"Harry Hippie" is a 1972 song written by Jim Ford

Jim Ford

Jim Ford was an American singer-songwriter originally from Johnson County, Kentucky. After living in New Orleans, Ford moved to Los Angeles, and finally settled in Fort Bragg, CA. His music is a mixture of soul, country and folk. His songs have been recorded by numerous artists, including Aretha...

, who wrote it for singer Bobby Womack

Bobby Womack

Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...

 as a dedication to his brother, bass guitarist Harry Womack

Harry Womack

Harris "Harry" Womack was an American singer and musician, most notable for his tenure as a member of the family R&B quintet, The Valentinos; he was memorized in brother Bobby Womack's 1973 hit, "Harry Hippie".-Early life:...

, that became a top ten R&B hit for Womack when issued as a single in 1973 reaching number eight on the chart.

The song was loosely based on Bobby's brother's carefree behavior and was originally recorded as a funny tribute to his brother, that turned tragic when Harry Womack was killed by his girlfriend during a fight in 1974. Ever since, Bobby Womack has sung the song as a dedication to his fallen late brother.

Womack explains the story behind the song and its aftermath:
The song became Womack's second top forty hit on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

peaking at number thirty-one on the chart.