Remembering Dennis Edwards (The Temptations) (3 Feb 1943 - 1 Feb 2018)

Dennis Edwards was the replacement for the errant David Ruffin in The Temptations in 1968. He was born on 3 Feb 1943 and died on 1 Feb 2018 just two days before his 75th birthday. Before his death he performed as The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards originally called Dennis Edwards & The Temptations which was legally disputed by Otis Williams so the name was changed.

It has been reported that he died from meningitis but there has been some controversy / conspiracy theory over the cause of his death which I won't publish for legal reasons but a web search should easily find information.

He was born in Fairfield, AL, just outside Birmingham where other Temptations members (i.e. Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, and Kell Osbourne (who was a member of The Primes but left before the other members merged with The Distants to become the Temptations) hailed from. Also from the same vicinity was David Sea who joined Edwards in The Temptations Review.

Edwards moved with his family to Detroit aged ten and as a teenager joined The Mighty Clouds Of Joy (a local group Not the L.A. gospel group). He studied strings, harmony and saxophone at The Detroit Conservatory and between 1962-65 did military service.

Returning to Detroit he performed in clubs singing mainly Motown hits. He formed a group Dennis Edwards & the Firebirds and released a single on International Soulville  "I Didn't Have to (But I Did)" / "Johnnie on the Spot" in 1966. The label was owned by Frank Brown and was the only release on the label. It was reissued on Soul City (UK) in 2004 to satisfy the demand from the Northern Soul crowd.

Whilst performing in clubs he met many Motown artists and Funk Brother bassist James Jamerson suggested he should audition for Berry Gordy. He attended an audition and Gordy liked what he heard but had no positions for him so signed him on a work contract, essentially a retainer, so he couldn't record elsewhere and would be available when a position arose. After a couple of years with no recordings Edwards asked to be released as Holland, Dozier, Holland had just left to set up Invictus and were keen to sign him. As it turned out Billy Gordon of The Contours had taken ill and was in hospital so Edwards was asked to replace him.  That is Edwards' recollection but others say that Gordon got into trouble with the law and Levi Stubbs' (Four Tops) brother Joe Stubbs stepped in to record (what is now one of their Northern Soul biggies) "Just A Little Misunderstanding" before he joined The Originals and was then replaced by Edwards.

Whilst on tour with The Contours two of the members had been taking drugs in a hotel room and there was an altercation and someone was stabbed. The police were called and the whole group was arrested. No charges were pressed but Edwards told Motown that he could no longer perform with the group. He recorded only one single that was released, "It's So Hard Being A Loser" / "Your Love Grows More Precious Everyday" in 1967.

The following year in June he was recruited by The Temptations to replace David Ruffin after which The Contours disbanded. During this period Norman Whitfield and, the very recently departed, Barrett Strong started working with the group and introduced them to psychedelic soul. His first recording for the group was taking lead on Grammy winning "Cloud Nine", Motown's very first Grammy. They also won another for "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" on which he was also lead.

Edwards was fired from the group by Otis Williams in 1977 being replaced by Louis Price just before they left Motown for Atlantic. He attempted a solo career at Motown but returned to the group in 1980 when they re-joined Motown and stayed until 1984 until he was fired again and replaced by Ali-Ollie Woodson.

In Jan 1984 he released his first solo single with Siedah Garrett "Don't Look Any Further". It reached #2 R&B, #74 Hot 100 and was a big club hit in the UK reaching #45 on the UK pop chart. He followed it with "(You're My) Aphrodisiac" which got to #15 R&B but didn't cross over. Another single in 1984, "Another Place In Time" didn't chart and just two further solo singles followed in 1985 "Amanda" (#77 R&B) and "Coolin' Out" (#23 R&B). Whilst at Motown he released two albums on Gordy "Don't Look Any Further" (1984) and "Coolin' Out (1985)

In 1987 he re-joined The Temptations replacing Woodson who would then return in 1989 to replace Edwards.

Kendricks and Edwards  recorded an album at Frederick Knight's studio in 1989 but the only song that escaped was "Get It while It's Hot" which featured a rap by DA Smart in 1989. Kendricks recorded a song of the same name in 1976 but it's not the same song.

At around the same time Ruffin, Kendricks & Edwards planned to tour together as the former leads of The Temptations. However, Ruffin died in 1991 of an accidental drugs overdose and Kendricks the following year from lung cancer.

From the 90s he toured as Dennis Edwards & The Temptations which was legally disputed by Otis Williams so the name was changed to The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards. The group still continue to tour as The Temptations Review with David Sea taking Ruffin's role. The group released a live album in 2001 "Live At Casino San Pablo".

In 1993 he also released an album, "Talk To Me", on Three Gems which was owned by Roy C Hammond (of "Shotgun Wedding" fame).

It is alleged that Edwards dated Aretha Franklin who broke it off when she discovered that he was having an affair with Ruth Pointer of The Pointer Sisters who he married in 1977 and had a daughter (Issa) with in 1978. He later married his wife Brenda who he was with until he died.

Kent released a compilation of Contours and Dennis Edwards material which featured 12 unissued tracks "Just A Little Misunderstanding - Rare And Unissued Motown 1965-68" in 2014. The first half of the playlist below are taken from there, along with a few classic Temptations songs on which he was lead and some of his 80s solo material.

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