p. 1

the temptations the complete guide pdf generated using the open source mwlib toolkit see http code.pediapress.com for more information pdf generated at fri 11 feb 2011 16:08:59 utc

[close]

p. 2

contents articles overview the temptations 1 1 23 23 27 28 29 30 32 33 35 36 37 39 41 43 44 49 51 51 52 53 54 63 66 69 71 71 76 82 86 members list of the temptations members joe herndon ron tyson terry weeks otis williams bruce williamson elbridge bryant g c cameron ray davis dennis edwards melvin franklin damon harris barrington bo henderson eddie kendricks glenn leonard harry mcgilberry ricky owens theo peoples louis price david ruffin richard street paul williams ali-ollie woodson production berry gordy smokey robinson norman whitfield discography

[close]

p. 3

discography 86 96 96 101 104 108 111 116 119 123 125 129 132 135 138 142 144 146 148 150 152 154 156 158 160 162 164 166 166 168 170 172 172 174 176 studio albums meet the temptations the temptations sing smokey the temptin temptations gettin ready the temptations with a lot o soul the temptations wish it would rain cloud nine puzzle people psychedelic shack sky s the limit solid rock all directions masterpiece 1990 a song for you house party wings of love the temptations do the temptations reunion surface thrills truly for you together again phoenix rising ear-resistible legacy cover albums the temptations in a mellow mood for lovers only back to front live albums temptations live live at the copa live at london s talk of the town

[close]

p. 4

the temptations in japan 178 180 180 184 188 189 192 194 196 199 199 201 203 206 212 215 215 219 222 227 228 232 234 236 238 240 242 244 248 249 252 255 259 265 269 other albums diana ross the supremes join the temptations tcb the temptations show together on broadway the temptations christmas card lost and found you ve got to earn it 1962­1968 compilations greatest hits greatest hits ii anthology emperors of soul the ultimate collection singles my girl get ready ain t too proud to beg beauty is only skin deep i know i m losing you all i need you re my everything i wish it would rain when you re young and in love i could never love another after loving you cloud nine i m gonna make you love me run away child running wild i can t get next to you psychedelic shack ball of confusion that s what the world is today just my imagination running away with me papa was a rollin stone masterpiece

[close]

p. 5

let your hair down happy people shakey ground the motown song 271 272 272 273 274 274 279 286 292 292 294 303 306 313 filmography save the children the temptations walk hard the dewey cox story related articles barrett strong motown records psychedelic soul sly stone the supremes references article sources and contributors image sources licenses and contributors 324 330 article licenses license 332

[close]

p. 6

1 overview the temptations the temptations the classic 5 lineup of the temptations david ruffin bottom left melvin franklin top left paul williams top right otis williams bottom right and eddie kendricks center circa 1965 background information also known as origin genres years active labels associated acts website otis williams the siberians the primes the distants otis williams the distants the elgins the pirates detroit michigan u.s r&b soul funk doo-wop 1960­present warwick miracle gordy motown atlantic new door/universal the supremes the temptations review www.otiswilliams.net members otis williams ron tyson terry weeks joe herndon bruce williamson past members [1]

[close]

p. 7

the temptations 2 elbridge al bryant melvin franklin eddie kendricks paul williams david ruffin dennis edwards ricky owens richard street damon harris glenn leonard louis price ali-ollie woodson theo peoples ray davis harry mcgilberry barrington bo henderson g c cameron the temptations are an american vocal group that achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for motown records the group s repertoire has included at various times during its five-decade career r&b doo-wop funk disco soul and adult contemporary music formed in detroit michigan in 1960 as the elgins not to be confused with another motown group with the same name the temptations have always featured at least five male vocalists/dancers known for its recognizable choreography distinct harmonies and flashy onstage suits the temptations have been said[2 to be as influential to soul as the beatles are to pop and rock 3 having sold tens of millions of albums 4 the temptations are one of the most successful groups in music history 5 [6 as of 2010 the temptations continue to perform and record for universal records with its one living original member otis williams still in its lineup the original lineup included members of two local detroit vocal groups from the distants second tenor otis williams first tenor elbridge al bryant and bass melvin franklin and from the primes first tenor/falsetto eddie kendricks and second tenor/baritone paul williams no relation to otis among the most notable future temptations were lead singers david ruffin and dennis edwards both later solo artists richard street damon harris glenn leonard ron tyson ali-ollie woodson theo peoples and g c cameron like its sister female group the supremes the temptations lineup has changed frequently over the years over the course of their career the temptations have released four billboard hot 100 number-one singles and 14 billboard r&b number-one singles their material has earned them three grammy awards while two more awards were conferred upon the songwriters and producers who crafted their 1972 hit papa was a rollin stone the temptations were the first motown act to earn a grammy award six temptations dennis edwards melvin franklin eddie kendricks david ruffin otis williams and paul williams were inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1989 three classic temptations songs my girl ain t too proud to beg and papa was a rollin stone are among the rock and roll hall of fame s 500 songs that shaped rock and roll history the primes childhood friends eddie kendricks paul williams kell osborne and wiley waller formed a doo-wop group called the cavaliers in their hometown of birmingham alabama in 1955 7 reduced to a trio after waller left the group in 1957 kendricks williams and osbourne left birmingham in order to break into the music business after first moving to cleveland ohio they settled in detroit the primes as the doo-wop trio was now called were well-known around detroit for their meticulous performances 8 group manager milton jenkins even created a sister group for the primes called the primettes recruiting florence ballard mary wilson diane later diana ross and

