Soul Article: Tempts carry on/July 18,1977

[MikeNYC]

Written by Leonard Pitts Jr,
The Temptations are embattled these days,from all sides. It Comes from the charts,where the group hasn't had a hit album or single in two years.It comes at from their fans who don't flock to their concerts with the same enthusiasm that they once did. Also,it comes fromwithin the group,as witnessed by the 1975 firing of young Damon Harris,who in turn complained that his childhood dream of being a Tempt had slowly become "a nightmare".
While Harris' unflattering description of life as a Tempt caused more than a few eyebrows to raise,it was the most recent group dropout who caused the most furor. Recently Dennis Edwards sat down with SOUL and in a story called "Dennis Edwards and the Sinking Of The Good Ship Temptations",talked about his ten years with the group. In the article,he complained about his former groupmates as "old guys that's set in their ways. When you can't se that you're slipping",he said,"that's bad." Edwards' article was enough to draw four of the five Tempts into their manager's Sunset Blvd. office to tell their side of the story,and interestingly enough,the thing that they seem most upset about is the title.
Veteran Temptation Otis Williams leads off,saying that the title "wasn't cool". Don't nobody sink this but the public. I think that the title was alittle too strong,because I don't think you,nor Dennis hold the fate of the Temptations. The public does that,and when we getovations like what we got at the Forum for singing the National Anthem,I don't see where that title is apporpriate.
"When I read this(title),I said "It's got to be with selling papers.'But,I still think you can sell papers and tell the truth".
That "truth"then,as the Temptations see it,involves their story,a story of poor promotion and poor producers at their home of almost twenty years,Motown records. This is what they blame for the recent dramatic decline in their record sales. And on top of the story,the temptations also have a task. The group's legend is tarnished these days,stsined by the accusations of two former members,those declining record sales,and their fast-sinkingpopularity. In short,they have a legend to set aright,and they seen single-minded in that task.
Glen Leonard says,"I wish Dennis all the success in the world. I wish him happiness. I wish him what he really wants in life. But,we're not here to get into what Dennis says. That's his opinion,and he's entitled to that. What I would like to say is that we are doing positive things. We are functioning. We are about unity. We are about taking care of business and making music."
Richard Street is a bit more emphatic. "We couldn't communicate with the company,the company wasn't communicating with us. Now that we are no longer a part of Motown,I feel like the Temptations will be very successful,because now we're happy. If the company would have been behind the Temptations,I don't think the group broke up the way it did-not saying that everybody would still be here,because every man wants to do their own thing."
"It takes more than a group", sayy Williams. "Things behind us stopped happening and it slowly started affecting us-which we realized quite some time ago. In part,this is why I can't understand where he(Dennis) is coming from,butthen again,knowing Dennis you don't get mad-you understand the makeup of the man. But it wasn't necessarily like a lot of things he was saying."
What was it like then? Williams complains that Motown records is"not adequate in the area of producers."He says that after the the group's records under producer Norman Whitfield ceased to sell,there was seemingly no interestin finding them a new producer capable of working with the group. He mentions that although things clicked once with producer Jeff Bowen's Song For You LP,it still wasn't something worthy of "a group of this caliber".
Franklin adds that Motown often"mistakes luck for genius",in their producers,and Williams went on to claim that the group has never had the consummate producer like Thom Bell or Gamble & Huff who study each voice in the group and tailor the songs around the entire group. He cites Smokey Robinson as the group's only producer to do that-way back in the early and mid 60's. More recent producers have chosen the "easiest" way-letting Dennis Edwards do leads on virtually all the group's material.
"Everybody in here can sing", says Street. "The reason why you ain't heard from everybody in here is because of the way the material was given to us to sing. We wasn't makin' up those LP's ! THEY decided what was gonna put out on that way!" He goes on to describe producer Jeff Bowen as"a crazy man(who always) degrading you as ahuman being".
Leonard explains,"When you go into the studio with a producer who doesn't know what he wants,who doesn't have lyrics to his songs,or doesn't have definite melodies,and he gets in there and he's scrambling your brain,and spending your money,and you've got bills to pay,and families to feed-that's enough to make a man have a nervous breakdown,and that's what they were doing. One night we left and melivn and I had to take otis to the hospital. The doctors told him he couldn't stand the mental strain up there."
Melvin adds,"I told all the guys and I told otis too,'When we go into this,I did not mean for singing to have to cause this to happen to my friends'."
"A lot of things just started deteriorating", says Williams matter -of-factly,"and we had to leave. A lot of bad blood came about".
The company was deciding what was being cut and who was going to do it.....everything!" says Richard Street. "They had their politics,just like anybody else. They had their favorites,and they has ones that they didn't like. I came under the heading of the ones they didn't like! I mean,seriously!"
Williams interjects,"Smokey Robinson-got to give it to him,'cause he's the only one over there that helped us get out of this. They were getting ready to get nasty,and we were getting ready to get nasty. Smokey is definitely in my opinion,one of GOD'S favorite children. He didn't want us to leave,but he didn't want no ugly situation". Any "ugly situation"would have stemmed from the fact that the company's ownership[ of the group's name,plus their individual contract on each man made it difficult for the group to get out intact.

