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Post by x101p on Jun 28, 2011 17:30:37 GMT -5
The Temptations 1971: left to right; Melvin Franklin, Otis Williams, Paul Williams, Ricky Owens (replaced Eddie Kendricks) and Dennis Edwards. Attachments:
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Post by sixfingers on Jun 28, 2011 18:28:06 GMT -5
1971 and I was 21yrs old,still fuming over Ruffin departure, and now Eddie has left and this photo comes out and I say to myself "this guy doesn't look like a Temptation" and "lo and behold",without hearing or seeing him ,I must admit at that time I was happy when hearing of his release from the group..now that I gotten older,I realized that was stupid and selfish thinking on my part but when I was 21 ,I did that quite a biT..But thank God I'm "STILL HERE"to laugh about it...when I read comments on this sight about what you should look like to be a Temp,it angers me because it sounds like me 40 years ago..think about all the guys that's been in this group,and the only ones that we didn't get to see was Elbridge "Al"Bryant and Ricky Owens,and that I regret!!!How can you be a true TEMPS fan and never was curious about these 2 gents?? You remember David sayin"A guilty fool" my darling.... this heart of mine carries a heavy load... Temps4-ever, including AL and RICKY,if you gonna tell the whole story....
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Post by x101p on Jun 28, 2011 19:20:25 GMT -5
Listen if you want to hear what Ricky Owns sounded like go to YouTube, look for the Vibrations and type in the song "Misty". You will hear a great singer! As For Elbridge "Al" Bryant go to YouTube and type in the song "Isn't She Pretty" and you will clearly hear Al in the background as well as his hitting the very high notes! It's really something to hear!
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Post by sixfingers on Jun 29, 2011 14:50:41 GMT -5
x101 thanks for verifying something that for years has puzzled me in regards to AL'S voice on "Isn;t she pretty"..I've always believed that was not Eddie voice and certaintly not Otis voice,so the logical choice was Al....."Meet the Temptations"album wasn't available in my area for years,long after 'Temptin Temptations",'Sings Smokey",Temptations Live" any maybe "Getting Ready"albums had been released,so by then I'm in full "Classic 5 mode,not realizing that this was not the "origanal Temps" because of the older photo with Al in it,so when I got the "Meet the Temps album,I started to hear a voices that didn't sound like David in the background and found out later it was the guy in that old photo..AL!!!Now there has been heated debates on other and maybe this board about that high floating tenor on "Isn't she pretty"and the "Live" version of "I want a love I see", being a "young" Eddie kendrick singing those parts,but now Im convinced it's AL's voice I'm hearing!!!That group had some tight harmonies....I checked the Vibreation out as you suggested,and Ricky did sing a sweet 1st tenor..there will probably be some rebuttal from Eddie's die-hard fans but I'm convinced !!!
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Post by x101p on Jun 29, 2011 19:30:45 GMT -5
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Al Bryant did all the background singing on the "Meet The Temptations" album, except "The Way You Do The Things You Do". I love how Mr. Bryant's voice "soars" on "Isn't She Pretty". For the other fans out there who never saw a picture of Ricky Owens, that is why I posted them here. And they can hear what a fantastic singer he was by listening to the Vibrations. I'm like you my friend, I think the other Temps fans out there should give Terry and Bruce their respect. I know I could never go out there night after night for years and keep doing the same songs year after year. Those brothers are great! God bless them! -TEMPTATIONS FOREVER: INCLUDING AL AND RICKY!-
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Post by sybasketball on Jul 1, 2011 17:05:07 GMT -5
al and ricky could sing althrough al was definitely very do wop sounding he was himself a falsetto ricky was a high tenor whose sound was more delfonic or blue note sounding to me that is and its surprising he did not make it as a tempt
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Post by sixfingers on Jul 3, 2011 12:15:31 GMT -5
Listening to "Isn't she pretty" I hear a voice that breaks away from the harmony and says "look a there now", it has a Ruffin sound to it..would that be Al?? if so,imagine what "my girl" and "since I lost my baby "would have sounded like...Nice probably!!!What cha think??
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Post by x101p on Jul 3, 2011 16:50:49 GMT -5
That my friend was indeed Elbridge "Al" Bryant! He is also the one hitting the high notes....except at the very end when it is Eddie.
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Post by x101p on Jul 3, 2011 16:56:40 GMT -5
During the song "Isn't She Pretty" as the other Temps are singing Al Bryant is hitting the high notes with "And a hoooooo". That is Mr. Bryant! You can also hear him saying "She's a leader., She's a leader now!" in the background.
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Post by musicman on Jul 4, 2011 14:39:56 GMT -5
Ricky was let go because he couldnt remember the words during a show in Washington Dc, I believe it was. And he didn't get the steps down either. You have to remember that you had to be able to dance to be a Temptation. They were still doing "real" choreagraphy back then so it was a lot harder to be a Temptation. Hell it took the late Ray Davis forever to learn the little bit of steps they were doing when he was in the group. He sang his parts offstage for a long time and then finally they just stood him in front of a mike onstage and let him sing. It was kind of like Melvin at the end when he was unable to do the steps for an entire show and he would just stand there and sing. When you sing bass like those two HOF singers, you can get away with that!!  |
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Post by sixfingers on Jul 4, 2011 18:47:07 GMT -5
They still do choreagraphy better than anybody out there right now, maybe at 3/4 speed, but after all the travel,rehersals and 1 nighters I'm amazed that they are standing singing rather than sitting on stools....Think about it!!!
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