Bobby Womack on writing 'Across 110th Street'

At his recent summer show in Dublin's Olympia Theatre, Bobby Womack audaciously opened his set with stone-cold classic 'Across 110th Street'.

Ahead of his Arthur's Day performance, Womack discusses his most famous song with Hot Press.

"That was an easy song for me to write because I was born in the ghetto," the 69-year-old singer says. "They came to me while I was doing that album and told me I had two weeks to finish the music for the movie. Me being me, I was on tour and came offstage and stayed up all night writing. It came round to 110th Street. It's one of those great songs because even today people have to cross 110th Street around the world. It meant a lot. If you believe in something you got to stick with it otherwise it won't get done. It's your story first."

In the interview with Eamonn Sweeney – featured in the current issue of Hot Press (Emeli Sande cover) – Womack also opens up on his health ("It's an 'up' feeling to walk onstage. That's helped my health enormously"), Damon Albarn ("I continued to go on the road with him and he encouraged me to do an album") and much more.