[close]

p. 8

the temptations betty mcglown for the spin-off act eddie kendricks was already becoming a local matinee idol and paul williams was known for his powerful baritone voice having an adult style even as a teenager 7 3 the distants otis williams had moved from his native texarkana texas to detroit as a young boy to live with his mother by 1958 he was the leader of otis williams the siberians a doo-wop group that included williams his friend elbridge al bryant james pee-wee crawford vernard plain and arthur walton this quintet recorded the single pecos kid/have gun will travel [9 backed with all of my life for a label run by local radio deejay senator bristol bryant the single never took off outside the local detroit market and the siberians changed their name to the el domingoes shortly afterward at this time more changes took place montgomery alabama native melvin franklin replaced arthur walton as the bass singer and franklin s cousin detroit-born richard street replaced vernard plain as lead singer the group soon signed with northern records run by johnnie mae matthews who renamed the group the distants the distants recorded two singles for northern come on 1959 featuring additional background vocals by the andantes and alright 1960 10 between these two releases albert mooch harrell replaced pee-wee crawford 10 come on was a local hit for the distants and the warwick label picked the record up for national distribution 10 after the release of alright matthews appointed williams the group leader and the group was renamed otis williams the distants though otis williams had a pleasant but unremarkable lead voice he organized the group and so became the defacto leader as he would later with the temptations 11 influences and colleagues the primes and the distants were influenced by several detroit groups the most famous of which was the miracles led by smokey robinson the miracles were known for their stage show and their pop success was something for which both groups strived 12 other important inspirations included the cadillacs frankie lymon the teenagers the drifters and the isley brothers 13 the various members of the primes and the distants who would later become part of the temptations met a number of their future motown bandmates labelmates and producers during the early part of their careers melvin franklin had been a member of the recording group the voice masters which also included among its ranks lamont dozier his cousin david ruffin and another cousin jackie wilson 10 the musicians at the recording session for the distants come on included james jamerson on bass the andantes on background vocals and future temptations producer norman whitfield on tambourine 10]

[close]

