Midnight Mover: My Autobiography. The True Story of the Greatest Soul Singer in the World

by Bobby Womack

Rare book

Genres: Music, Biography, Memoir, Autobiography, Nonfiction

303 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2007

Reviews

[Woman_gotta_have_it · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bobby Womack is my favorite singer. This book is hilarious. Talked about his career and all the people he helped along the way. It's not very organized and has a lot grammatical errors but it is Bobby Womack story in his own words and I can respect that. He is very and raw and truthful in this book. I really learned a lot.

[Nandi Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a book! From his start in a large Cleveland family of all boys to finding a short stint of stardom with his brothers thanks to Sam Cooke, then finding that dream smashed upon his death, but then picking himself up, getting hitched to the widow of Sam Cooke(for the longest time, I couldn't understand why he would want to do this unless he had an underlying reason) a mere three months after his own mentor's death, to admitting his part of their breakup(yes, he had an affair with his stepdaughter later sister in law Linda, pls google the relationship for yourselves), to almost losing his footing in the music business until he became a musician for Ray Charles, Sly Stone, Wilson Pickett, The Faces and Rolling Stones. He would marry again but they separated after twenty years. He had a couple of sons, but one died as a baby, another killed himself, another is in jail and another is just growing up as I write this. He lost his brother Harry tragically(Harry Hippie is in his honor). Due to all of that, he abused drugs, made bad decisions, but out of all of that, he made some of the best music in rhythm and blues and is dearly missed by those who love and treasure his music. I remember when he came to Mobile in May, 2014 fronting a group. I still remember that and he was dead in a month's time. Still, we have his music, the words he wrote to make that music, the memories and now the book. RIP Poet.

[Winter Sophia Rose]

Funny, Honest, Ruveting & Insightful! I Loved It!

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

In which a series of domestic felonies are committed and dude makes some incredible music

[Melissa Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for any Bobby Womack fan (or fan of soul and rock n roll).

BW writes in a very raw, sometimes humorous style. I felt as if his personality really came across and I loved that. Just a warning that some of what he writes about is difficult to read - you get a taste of that in the very first pages, so you’ll know right away. I did appreciate that throughout the entire book he was very upfront about his mistakes.

My favorite part was probably the pages about Sam Cooke playing “A Change is Gonna Come” for BW before the song’s release. Hearing about Sam’s experience of writing that song - & his self-doubt while creating a masterpiece (!)….no words.

I knew BW was a guitarist for Ray Charles for a time, but it was so great to learn more details - like his initial audition for Ray.

I have read about Jimi Hendrix in more than one music bio, but it was fascinating to hear him described (in the early days) as a “beatnik”.

As a fan of Wilson Pickett & Sly Stone, I was very engaged in BW’s pages on his close friendships with these brilliant musicians.

[Barry Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Besides composing one of my favorite film soundtracks (Across 110th Street - which was also used as the title music to Quinton Tarrantino's "Jackie Brown"), Bobby Womack was the writer of many songs, including The Rolling Stones' first UK No. 1, "It's All Over Now." Some of his other credits include: "If You Don't Want My Love," "Breezin'," (which George Benson had a hit with), "A Woman's Gotta Have It," "Trust Me," (for Janis Joplin), "Harry Hippy," "That's The Way I Feel About You," and many others. He was also a renowned session guitar player and contributed to records by Sam Cooke, Sly Stone, Wilson Pickett, The Rolling Stones, Gabor Szabo, etc. Although not an educated man, he tells his complex story directly and with honesty, not glossing over some of its more seamy sides. A very interesting and compelling read. BH.

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely insane look at a long lost era in the music industry and how musicians could behave. The book starts with him being chased by his wife (Sam Cooke's widow) with a gun, because he's sleeping with his teenage step-daughter (Sam's biological daughter). Passages like the observation that he can see why his second son resents being named almost exactly like the first, so he can kind of understand how he wound up in prison, make the book a great read. Then there's the trip to Hawaii that doesn't end as planned. Recommended.

[Chavon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poorly written, yet entertaining. Like listening to youe drunk aunt or uncle tell you about their lfe. It's clear Bobby wrote this on his own. However, the book still manages to be entertaining. Bobby lived a hell of a life and a lot of contributions to the music of big artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Wilson Pickett.

[Dash Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is a little rough in places, but the book is an entertaining looking into the life of The King of Dirty Macking.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this funny, sad, raw and honest book by Bobby Womack. I have loved his music, hearing cover versions of his songs led me to the real thing, and knew bits and pieces here and there. I'm happy to get the real stories from this quick read and it's as if I can hear him telling the stories in that gruff but sweet voice. Someone needs to make a biopic about Bobby already. The prologue would be hilarious.

[Kimberly Stokes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Book

I learned a lot about Bobby Womack reading this book, but I have to say I was particularly disgusted with the way in which Bobby Womack discussed having a sexual relationship with his step-daughter (Sam Cooke's biological daughter. Such a shame. He totally minimized it, and oh boy have times changed because the Police now arrest adults who have sex with children. Especially those who confess to it, SMH.

