Cecil Womack was born in 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio, and performed with his older brothers Bobby (1944–2014), Harry (1945–1974), Friendly, and Curtis (born Howard Curtis Womack on 22 October 1942, died 21 May 2017 in a Bluefield, West Virginia hospital of respiratory heart failure),[1] as a gospel group.

After meeting Sam Cooke, they changed their name to the Valentinos and in 1961 began to sing and record "the devil's music" for secular audiences, to the horror of their religious father.

[5] Although Linda and Cecil were close, particularly after her father's death in 1964, he married singer Mary Wells in 1967 and wrote material for her, including the hit "The Doctor", released on Jubilee Records.

[5] Linda Cooke also worked as a songwriter, co-writing Bobby Womack's "Woman's Gotta Have It.

Man, released in 1986, included songs which Sam Cooke had started to write and which Cecil and Linda completed, along with a cover of the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun".

The album only produced one hit, "Strange & Funny", the pair's last chart entry in the US, and they left Elektra to record for the Manhattan label.

[13] After traveling to Nigeria, they discovered ancestral ties to the Zekkariyas tribe, and adopted African names.

Zek (Cecil) and Zeriiya (Linda), along with their children Zeumoja, Zeniya, Zeimani, and Zeapree, Lil Squal, and long-time backing group Sly, Slick & Wicked, released Sub Conscience aka Subconscience as ZEK in 2001 on their own Z Life Grooves label.

Basically, a re-working of various tracks from throughout their career, a companion remix album, Circular Motion was released in 2004 on their S.A.R.

After beginning her personal and professional relationship with Cecil, the pair started their career working as a writing team for Philadelphia International Records.

[5] Cecil's "Love TKO" (written with Gip Noble, Jr.) was a major hit for Teddy Pendergrass, and was later recorded by several artists, including Debbie Harry, Hall & Oates, Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald.

[2] On their own they hit a creative purple patch, composing material that went on to be recorded by George Benson ("New Day"), Randy Crawford (four tracks on her "Nightline" album), Eric Clapton ("Lead Me On") and "I Wish I Had Someone to Go Home To" for brother Bobby Womack.

[5] The Womacks also wrote and produced for Culture Club and Bryan Ferry backup vocalist turned solo artist Ruby Turner.