[MikeNYC]

"It was horrible," says Richard Street. "Some of the things that they sent me through,I'll never do again for nobody." With luck,he won't have to,because the group,complete with new member Louis Price,has settled into its new home at Atlantic records. Presently,they are in the studio ,laying down tracks for a first LP,to be released sometime in August. They are excited about it,and melvin Franklin goes so far as to declare,"We got it together! We got five functioning people away from the type of contractual situation we were under at Motown. It's much more the way it should've been,because we've been greatly exploited.
We've got a situation now that is conducive to success. For the first time as Black men in the business,we're not so overly familiar with people that they call you'Hey boy !!' They (Atlantic) treat us with great dignity. they keep their word to the fullest."
Happy days are here again? So it seems.All four seem to be happy with Louis Price,who took Dennis' place. Williams says that"I think the public is waiting for us to come out with a fellow that sounds like Dennis.
Louis don't sound nothing like Dennis. He don't sound nothing like David(Ruffin). Louis sounds like Louis Price."
And what do the temptations think about the charges that their ex-member made about them? Williams explains,"We don't want to air no dirty linen out in the public,'cause that don't do nothing but bring us down to what's already been said. Why is it that we as Black people got to tear one another down when we sever ties?"
"I don't feel like it's our nature to sling mud ,"says Leonard. " I don't like that stuff happening tome.I don't like to talk about it or deal with it."
"Since you want to sell some papers," says Williams,"I'm gonna take it past the Tempts. We were in Florida,and I saw this gentle,nice old man(choreographer Cholly Atkins) go somewhere and kick something just to relieve the tension because of this man(Dennis) not participating as a member-he wouldn't come to rehearsals. I was surprised,but he said,'Otis,it just bugs me for this cat to do this!' That's just one (example). We could go on,but like I say, we ain't trying to sling no mud."
Franklin rumbles,"I miss the dude,because he's been here for a lot of years and stuff like that. I wish him well,and I find this new thing with Louis Price challenging and exciting."
To that,Richard Street adds,"We all know Dennis' got a lot of problems,personal problems that weigh a lot of his decisions-when he says a lot of things. Some people can take a lot of pressure,and some can't. he had a lot of pressure on his back."
One of the group's publicists is in the room,and ,in an attempt to put things"in perspective," he asks rhetorically,"Who was Dennis Edwards before he was a Temptation? Who is Dennis Edwards aftre he's not a Temptation?"
The intent of his question is matched by a very blunt Otis Williams. he is leaning his chair back on two legs as he says,"I'm gonna be very honest with you. I DON'T miss Dennis. Anybody that hurts the group-- I don't miss that. I miss somebody that loves the Temptations and wants to help. he was hurting us,so I don't miss that."
That's it then- the group's full range of opinions on the "sinking of the good ship". Still, love him or loathe him,there is one thing which the Tempts must acknowledge about Edwards. With his gutsy leads and sex symbol image,Edwards was an exrtemely popular centerpiece to the group for many years,and the group benefitted. Many fans are going to be disappointed when they look on album covers andstages and see that he's not there. Yhat and the fact that that they haven't had a hit in two years puts the Tempts in deep water,deeper indeed than after the departures of Eddie Kendricks,Damon Harris,Paul Williams,or even David Ruffin.
Characteristically,the tempts are unworried. Otis says,"I don't think we've been more optimistic in our careers than we are now."Melvin says,"There's people who think it might be over. That exists. That's real. I'm not dodging that at all. But,it's for the people who believe in us that we continue."
Richard Street goes so far as to lean over into the microphone of the tape recorder,and in a voice reminiscent of a Bill Cosby monologue,announces,"We are cool. We are just waiting to get this next LP out,fans,and we are coming back strong as ever! Thank You."
He laughs ,and the room laughs with him,but meantime there is a horde of cynical journalists and fans who scorn any chance of the Tempts coming back "strong as ever". Certainly,looking at the mountain of odds stacked against the group,one has to admit that they have a point.
Yet on the other hand,if they come out of the studio with a smash album in August,it will not be the first time the Tempts made monkeys out of the doubters of the world. Can they pull off the improbably once again? No one,not even the group can know that they can-or cannot. It all depends upon the strength of their new material,and the willingness of a fickle public to reaccept them. Yet ,watching them,listening to them laugh and express such confidence in their own abilities,one is apt to be lulled into their sense of security. They might just pull it off after all.

