Scandalous

Well. I just got my wig blown back in the final chapters of Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke.

Apparently, after Sam's murder (he was getting conned by this Eurasian prostitute who had a bad habit of stealing her john's money and giving it to her well-known musician pimp), his widow Barbara married his protege, Bobby Womack.

yeah, that Bobby Womack. Within months of Sam's death they were at the courthouse to get married, and when I say months I mean 60 days or less. They were turned away from the courthouse because Bobby was not yet 21.

In the 60 days between Sam's death and their marriage, Barbara dressed Bobby in Sam's clothing, had him escort her around town and to many public functions dressed in Sam's clothes. Bobby didn't have many clothes of his own, but that was just nasty.

Barbara aslo destroyed Sam's business holdings - she gridlocked his half of the publishing company he owned with his mentor and sold it for $75,000 cash, a tiny sliver of what it was worth. Then she got hit with the income taxes. She needed someone with income, Bobby Womack was making royalties on a smash song the Rolling Stones had recorded that he composed.

To add another level of nuttiness to the whole story, Sam Cooke's daughter with Barbara, Linda Cooke, who became Bobby Womack's step-daughter at the age of 11. Linda grew up and married Bobby's brother, Curtis, and they formed the songwriting team of Womack & Womack. As one person said, "Bobby became step-father-in-law to his own brother."

I have just wiped my own personal slate clean. As scandalous as I can be, well, I have not reached those heights and I have no intention to