Mainstays Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams left Damon Harris and Richard Street joined and Dennis began to bump heads with long-running members Melvin Franklin and Otis Williams. The Temptations’ commercial run continued into the 1970s-as did the personnel changes, personality conflicts, and drama. ![]() Edwards was one of the best gospel shouters in the history of soul music and one of the defining voices of the Temptations.” “Edwards was more than ‘the other guy’ who stepped in to replace a legend. But replacing Ruffin in one of the world’s most famous musical acts was stepping up to another level. But we all wanted an opportunity to compete in the music industry and that was the opportunity.”Īfter some false starts, Dennis landed at Motown and with The Contours. Singing rock ‘n’ roll, they called it singing for the devil. ![]() “At that time, our parents thought it was a bad thing to do. “Sam Cooke was a gospel singer like myself and when he crossed over and started singing rock ‘n’ roll, it kind of gave me the green light to go ahead and do it,” Edwards told The News Times in 2004. And he was inspired by a legend who had crossed over. He sang in his father’s church and eventually joined the gospel act The Mighty Clouds of Joy but was turned on by the growing soul sounds coming out of Detroit. Born in Alabama, Edwards moved to Detroit with his family when he was ten years old. He’d been performing with another Motown act, The Contours, and had been vying for a chance at stardom for years. ![]() It was Ruffin who gave the thumbs-up for his friend Edwards to replace him in the group, even telling Edwards about the proposed hiring beforehand. Edwards famously joined the iconic Motown group to replace David Ruffin, the bespectacled vocal dynamo who’d been center stage on such classics as “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” “My Girl” and “I Wish It Would Rain.” Stepping into such large shoes has never been easy, but Dennis Edwards would not only sustain the Temptations-he would amplify their musical legacy. Dennis Edwards, lead singer of the Temptations from 1968 to 1977, passed away on February 2 at the age of 74.
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