[Aba21]

Now that is some article.....I was aorund the group quite a bit during this time and I know there were tensions but never did I ever hear a bad word about Dennis from anyone in the group. It was during this time that Melvin used to say to me that Dennis was his favorite lead singer with the group. This was before Ali was even thought about. So Louis never really had a chance. I know that at the first opportunity the group snatched Dennis back. I mean look at the sales of Bare Back and you will know they needed Dennis in the line-up. The speaking about each other publically bothers me cause I never saw that before. There had to be some hard feelings. Cholly was the nicest man I have ever met...and to make him mad it took an awful lot....I've seen him ride them in rehersals and they never got mad at him...so Dennis must have really pissed him off. And Richard went from Mr. Do Everything around Motown to Mr. Get Away From Motown. I am surprised by that but not really...Berry Gordy wanted to make movies and went to LA chasing after Diana Ross and really didn't care what Happened back at Motown.......It was obvious that those he left in charge were at best incompetent.

[Ivory Fair]

Thanks Mikey!

[MikeNYC]

[Aba21]

I'm surprised that we have not had any comments since this article was put up here. This is difinitive proof that all was not right in Temptationland for quite some time. ?And all the wanna be Temptation historians should be over here discussing this piece. I see so much in here to talk about. We all have said Dennis acts with so much class yet and still here we see him reacting to what he felt were the inequities within the group. How about Richard? It is not the first time he has made some infammatory remarks concerning the business of the group. His book should give us more on that. And what about Otis, the one who never says or responds to anything......well he said something here. It just goes to show you they all had their failings and to place one any higher than the other is wrong IMO. We have to weigh everything we can learn about them from all sources before we come to any conclusions about them.

[mcribs]

I don't mean to be contrary, but I didn't see anything too inflammatory here, esp. the comments made by Dennis. I have heard some "politely packaged" remarks made by him about his time with the Temptations, and I think his comments in this piece are in line with that. I think Richard tends to be a little more direct, which might be why it has taken so long to get his book out. Maybe some legal-eagle at the publishing company is making him tone down his comments.

My understanding of Dennis' time with the Tempts (the first time) was that it was more like squabbling between sublings, which is what this sounds like.

[MikeNYC]

McRibs said:

I don't mean to be contrary, but I didn't see anything too inflammatory here, esp. the comments made by Dennis. I have heard some "politely packaged" remarks made by him about his time with the Temptations, and I think his comments in this piece are in line with that. I think Richard tends to be a little more direct, which might be why it has taken so long to get his book out. Maybe some legal-eagle at the publishing company is making him tone down his comments.

My understanding of Dennis' time with the Tempts (the first time) was that it was more like squabbling between sublings, which is what this sounds like.

Well,I see that Richard believed that if the company was behind the temptations,he feels that the group would not have broken up the way it did. I see the only one who expressed anything "negative" towards Dennis was...Otis. He said that he didn't miss Dennis because Dennis hurt the group. Is that why the first chance he got,he got Dennis back?Twice?
In Otis' book,he talked about how Eddie wanted the group to STRIKE. and ,if you read it..seems like he was right in the reasons he had to strike. Melvin said that the group had been exploited greatly.How? Not with the great business mind of Otis Williams. I guess it's fine to have a business mind,but what good is it if you don't have the heart to express and take a stand for that alledged good business mind? You hear the cries of his groupmates. By ignoring their cries,does that make the group better? Or was there a side deal? By the things that were said,these things also hurt the group.
They talk about lack of communication between the group and the company. Eddie communicated with the company,that's how he got the go-ahead to record solo and remain in the Temptations. He communicated with Gordy. How come Otis had a problem in communication?

