Linda Womack (née Cooke; born April 25, 1953), now known as Zeriiya Zekkariyas, is an American singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of soul singer

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is common ...

. She later had a successful career as half of the duo

Womack & Womack Womack & Womack was the singing and songwriting partnership of married American musicians Linda Womack and Cecil Womack. The duo were successful as songwriters for other artists, and had several international hits as a singing duo in the 1980s a ...

with her husband

Cecil Womack Cecil Dale Womack (September 25, 1947 – January 25, 2013) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was one of the musical Womack brothers, and had success both as a songwriter and recording artist, notably with his wife Lind ...

Biography

Linda Womack (née Cooke) is the eldest child of Barbara Campbell and

, born on April 25, 1953. Her parents married in 1958. In December 1964, when she was 11 years old, her father was killed. Soon after, her mother married Cooke's protégé

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing gui ...

on March 5, 1965. In 1970, Barbara shot at him after she discovered he was having an affair with Linda, who was 17-years-old at the time. According to Womack, Linda never spoke to her mother again after that incident. In 1972, Linda co-wrote Bobby Womack's 1972 hit song "

Woman's Gotta Have It ''Woman's Gotta Have It'' is the second album by Cornershop, released in 1995. Recording and release The song ''My Dancing Days Are Done'' is performed in French (''mes jours de bal perdus'') by the guest singers Parsley and Sasha Andres. The ...

". In 1979, she signed to

Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...

and went on the road with him. They planned to collaborate for her debut album. She gained renown as a songwriter of

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

songs in the late 1970s and '80s, with "Love Bankrupt", released by

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

; and the ballad "New Day" by soul singer and jazz guitarist,

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

. Linda married Bobby's brother

, and together they had a successful recording career under the name

. Their first album, '' Love Wars'', released by

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

, was a critical hit. "Baby I'm Scared of You" was a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

R&B single. Other albums included ''Radio M.U.S.I.C. Man'' (Elektra 1985), ''Starbright'' (Manhattan EMI 1986), ''Conscience'' (Island 1988) and ''Family Spirit'' on Arista/

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

in 1991. Their 1988 single " Teardrops" from the album ''

Conscience Conscience is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system. Conscience stands in contrast to elicited emotion or thought due to associations based on immediate sens ...

'' was a worldwide hit. The song, written by Linda and Cecil (as Womack and Womack), featured Linda on lead vocals. The 1993 album ''Transformation Into The House Of Zekkariyas'' was their last as Womack & Womack. In the 1990s, Linda and her family moved to South Africa. She records with her seven children as The House of Zekkariyas. Her husband died on January 25, 2013 in South Africa, aged 65.

References

External links

Review/Rock; Womacks:Songs of Life
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''; accessed January 2, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Womack, Linda 1953 births American women singers Living people American expatriates in South Africa Singers from Chicago Capricorn Records artists African-American women singer-songwriters 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people Singer-songwriters from Illinois 20th-century African-American women