It's the Womack Brothers out of Cleveland, Ohio.
They became popular as a gospel group under the watchful eye of their father, Friendly Womack.
After Sam Cooke heard them, he invited them to come record for his SAR label. So they drove a beat-up Cadillac to Los Angeles and recorded this gospel tune, "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" in 1961.
You can already hear Bobby's dynamic, distinctive lead--with the sweet, innocent voices of Friendly, Jr., Curtis, Harry and Cecil backing him up.
1962.
The Womack Brothers have followed the lead of their mentor Sam Cooke and gone in a secular direction.
They're now known as The Valentinos. And "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" is now "Lookin' for a Love."
Bobby still sings lead.
It hits number eight on the R&B charts.
It's 1974—the Disco Era!
And Bobby has released an updated solo version of "Looking for a Love." It's a big hit.
Here he is, dancing and lip-synching with all his might on Soul Train ...
Bobby was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 (by Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones, which had a big hit with Bobby's composition "It's All Over Now"). The surviving members of the family were present.
Bobby Womack died in 2014.
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