[Aba21]

MikeNYC said:

Well,I see that Richard believed that if the company was behind the temptations,he feels that the group would not have broken up the way it did. I see the only one who expressed anything "negative" towards Dennis was...Otis. He said that he didn't miss Dennis because Dennis hurt the group. Is that why the first chance he got,he got Dennis back?Twice?
In Otis' book,he talked about how Eddie wanted the group to STRIKE. and ,if you read it..seems like he was right in the reasons he had to strike. Melvin said that the group had been exploited greatly.How? Not with the great business mind of Otis Williams. I guess it's fine to have a business mind,but what good is it if you don't have the heart to express and take a stand for that alledged good business mind? You hear the cries of his groupmates. By ignoring their cries,does that make the group better? Or was there a side deal? By the things that were said,these things also hurt the group.
They talk about lack of communication between the group and the company. Eddie communicated with the company,that's how he got the go-ahead to record solo and remain in the Temptations. He communicated with Gordy. How come Otis had a problem in communication?

Comments I have recently heard from someone close to the situation says Eddie was correct in many of the things he felt were going on with Motown and the business of the group. He felt they got bad material.......disrepect from the people left in charge by Berry Gordy to run Motown while he made movies.......they felt the Temptations were passe and that the Commodores and the Jackson Five were the groups of the future....and that meant the top producers were running to the other groups. When Otis was approached and asked why don't they write their own material...Otis and Melvin balked at that notion. They were so used to having all the top people run and do for them that it didn't occur to them that they could write for themselves. But because they finally did decide to do it....The Temptations Do The Temptations became one of their better lps in a long time...... I hear that because Richard's book is written form anger he is having a bit of as tough time getting it published....it seems many editors do not want to hear from someone who is writing from the bitter standpoint. He may need to rethink his motivation for writing the book and see if that works.....as for Dennis....even though Otis asked him to come back twice.....Dennis did so...so how bad could it have been? Apparently, not bad enough for dennis to stay away forever....like he has now chosen to do.

[MikeNYC]

Aba21 said:

Comments I have recently heard from someone close to the situation says Eddie was correct in many of the things he felt were going on with Motown and the business of the group. He felt they got bad material.......disrepect from the people left in charge by Berry Gordy to run Motown while he made movies.......they felt the Temptations were passe and that the Commodores and the Jackson Five were the groups of the future....and that meant the top producers were running to the other groups. When Otis was approached and asked why don't they write their own material...Otis and Melvin balked at that notion. They were so used to having all the top people run and do for them that it didn't occur to them that they could write for themselves. But because they finally did decide to do it....The Temptations Do The Temptations became one of their better lps in a long time...... I hear that because Richard's book is written form anger he is having a bit of as tough time getting it published....it seems many editors do not want to hear from someone who is writing from the bitter standpoint. He may need to rethink his motivation for writing the book and see if that works.....as for Dennis....even though Otis asked him to come back twice.....Dennis did so...so how bad could it have been? Apparently, not bad enough for dennis to stay away forever....like he has now chosen to do.

How many times you think Dennis is going to buy that lie? The business was still the same,that's why he's not coming back. He's making more money now ,than he probably did singing with Otis! WITHOUT MAJOR BACKING!

[Ivory Fair]

I'm surprised that we have not had any comments since this article was put up here.

And I have to apologize because I have not yet had a chance to read the article. But this is my "weekend" so I'm sure I'll get to it over the next day and a half.

[Aba21]

MikeNYC said:

How many times you think Dennis is going to buy that lie? The business was still the same,that's why he's not coming back. He's making more money now ,than he probably did singing with Otis! WITHOUT MAJOR BACKING!

dennis wasn't stupid.....he needed and wanted to come back both times he did......but once he found out the business hadn't changed with them he finally left for good.........nothing wrong with that....matters not to me how much money he makes now cause those decisions to come baCK to the Temps have nothing to do with where he is now......there was no Ruffin, Kendrick and Edwards for him to go to and the Review wasn't even thought about back then so he came back so he could make a living..............As a matter of fact if the the story is true he just showed up at a show Eddie and David was having and that's how he got with them.........Now maybe he thought he really had a shot at stardom as a solo artist but he got the same treatment from motown he got as a temptation............terrible!!!!!!!!!!

[kalisa2]

These articles in tandem really bring it home the turmoil of the times at Motown, Mike...THANKS!

I had thought it was kind of a personal vendetta that David and Eddie didn't get the promotion and production they needed (and still think that may be part of it for David) but it sounds like it was a blanket that covered all the Tempts and ex-tempts.