[koothooloo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enough tidbits to make it well worth a read if interested in the subject, hard to confirm the veracity of most of the stories, however. Interesting from a musical side, but a mess of a man, ultimately, with no real insight on what went wrong or whether he’d learned any lessons, except to stay away from the drugs.

[harleiux12 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. I loved Bobby the artist before and after I read the book. But he came with a lot of baggage. He was not. A nice man on several levels. He and R.Kelly appeared to have more in common than just great artist

Good book, but he was not a nice man. Some of you can probably attribute to drugs but not all.

[HeyYallItsMei · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a solid autobiography. This man had one heck of a life. I learned so many knew things about him and this book also cleared up a lot of untruths and misconceptions about him and his life. I've said for years he needed a movie about his life and reading this made me believe it even more. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Anjanette Baity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reading

I enjoyed reading this book because Bobby Womack gave a glimpse of other celebrities.
This book was more on a personal level because it was written based on Womack 's words.

[Whitney Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

another time another place

I enjoyed this book! His life was
Full with different experiences! I felt like I was there. It was interesting seeing who all
He worked with. A good read wish the ending wasnt so abrupt.

[ANTHONY THOMPSON · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Truth

I was and always will be a Bobby Womack fan. His story is so amazing and brutally honest. He can rest now.

[Angela Que · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bobby Womack was great and I learned so much more

I learned so much about Bobby's history that I did not know. Very talented man with a wide and varied history. Very interesting.

[Ruby Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and insightful into the world of entertainment during this period. Written straight from the heart and at times, funny and sad. Enjoyable read.

[Jewell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read....

[Tikiella Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book review

Good read, I would like to have read more about his child hood, marriages/relationship with his children , and career,

[DaBoneZone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing!! By no means an intellectual approach but one of the most entertaining music bios i’ve ever read. What a legend

[Shalonda Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book!! A lot of grammatical errors!!

[sanner faye crook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

This was a great book to read Highly recommended, just to here all the stuff he went threw and famous people he met

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bobby was one of a kind. It reads like a novel (in a good way).

[David Thrale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Womack's music and was looking forward to reading his autobiography. It was an easy and enjoyable read. In some places it was a little disjointed and I found it frustrating that too many of the chapters were focussed on other famous people he knew or worked with, and skimmed over some parts of his life.

However, there was a raw honesty about those parts of his life that he did share. Some of which must have been hugely difficult issues to face. I really enjoyed the book and now have a better insight into the man as well as the music.

My favourite passage was ...

"So every night we would go to a different city and run the same game on different ladies. I didn’t understand it and didn’t want a woman like that. I wanted a wholesome woman, a clean woman; I wanted to make her the queen that she was. With ‘Woman’s Gotta Have It’, I laid it out, said if you really want to call yourself a man then you should treat a woman with respect. Treat her like you would your own mom.

A few years later, a famous rapper came to me. Instead of singing ‘a woman’s gotta have it’, he wanted me to sing ‘bitch ain’t gonna have shit’. I told him I couldn’t do it. He said, ‘Bobby, it’ll put another $175,000 in your pocket. Cash money.’ I said, ‘Man, I still can’t do it. First of all, my mom will have to be dead and gone and she’s very much alive. Then I really do believe if you got a woman and if you want a queen you got to behave like a king. It’s as simple as that.”

[Candace Crenshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend and colleague loaned me this book a few years back, and since he shares the same broad love of music and music artistry, I suspected that it may be a 'good read'. Well, ...it was. Ok, Womack's actual writing style CAN be a bit unsophisticated in its vocabulary usage and grammar more than once or twice. But...who CARES when it comes to this 'keepin' it real' tale of one of America's most influencial and impactful singer-songwriters and bass musicians of the rock 'n roll and R & B 20th century. I had had absolutely no idea of just HOW much stuff Womack was involved with until this bio, how many music people frequently socialized with him and how many megastar musicians he'd mentored, inspired or even guided. This is what I loved about this book---who else but Bobby could share about 'kickin' it' with Janis Joplin or a hotel crashing with Rod Stewart, and then segue into his supershady love-life and his partying with Sly Stone? ...Bobby. Thanks to his rich memory in this book (sadly, before the time of his passing), one gets to know and understand all of the song 'Backdrop', which I love knowing about, and his own families joys and tragedies. Enjoyed this!

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The man is not missing an ego or a sense of self, and he makes decisions based on a logic you can at the very least understand. What I found interesting was his interplay with stars of that era and their interactions with him. Very conversational, very laid back but to the point, I found this enjoyable.

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bobby was a wild dude lol

Good read, clears up many things about his life. Highly recommended. Bobby was wild man, all I can say. He married Sam Cooke’s wife 3 months after he died & then slept with Sam’s daughter. Not a cool move at all. But it’s not as simple as that. Very complicated situation. To each his own. Rest In Peace Bobby Womack.

[Joyce Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read so glad to read this book learned a lot about Bobby Womack, a lot also came out about other people that Bobby played for or had connections with, book cleared upa lot of rumors that were said about Bobby Womack.