his SAR record label in 1961. Encouraging the group to take the journey from gospel to secular R&B, Cooke changed their name to the Valentinos and relocated them to Los Angeles. The Valentinos had three hits: "Looking for a Love," "I'll Make It Alright" and "It's All Over Now." When Cooke was shot and killed in 1964, they were left without a mentor. Months later Bobby married Cooke's widow, Barbara, and the backlash from bitter Cooke fans left the Valentinos without a career. He made a 1966 comeback single for Chess Records that failed to chart. He continued to provide background vocals for brother Bobby's recordings until the nineties when he announced retirement.
Singer. He sought stardom as an American rhythm and blues vocalist starting in the mid-20th century. Born Howard Curtis Womack, he was the brother of legendary singer Bobby Womack. He was a member of the singing group "The Womack Brothers," which became "The Valentinos." The group was a Cleveland, Ohio-based family R&B group, mainly famous for launching the careers of brothers Bobby and Cecil Womack. His father, Friendly Womack, assembled a family band in the late 1950's, which included Friendly Jr, Curtis, Bobby and Harry. They started touring the Midwest gospel circuit as the "Womack Brothers", along with their mother, Naomi, playing the organ and their father on guitar. The brothers met up-and-coming singer, Sam Cooke, who invited them to open for one of his shows and later signed them to his SAR record label in 1961. Encouraging the group to take the journey from gospel to secular R&B, Cooke changed their name to the Valentinos and relocated them to Los Angeles. The Valentinos had three hits: "Looking for a Love," "I'll Make It Alright" and "It's All Over Now." When Cooke was shot and killed in 1964, they were left without a mentor. Months later Bobby married Cooke's widow, Barbara, and the backlash from bitter Cooke fans left the Valentinos without a career. He made a 1966 comeback single for Chess Records that failed to chart. He continued to provide background vocals for brother Bobby's recordings until the nineties when he announced retirement.
Bio by: Babe
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