I've often wondered about Motown pulling the backing/$$ away from some folks and putting it in others...By the time all these break-ups were happening (Tempts, Supremes, etc.) you would think that the thinking would be 'double the artists, double the money for Motown"...that would be MY business rationale. But it seemed like at Motown they always had to choose one over the other for production and promotion (i.e. choosing to promote Diana Ross OVER the Supremes, the Temptations OVER David Ruffin, the Commodors/Jackson5 OVER the Temptations)...that just doesn't make sense to me, and we know (if we don't know anything else), BG had business sense.

[Aba21]

kalisa2 said:

These articles in tandem really bring it home the turmoil of the times at Motown, Mike...THANKS!

I had thought it was kind of a personal vendetta that David and Eddie didn't get the promotion and production they needed (and still think that may be part of it for David) but it sounds like it was a blanket that covered all the Tempts and ex-tempts.

I've often wondered about Motown pulling the backing/$$ away from some folks and putting it in others...By the time all these break-ups were happening (Tempts, Supremes, etc.) you would think that the thinking would be 'double the artists, double the money for Motown"...that would be MY business rationale. But it seemed like at Motown they always had to choose one over the other for production and promotion (i.e. choosing to promote Diana Ross OVER the Supremes, the Temptations OVER David Ruffin, the Commodors/Jackson5 OVER the Temptations)...that just doesn't make sense to me, and we know (if we don't know anything else), BG had business sense.

Berry had business sense but was it in good faith to those who worked for him. It appears to me the noly pocket lined at motown was his. I could understand the cut backs in the beginning but when the company started to make money I didn't hear of him putting very much back into it............so by the 70s if he was still using a 60s budget, you can truely see how there wouldn't be much money to go around. And they say he sunk much of the company's profits in making that stupid a#$ movie for Diana.

[MikeNYC]

kalisa2 said:

These articles in tandem really bring it home the turmoil of the times at Motown, Mike...THANKS!

I had thought it was kind of a personal vendetta that David and Eddie didn't get the promotion and production they needed (and still think that may be part of it for David) but it sounds like it was a blanket that covered all the Tempts and ex-tempts.

I've often wondered about Motown pulling the backing/$$ away from some folks and putting it in others...By the time all these break-ups were happening (Tempts, Supremes, etc.) you would think that the thinking would be 'double the artists, double the money for Motown"...that would be MY business rationale. But it seemed like at Motown they always had to choose one over the other for production and promotion (i.e. choosing to promote Diana Ross OVER the Supremes, the Temptations OVER David Ruffin, the Commodors/Jackson5 OVER the Temptations)...that just doesn't make sense to me, and we know (if we don't know anything else), BG had business sense.

I'm glad that you took the time to read it Kalisa,maybe you can see the base of most of my comments.The reason why I call many things in Otis' book and movie "lies". I don't have anything against Otis,I just couldn't understand why he just went along with this treatment even after Eddie,David and others told him what was happening to the group.
It's not all about EGO as to why some members left. And it was more to it than drugs. That was an excuse to screw them around. I tried to wait to see if anyone else would find these things out before I posted these articles. I tried to show all sides. I was not there,but that don't mean I don't know what went on. That's why I scoff at the notion that if it weren't for Otis,the Tempts would have died. NOT TRUE! It seems like if he did speak up,the group would have been in a better position than it is today. In his book Otis said that he saw Eddie's point. So,if you saw his point and his point was hurting the group,why not support him? Because it wasn't Otis' idea? Because he didn't want to admit to Eddie that he(Otis) was wrong and Eddie was right? That's not good business sense. That's ego,pure and simple. Why the "Lean Years"? Was it because the top Motown producers didn't want to work with the Temptations because they felt that they were NOT the Temptations? During that time period,other acts at Motown had hits,so it's not about the music changing.
Why didn't Otis' good friend Kenny Gamble help a friend out and produce some songs for them? He wanted to....but he wanted Eddie,Dennis,David,Otis and Melvin. ,why? Because Mike NYC told him to? No,we just think alike !Was that Jeffrey Bowen's beef? Was that the reason Norman Whitfield has more music than singing in the group's later recordings because he didn't have the "voices"? All of a sudden things don't sound so "Stupid,or Absurd",huh? No,I didn't make this stuff up. Maybe you can get some insight on my "RESOURCES"? Crazy? "What kind of Temptations fan are you?" are the things that I had to put up with.
I'm the kind of Temptations fan YOU should be. I will share more with the board,and no I didn't get this from Dennis' private collection.. Some of these things Glenn Jr tried to tell you ,but ..oh well...now you see that he wasn't just talkin' shtuff! The grapes were still fresh,not sour. He,like myself didn't learn about the Temptations from the screenplay,or the manuscript. We learned the old fashioned way...we paid attention.