The Temptations Dennis Edwards died February 1, 2018.

Dennis Edwards Jr. (February 3, 1943 – February 1, 2018) was an American soul and R&B singer, and most famously a lead singer of The Temptations.

Edwards was born in Fairfield, Alabama, which is about eight miles from Birmingham. His father was Reverend Dennis Edwards Sr and young Dennis started singing in his father’s church at just two years old. The Edwards family moved to Detroit, Michigan when Dennis Jr was ten years old, and he continued to sing in his father’s church there, eventually becoming its choir director.

As a teenager, Dennis Edwards Jr studied music at the Detroit Conservatory of Music and joined a gospel vocal group called The Mighty Clouds of Joy. In 1961 he organized his own soul/jazz group, called Dennis Edwards and the Fireballs and recorded a single, “I Didn’t Have to (But I Did)”, for the Detroit record label, International Soulville Records.

In 1966, following time served in the US military, Edwards auditioned for Detroit’s Motown Records, who signed him up but placed on retainer. Later that year, he was assigned to join The Contours after their lead singer, Billy Gordon, fell ill. In 1967, the Contours were the opening act for many Temptations concerts, and Temptations members Eddie Kendricks and Otis Williams, noticed Dennis Edwards.

Later in 1967, Edwards quit the Contours and was placed back on retainer. He tried to get a release from his contract, as Holland–Dozier–Holland had promised to sign him to their new Invictus Records, but instead he was drafted to join the Temptations, who had just fired David Ruffin from the act, in late June 1968.

Ruffin (who was a personal friend of Edwards) had tipped him off that he was being drafted as his replacement, which eased Edwards’ conscience in replacing him. The Temptations officially introduced Edwards on July 9, 1968 on stage in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. However, David Ruffin, who had been trying to make his way back into the group, crashed the stage during Edwards’ lead vocal on “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, to significant applause. He continued with similar stunts for about a month until the group decided to lay-off Edwards (with the promise of a solo record deal from Motown) and rehire Ruffin. But when Ruffin failed to show up for his first return gig in Gaithersburg, Maryland the next night, Edwards was permanently hired and the Temptations refused to entertain rehiring Ruffin again.

Edwards was the first singer to join the Temptations after their so called “Classic 5” period. With his rougher gospel style vocals, he led them through their psychedelic, funk, and disco periods, singing on hits such as “Cloud Nine” (1968), “I Can’t Get Next to You” (1969), “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)” (1970), “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (1972), and “Shakey Ground” (1975), among many others. Two of these songs, “Cloud Nine” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”, also won Grammy Awards.

Edwards remained in the Temptations until he was fired by Otis Williams in 1977, just before the group left Motown to join Atlantic Records. After he failed in his attempt at a Motown solo career, Dennis Edwards rejoined the Temptations in 1980, when they went back to Motown.

In 1984 Motown re-launched Edwards’ solo career with the hit single “Don’t Look Any Further,” which was a duet with Siedah Garrett. The album of the same name reached No. 2 on the R&B charts and also included the radio singles “(You’re My) Aphrodisiac” and “Just Like You.”  The 1985 follow-up album Coolin’ Out included the title track, an R&B Top 30 hit, as well as “Try a Little Tenderness.”

When problems arose between Ali-Ollie Woodson, who had replaced Edwards in the temptations in 1984, and the Temptations in 1987, Edwards was brought back once again. However, he was then replaced by Woodson again in 1989, after being fired a third and final time by Otis Williams

Dennis Edwards toured and recorded with fellow ex-Temptations David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks during the late 1980s as “Ruffin/Kendricks/Edwards, former leads of The Temptations”.

In 1989, Edwards was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Temptations. Edwards was also inducted into Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame with The Temptations in 2013.

During the 1990s, Edwards began touring under the name ‘Dennis Edwards & the Temptations’, prompting a legal battle between himself and Otis Williams. In the end it was decided that Edwards would call his group The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards.

Dennis Edwards died in a Chicago hospital on February 1, 2018, two days before his 75th birthday. Although his family did not say how he died, he had been battling with meningitis before his death.

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