p. 9

the temptations 4 forming the temptations although come on was a local hit in the detroit area the distants never saw much from record sales and the second single was not as successful after receiving an offer from berry gordy jr of motown records the group got out of its contract with matthews and left northern at the same time it lost mooch harrell richard street and the rights to use its name street would front a new group of distants on the local thelma label during the early 1960s the distants were acquainted with the primes as both groups made the same types of talent shows and concerts the two groups were friendly rivals with the primes being the more polished and stronger vocal performers the primes disbanded in 1960 when kell osborne moved to california and eddie a promotional image of the original early 1960s kendricks and paul williams returned to alabama while in temptations lineup clockwise from top right otis detroit visiting relatives kendricks called otis williams who williams paul williams melvin franklin eddie kendricks and elbridge al bryant desperately needing two more members for an audition for gordy offered kendricks a lead singer place in the distants kendricks agreed with one condition that he could bring paul williams with him otis williams happily agreed and kendricks and paul williams moved back to detroit to join the new group the new lineup of otis williams melvin franklin elbridge al bryant eddie kendricks and paul williams took on the name the elgins and auditioned for motown in march 1961 as gordy was already familiar with kendricks and williams from sessions they had done before he had formed motown upon which they had lent their talents as backup singers he then agreed to sign the group to his miracle records label however just before signing the elgins to motown s miracle records berry gordy discovered that there was already a singing group with that name the quintet quickly began tossing about ideas for a new name on the steps of motown s hitsville u.s.a headquarters and studio on a suggestion from miracle records employee billy mitchell songwriter mickey stevenson and group members otis williams and paul williams the temptations became the group s new moniker the elgins name would re-surface at motown in 1965 when gordy renamed a quartet called the downbeats as the elgins before the miracle label was closed to avoid confusion with the miracles singing group and merged with the gordy label the temptations released two singles oh mother of mine and check yourself featuring paul williams powerful lead all seven of the temptations singles released between 1961 and 1963 failed to make it onto the u.s hot 100 pop singles chart the two exceptions to missing all the u.s charts was dream come true a single featuring eddie kendricks on lead which made it to #22 on the r&b chart in 1962 and the kendricks-led follow up paradise which reached #22 on the bubbling under charts later that year the group became known as one of the most talented and versatile groups in the country paul and eddie split the leads during this period with eddie becoming the standard for all first tenor/falsetto singers al bryant otis williams and franklin occasionally sang lead but the signature sound was the kendricks/williams duo many songwriter and producer teams had been trying to craft a hit for the temptations including berry gordy mickey stevenson clarence paul and norman whitfield they tried to take the group in several different directions all in order to find the perfect sound that would put them not only on the u.s charts both pop and r&b but in the top 20 as well one song isn t she pretty had all five members singing lead and mainly showcased the lead vocals of `al bryant and it was a precursor to the multi-lead songs the group would record in the late 60 s the idea of having the group change their name to the pirates was briefly discussed and they would even record mind over

[close]

p. 10

the temptations matter and i ll love you till i die under this name but to no avail in fact gordy had originally written do you love me for the temptations in 1961 but when he was unable to get a hold of the group he recorded the song instead with another motown-family group the contours william smokey robinson jr lead singer/songwriter and producer of the miracles proved to have the best rapport with the group and produced his first temptations single i want a love i can see in 1963 featuring paul williams on lead despite their best efforts however the group was still unsuccessful in landing in the desired spot on any of the billboard hot 100 singles charts in the u.s as a result the other acts at motown would soon give the nickname the hitless temptations to the group about this time david ruffin younger brother of motown artist jimmy ruffin demonstrated his superior performance skills when he joined the temptations on-stage during a local detroit performance 14 elbridge bryant soon became restless and uncooperative preferring the mundane routine of his day job as a milkman over the rigors of rehearsal and performing after a heated quarrel following a disastrous performance at the 1963 motown company christmas/new years eve party bryant was summarily fired from the group as a result david ruffin was brought in as his replacement in the early part of 1964 though both ruffin brothers were considered for the slot david was selected due to his superior performance at the local detroit performance earlier that year bryant continued to perform in a number of other local groups and died at the age of 36 in flagler county florida of liver cirrhosis on october 26 1975 5 the classic five era in january 1964 smokey robinson and miracles bandmate bobby rogers co-wrote and produced the way you do the things you do with eddie kendricks on lead and the single became the temptations first top 20 hit that april shortly afterward the way you do the things you do and several pre-david ruffin singles were compiled into the group s first album meet the temptations released in early 1964 the next two temptations singles in 1964 girl why you wanna make me blue along with i ll be in trouble and its b-side the girl s alright with me all featured kendricks on lead however producer smokey robinson saw potential in the mellow yet gruff voice of david ruffin and thought that if he could write the perfect song for his lead then the group could have a top 10 smash hit 15 the classic five lineup of the temptations circa 1965 left to right melvin franklin eddie kendricks otis williams paul williams and david ruffin while traveling as part of motown s motortown revue later that year robinson and fellow miracles member ronnie white wrote my girl which the temptations recorded in the fall of 1964 with ruffin singing his first lead vocal for the group released as a single on december 21 1964 the song became the temptations first number-one pop hit in march 1965 and is their signature song to this day after the success of my girl ruffin sang lead on the next three singles it s growing since i lost my baby and my baby all of which made it to the top 20 in 1965 the b-side to my baby don t look back featured a stirring lead from paul williams and was a sleeper hit on the r&b charts and a standard for vocal groups playlists norman whitfield had requested the opportunity to write for the group and in 1966 berry gordy promised him that if robinson s get ready with eddie kendricks on lead failed to chart in the top 20 whitfield would be allowed to produce the next song get ready subsequently missed its mark and gordy issued the whitfield-produced ain t too proud to beg with david ruffin on lead as the next single ain t too proud to beg outperformed

