Cecil Dale Womack (September 25, 1947 – February 1, 2013) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was one of the musical Womack brothers, and had success both as asongwriter andrecording artist, notably with his second wifeLinda asWomack & Womack. In later years he took the nameZekkariyas.

Cecil Womack was born inCleveland, Ohio. He and his brothersBobby (1944–2014),Harry (1945–1974), Friendly and Curtis, were agospelgroup appearing on the gospel circuit in the mid-50s where they were seen bySam Cooke of theSoul Stirrers who signed them for hisSAR records. As Cooke's protégés they changed their name tothe Valentinos and in 1961 began to sing and record for secular audiences.^[3] The Valentinos had hit records with "Lookin' for a Love" and "It's All Over Now", the latter beingcovered bythe Rolling Stones. Cooke's death at an L.A. motel in December 1964, had dramatic consequences for the Womack Brothers as SAR folded and Bobby Womack, who was now married to Sam Cooke's widow, Barbara, left the group for a solo career. The Valentinos briefly disbanded before regrouping as a quartet in 1966, signing with Chess Records where they recorded the Northern Soul hit, "Sweeter than the Day Before", written by Cecil Womack and singerMary Wells. Womack and Wells married in 1966 and formed the music publishing firm, Well-Wom, to market their jointly written songs.^[4] However, the group got dropped from Chess in 1968 after only two singles and Cecil Womack decided to leave the Valentinos. The remaining trio of Harry, Curtis, and Friendly Jr. signed with Jubilee Records where they recorded the Cecil-composed "Two Lovers History" and "Tired Of Being Nobody" before being dropped in 1970.^[5]

As the 1960s progressed Cecil Womack secured a role away from performing as a songwriter and producer. As the husband of Mary Wells, he was well placed to provide several R & B chart successes for her including "The Doctor", "Dig The Way I Feel" and "Never Give A Man The World" on which he backed his wife on vocals, all released on Jubilee Records.^[6] Womack's later songwriting credits include "Love TKO" a major hit forTeddy Pendergrass, "I Just Want To Satisfy You" forthe O'Jays, "Love Symphony" forPatti LaBelle, "Your Song" forFour Tops and "New Day" forGeorge Benson.^[7]

In 1983, Cecil and his wife Linda, who wasSam Cooke's daughter, began performing and recording together asWomack & Womack, and released a successful album,Love Wars onElektra Records. The title track from the album was a no.14 hit in the UK, and the song "Baby I'm Scared Of You" was a hit on theBillboardR&B chart in the US. In 1988, their single "Teardrops", taken from their fourth albumConscience, became a major international hit reportedly selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. It reached no.3 in the UK, and no.1 in theNetherlands,Australia, andNew Zealand.^[8][9]

After traveling toNigeria, they discovered ancestral ties to the Zekkariyas tribe, and Cecil adopted the name Zekkariyas. In 1993 they released their final album with a major label,Transformation To The House Of Zekkariyas.^[10] They continued to write for other artists, includingRuby Turner andRandy Crawford.^[7]

Mary Wells recorded the Valentinos "Two Lovers' History" in 1968. The Womack & Womack song "Love Wars" was covered byThe Beautiful South for the 1990 compilationRubáiyát.Eric Clapton,Elton John,K.D. Lang andThe Sugababes are amongst the artists who recorded "Lead Me On". His best-known song “Love T.K.O." has been recorded by many artists. Originally recorded byDavid Oliver, the song was subsequently recorded by:Teddy Pendergrass,Boz Scaggs,Bette Midler andMichael McDonald. "Teardrops" has been covered byLulu,Joss Stone,Sugababes, andRoosevelt.^[11]

In 1966, Womack marriedMotown singerMary Wells at the Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland. Prior to that Womack fathered a son, Mustafa Womack in November of the same year.^[4] They had three children. Womack and Wells separated after he discovered she was having an affair with his brother Curtis Womack.^[12] They divorced in 1977.^[12]

Cecil later marriedLinda Cooke, the daughter ofSam Cooke. This created an interesting family tree because Cecil's brotherBobby Womack had marriedSam Cooke's widow and Linda's mother Barbara Campbell in 1965.^[13] Cecil and Linda had seven children together, and had homes in Africa and Thailand. After 1994, Womack was known professionally and personally by the name Zekkariyas.^[14]

Zekkariyas spent his final years traveling the world with his wife and children, using his time to explore his African heritage, spirituality, and knowledge of the continent as well as making music. He died of unknown causes inJohannesburg, South Africa, on February 1, 2013, at age 65.^[1][15]

• Zekkariyas Enlightenment Kingdom Official site [offline June 2014]
• Cecil Womack atIMDb
• Review/Rock; Womacks:Songs of Life,The New York Times
• The Independent,"How we met: Womack & Womack", 1994

• 1947 births
• 2013 deaths
• 20th-century African-American male singers
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American singers
• African-American songwriters
• American expatriates in Nigeria
• American expatriates in South Africa
• Expatriate musicians in South Africa
• American expatriate musicians
• American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
• American soul guitarists
• American male guitarists
• The Valentinos members
• Singers from Cleveland
• Singer-songwriters from Ohio
• Guitarists from Ohio
• 20th-century American guitarists
• 20th-century American male musicians
• African-American guitarists
• 21st-century African-American musicians
• American male singer-songwriters

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