Bobby Womack regrets never giving late soul icon Wilson Pickett the credit he deserved for helping him land his big break.

The Mustang Sally hitmaker discovered the songwriter in the late 1960s, and helped launch his career in the music industry by recording tracks Womack had composed.

Womack admits Pickett opened many doors for him, but he still feels guilty because he never publicly thanked the star for giving him a boost.

When asked who he would most like to apologise to, Womack tells The Guardian Weekend magazine, "The singer Wilson Pickett. Every time I did interviews, I never mentioned him. I don't know why. He was my first break. He tried to get his record company to sign me and they wouldn't, so he said, 'Let me record your songs.'

"At the time I thought he was trying to steal my songs, but that's what got me going."