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Post by tempfan on Jul 12, 2004 18:26:12 GMT -5
Motown veteran Dennis Edwards promises old-time Temptations gig in Grand Rapids
By Lorilee Craker
The Grand Rapids Press
Legendary Motown singer Dennis Edwards launched his crooning career at the ripe old age of 7, the biographies say -- but truth be told, he was just a little tyke.
"When I was 2, my mother took me to church and set me up on a church bench and let me wail," Edwards said in a phone interview from his Missouri home in advance of a concert in Grand Rapids he said will be like old times. His mom, he says, "knew then that she had nothing to be ashamed of" in terms of his talent for singing.
While growing up on Detroit's East Side, Edwards reveled in the rhythms of Motown. By the time he was 18, he had formed his own band, "Dennis Edwards and the Fireballs."
In 1966, a few years later, he joined the Contours, only to turn around in two years and replace David Ruffin as lead singer of one of popular music's most beloved and mythical singing groups -- The Temptations.
The years and hits piled up. He spent the next nine years in that role, his elegant and suave delivery enriching such songs as "Cloud Nine," "I Can't Get Next to You," "Ball of Confusion" and "Psychedelic Shack," as well as the one and only "Papa Was a Rolling Stone."
The experience of being with "Mr.Gordy" (Berry Gordy Jr., founder of Motown Records) in the early days of the hallmark Motown sound was an honor and a gift, Edwards said.
"One thing about Motown is they had wonderful artist development. Cholly Atkins taught us to act, to perform onstage. We really learned how to put on a show."
The Motor City, still spawning peak acts such as Eminem and 50 Cent, fueled the vision. "Detroit has always been a starting point in music," he said. "You find out for sure there if you can make it or if you can't make it."
Other luminaries who emerged from the Detroit music landscape include Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Jackson Five. Their collective sound changed the fabric of American music.
"The Motown sound is very clean, very beautiful," said Edwards, 61. "Today, there is so much profanity in music, but our music was always good and clean."
Splinter groups and Disputes -- "over money, mostly," he said -- led to several splinters among Temptations members. Edwards joined, left and rejoined the group that made him famous three times. Several court battles ensued over the use of the group's name, and Edwards ultimately was granted the right to perform under the name The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards.
Joining with singers Mike Patillo, David Sea, Bernard Gibson and Chris Arnold, he says, "We are The Temptations reborn. We like to keep everything just the way it was."
Citing the everlasting "My Girl" as his all-time favorite song to sing, Edwards plans to keep performing it and every other Temptations hit for many years to come. "I'm just beginning," he said, cheerfully.
Edwards moved from Motown to "Mo-West" (Beverly Hills) at the height of the Temptations' popularity but eventually settled in St. Louis to take care of his dying mother. The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer relishes the chance to perform in his home state whenever he can.
"My best cousin, George Fuller, lives in Grand Rapids, and it will be like coming home," he said. "If you remember The Temptations the way they used to be, you're going to have a good time (at the show) in Grand Rapids."
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Post by Aba21 on Jul 12, 2004 20:42:04 GMT -5
Good article!  |
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Post by ZeldaFScott on Jul 12, 2004 20:53:55 GMT -5
Yes, and again -- the trouble within the group was all because of money.
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Post by Aba21 on Jul 12, 2004 21:13:42 GMT -5
Yes, and again -- the trouble within the group was all because of money. and again..he didn't say he was cheated so it could mean he didn't get what the thought he should.......ergo.... he has his own group now and who do you think is getting the lion's share? So you think it isn't about money on all sides? |
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Post by ZeldaFScott on Jul 12, 2004 21:16:14 GMT -5
Sure. It is about money on all fronts ... the difference seems to be, however, that some people know their limits in what to ask of others ;D
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Post by Aba21 on Jul 12, 2004 21:22:06 GMT -5
Sure. It is about money on all fronts ... the difference seems to be, however, that some people know their limits in what to ask of others ;D I don't know what you mean...........in pro sports, teams try to get you for the least amount they can while the agfent tries to get to most he can for his cleint. Its no different here.....If they can get Dennis or any other to sing for one price as opposed to what he wants then they got a bargain. Dennis came back to the group three times so the money he was getting with them must have been better than he was getting alone. That's why he now has a group because he couldn't get the same money alone. That's my opinion though. |
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Post by MikeNYC on Jul 14, 2004 18:49:01 GMT -5
and again..he didn't say he was cheated so it could mean he didn't get what the thought he should.......ergo.... he has his own group now and who do you think is getting the lion's share? So you think it isn't about money on all sides? He didn't say he wasn't,either did he? :nono He didn't even say that in his Sinking Of The Good ship Temptations article that I posted,and got Otis mad when Dennis did the article. |
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Post by MikeNYC on Jul 14, 2004 18:52:18 GMT -5
I don't know what you mean...........in pro sports, teams try to get you for the least amount they can while the agfent tries to get to most he can for his cleint. Its no different here.....If they can get Dennis or any other to sing for one price as opposed to what he wants then they got a bargain. Dennis came back to the group three times so the money he was getting with them must have been better than he was getting alone. That's why he now has a group because he couldn't get the same money alone. That's my opinion though. My opinion is that he's continuing the tradition that he helped make. Maybe the real reason he came back so many times is that he loved the group. Like David,Eddie & Paul,Dennis is a group man. This is not an ego thing. |
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Post by crella25 on Jul 14, 2004 19:13:18 GMT -5
My opinion is that he's continuing the tradition that he helped make. Maybe the real reason he came back so many times is that he loved the group. Like David,Eddie & Paul,Dennis is a group man. This is not an ego thing. I agree Mike. I still can't believe these men were all about the money, the love of their craft had to play a huge part in the actions taken. When your passionate about something, you react. Sometimes over react, sometimes, no one outside of the circle gets just what your feeling unless they know that kind of passion. |
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Post by JoAnne on Jul 17, 2004 8:28:58 GMT -5
My opinion is that he's continuing the tradition that he helped make. Maybe the real reason he came back so many times is that he loved the group. Like David,Eddie & Paul,Dennis is a group man. This is not an ego thing. Isn't this the same group that he and Eddie formed? |
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