Following the death of Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame singer/songwriter, Bobby Womack, on June 27, there has been much discussion about tribute shows and paying respect to the 50+ year long career of Womack. The first of these will come in the form of an intimate acoustic performance by long time Womack guitarist, Nate LaPointe on August 21st at the Salvage Bar in Los Angeles, CA. Expected to be in attendance are Womack’s daughter, GinaRe and Womack’s sax player, Chazzy Green to accompany LaPointe in his tribute. Percussionist Léo Costa and trombonist Erm Navarro, both from the Bobby Womack Band, will also join in the tribute. Other larger tribute shows are in the works including Los Angeles, New York, London and Tokyo. All places Womack and company have performed regularly in recent years.
LaPointe began his musical career in Laramie, Wyoming, long before he met Womack but 10 years ago, his life changed when the phone rang and on the other end was a former Cal Arts friend and Womack guitarist, Woody Aplanalp. “Do you want to sub for me with Womack?” was the question. LaPointe accepted and over the next 10 years had the pleasure of traveling the world and performing music with a living legend.
“Bobby (Womack) and I had a great relationship. He’d look at me during a song and give me a nod or a wink and that was my signal to push it a little bit further. Over the years, I feel as if he and I grew more than a working relationship; we became good friends. One of the last things he said to me was, ‘Nate, you just keep getting better and better every time we play.’ That was at Bonnaroo (2014) and the last time we played a show together. It’s only right for me to pay tribute to him by performing his songs.”
The Nate LaPointe Tribute to Bobby Womack will be held at the Salvage Bar in downtown Los Angeles, CA on August 21st from 6pm-8pm. It’s a free event. The Salvage Bar is located at 717 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017. Phone (213) 688-7755.
