Dennis Edwards
(born February 3, 1943) is an soul and R&B singer, most noted for being one of Motown act The Temptations' lead singers replacing David Ruffin. He is the father of Issa Pointer, whose mother is Ruth Pointer of The Pointer Sisters. [1].
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DENNIS EDWARDS TICKETS
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Career
Born in
Birmingham, Alabama [2] to Reverend and Mrs. Dennis Edwards Sr., he began singing as a toddler, just two years old, in his fathers' church. His family moved to
Detroit when he was seven.
As a
high school student, Edwards sang with the Crowns of Joy
gospel group, then in 1961 he organized his own soul/
jazz group, Dennis Edwards and the Fireballs.
Before joining
The Contours in 1967, Edwards
recorded a
single for the obscure Detroit label, International Soulville Records. The single was a track called
I Didn't Have to (But I Did)
with
Johnnie on the Spot
.
The
record is very rare and sought after by
Northern soul fans.
Edwards was the first new Temptation to enter the group after their "classic five" heyday, when he replaced
David Ruffin as lead singer in July 1968. Ruffin was allegedly fired for what some of his bandmates felt was unprofessional behavior. Edwards had been a friend of the group beforehand and in particular had been a friend of Ruffin's. The Temptations officially introduced Edwards on July 9, 1968 on stage in
Valley Forge,
Pennsylvania. With his rougher gospel-hewn
vocals, Edwards led the group through its
psychedelic,
funk, and
disco periods; two of the Temptations songs he appears on,
Cloud Nine
(1968) and
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
(1972), won
Grammy Awards.
Edwards remained in the Temptations until being fired by
Otis Williams in 1977 just before the group's departure from Motown to
Atlantic Records. After a failed attempt at a Motown solo career, Edwards rejoined the Temptations in 1980, when they returned to Motown.
In 1982, Edwards got the chance to sing with Ruffin when Ruffin and
Eddie Kendricks were part of the
Reunion
album and tour. Edwards began missing shows and rehearsals, and was replaced in 1984 by
Ali-Ollie Woodson. At this time, Motown re-launched Edwards' solo career, and he had a
hit with the 1984 single
Don't Look Any Further
, a duet with
Siedah Garrett.
When problems arose between Woodson and the Temptations in 1987, Edwards was brought back once again, but was himself replaced by Woodson in 1989 after being fired a third and final time by Williams.
Edwards toured and recorded with fellow ex-Temptations Ruffin and Kendricks during the late 1980s as 'Ruffin/Kendricks/Edwards, former leads of The Temptations', although nothing was released.
After the deaths of both Ruffin (1991) and Kendricks (1992), Edwards was forced to wrap up the project alone. In 1990 Dennis teamed up with Eddie Kendricks to release a dance/club track for A&B records entitled "Get it While it's Hot". The track was recorded at Fredrick Knight's recording studio in the duo's old home town of Birmingham, Alabama and produced and engineered by house music pioneer
Alan Steward. The track created a lot of controversy as it contained a short rap sequence which did not sit very well with die hard Temptations fans.
During the 1990s, Edwards began touring under the name 'Dennis Edwards & the Temptations', prompting a legal battle between himself and Otis Williams. It was decided that Edwards' group would be called 'The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards', the name that Edwards tours under to this day. Edwards' current group includes Paul Williams Jr., David Sea, Mike Patillo, and Chris Arnold.
Edwards was portrayed by Charles Ley in the 1998 biographical television mini-series
The Temptations
, though he was not heavily focused upon, as the mini-series gave more attention to the Ruffin-era Temptations line up.
References
- http://www.discogs.com/artist/Dennis+Edwards
- Biography by Ron Wynn