Dennis Edwards, Temptations Lead Vocalist, Dies at 74
Dennis Edwards and the Temptations at Motown
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Dennis Edwards, who joined the top Motown act the Temptations to take lead vocals on some of the
group’s most memorable latter-day hits such as “Just My Imagination,” died
Friday in Chicago of undisclosed causes. He was 74.
In 1968, Edwards stepped in to replace founding lead
singer David Ruffin in “the Temps.” While Ruffin had specialized largely in
smoother romantic balladry, the gospel-trained Edwards sported a grittier
style, and he left a distinctive mark on the unit’s work as both lead vocalist
and in the ensemble harmonies.
His arrival in the Temptations coincided with the increasingly expansive
and experimental “psychedelic soul” productions helmed by Norman Whitfield, who
also co-wrote many of their biggest chart hits, many of which featured pointed
social or political content.
Edwards essayed a solo career, and his 1984 Motown single
“Don’t Look Any Further,” a duet with Siedah Garrett, reached No. 2 on the
R&B charts in 1984. But he remained best known as a member of the
Temptations; after a split with the act in 1977, he returned for a short second
tour of duty in 1987.
After a wrangle with founding member Otis Williams, he
toured during the ‘90s under the rubric the Temptations Review featuring Dennis
Edwards.
In 1989, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame as a member of the Temptations.
Edwards was born Feb. 3, 1943 in Fairfield, Ala. His
father was a minister, and he grew up singing in the church. He moved with his
family to Detroit in the early ‘50s.
As a teen, Edwards sang gospel, but, like Sam Cooke and
many other prominent gospel performers, he turned to rhythm & blues. He
briefly led his own group, Dennis Edwards and the Fireballs. In 1966, after a
stint in the military, he joined Motown on retainer in a utility role, and
worked briefly with the Contours.
David Ruffin’s escalating drug problems and egomania
created tension within the Temptations, and in 1968 Williams and Eddie
Kendricks brought Edwards into the act, while Ruffin exited for a solo career.
Edwards’ presence toughened the group’s vocal sound, and
his presence helped loft Whitfield’s ingenious, densely produced records –
which reflected the influence of Sly & the Family Stone and other rock-leaning
soul acts of the day – to the pinnacle of both the pop and R&B charts.
His years of prominence with the group
coincided with the Temps’ biggest pop albums: “Cloud Nine” (No. 4, 1969),
“Puzzle People” (No. 5, 1969), “Psychedelic Shack” (No. 9, 1970), “All
Directions” (No. 2, 1972) and “Masterpiece” (No. 7, 1973). All of those titles
hit No. 1 on the R&B albums charts.
Increasingly poor inter-group relations led Williams to
fire Edwards, but, after a decade of solo work, he returned to the unit in 1987
after his replacement Ali Woodson’s departure. A second termination came within
a year. Edwards’ plans to record with former Temps members Ruffin and Kendricks
crashed after Ruffin’s death from a drug overdose in 1991.
Edwards is survived by a daughter from his brief marriage
to Ruth Pointer of the Pointer Sisters
.
