AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
Legendary R&B singer Bobby Womack has died.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ACROSS 110th STREET")
BOBBY WOMACK: (Singing) I was the third brother of five doing whatever I had to do to survive.
CORNISH: Womack was a voice of American soul music in the 1970s with hit songs such as "Across 110th Street" and "Looking For Love." Bobby Womack began his career singing gospel in the Baptist church in Cleveland, Ohio. A chance to perform with the singer Sam Cooke changed his life. Cooke steered Womack toward the secular soulful sound that became his signature. Womack went on to write music for Wilson Pickett, the Rolling Stones, and he played guitar with Aretha Franklin and Dusty Springfield.But amid struggles with substance abuse, Womack disappeared from public life by the 1980s. He returned to music in the '90s with a new set of collaborators. And by 2009, Bobby Womack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His 2012 album, "The Bravest Man In The Universe," ended up on many critics' best of list. And he spoke with NPR's Laura Sullivan. Womack talked about his struggle to return.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVAL BROADCAST)
WOMACK: My doctor told me, he said, you know what? - I've never seen a person as sick as you.
LAURA SULLIVAN, BYLINE: He said that to you?
WOMACK: Yeah. He said everything is wrong. Man, well, hurry up and fix it 'cause I got a tour to do.
SULLIVAN: (Laughing).
WOMACK: He said you got to be out your mind. (Laughing).
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ACROSS 110th STREET")
WOMACK: (Singing) ...It's either live or die. You've got to be strong if you want to survive.
CORNISH: He said - key to life is to keep learning.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVAL BROADCAST)
WOMACK: You'll learn if your mind stay open. And once you can't learn no more, your mind must be closed. Life goes on and you keep growing, you know?
CORNISH: Bobby Womack's last performance was just weeks ago. The album he was working on is tentatively titled "The Best Is Yet To Come."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE BRAVEST MAN IN THE UNIVERSE")
WOMACK: (Singing) The bravest man in the universe is the one who has forgiven first. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