[close]

p. 11

the temptations get ready on the billboard charts and whitfield became the temptations new main producer he began pulling the group away from the ballad-based productions espoused by robinson toward a harder-edged and brass-heavy soul sound reminiscent of james brown nearly all of the singles produced by whitfield prior to 1968 featured david ruffin on lead including the r&b number-one/pop top 10 hits beauty is only skin deep i know i m losing you and the early 1967 hit loneliness made me realize it s you that i need other important singles from this period include all i need produced by frank wilson a whitfield protégé and the you re my everything on which kendricks and ruffin share lead studio albums during the classic five period apart from meet the temptations include the temptations sing smokey 1965 the temptin temptations 1965 gettin ready 1966 the temptations with a lot o soul 1967 and the temptations wish it would rain 1968 during this period the various songwriting partners of norman whitfield included roger penzabene edward holland jr and temptations road show manager and guitarist cornelius grant subsequently barrett strong who sang the very first hit at motown in 1959 money that s what i want began working with whitfield and penzabene on temptations material after eddie holland left motown with the rest of the holland-dozier-holland songwriting/production team in 1967 two of the whitfield-strong-penzabene collaborations i wish it would rain and i could never love another after loving you became hits in early 1968 after the untimely suicide of roger penzabene in december 1967 subsequently barrett strong became the sole collaborator of norman whitfield 6 exit david ruffin enter dennis edwards from early 1964 to mid 1968 the temptations went from unknown hopefuls to international stars and as a result appeared frequently on television shows such as american bandstand and the ed sullivan show at the same time the group began to achieve a crossover success catering to middle america with a pop standards album the temptations in a mellow mood 1967 the success of which resulted in performances at the famous copacabana in new york city along with dates at other similar supper clubs outside of music the temptations were made honorary members of phi beta sigma fraternity inc by 1967 david ruffin had begun demanding special treatment as lead singer riding to and from gigs in a private mink-lined limousine with his then-girlfriend motown singer tammi terrell instead of in the group limousine used by the other four temptations irritated and annoyed the rest of the group following motown s decision to rechristen the supremes as diana ross the supremes ruffin felt entitled to the same treatment and demanded that his group be renamed as well to david ruffin the temptations ruffin was also causing friction with berry gordy by demanding an accounting of the group s earnings.

[close]

p. 12

the temptations 7 some of this behavior was attributed to the fact that by this time ruffin had begun using cocaine regularly building further tension within the group and causing him to miss a number of group meetings rehearsals and concerts there was a general consensus among the rest of the group that ruffin needed to be replaced otis williams insists that ruffin was given ample and fair warning that if he did not change his attitude he would be fired however when ruffin missed a june 1968 engagement at a cleveland supper club in order to attend a show by his new girlfriend barbara gail martin daughter of dean martin [9 it was decided that he had crossed the line the other four temptations drew up legal documentation officially firing ruffin from the group dennis edwards formerly of the contours was hired to replace him edwards and ruffin were good friends and at first ruffin went along with the changing of the guard after a short time however ruffin began turning up at shows jumping onstage during performances of the songs he once sang lead on stealing the spotlight from edwards live at the copa 1968 the first temptations album to feature new lead singer dennis edwards pictured left to right dennis edwards melvin franklin paul williams otis williams and eddie kendricks both the temptations and motown were forced to hire extra security guards to prevent ruffin from attending other temptations performances and providing further embarrassment to edwards and the group ruffin then sued motown in october 1968 seeking a release from the label but motown countersued to keep the singer from leaving and the case was eventually settled out of court the settlement required ruffin to remain with motown as a solo artist to finish out his initial contract edwards first album with the temptations was live at the copa recorded at the group s return to the famous copacabana nightclub and later that year berry gordy commissioned the first of a number of collaborations for the temptations with diana ross the supremes the results included two studio albums together and diana ross the supremes join the temptations which featured the number-two hit single i m gonna make you love me the tracks for the latter included dennis edwards first studio recordings with the temptations and further results of this collaboration included a joint tour and two nbc television specials tcb aired december 9 1968 and g.i.t on broadway aired november 12 1969 psychedelic soul the addition of dennis edwards to the temptations coincided with the adoption of a new sound for the group by producer norman whitfield and in the fall of 1968 whitfield began producing psychedelic-based material for the temptations derived primarily from the sound of funk band sly the family stone this new style which debuted with the top 10 hit single cloud nine in october 1968 was a marked departure from the david ruffin-era ballads leading the group to a new and higher plateau the instrumentation was funkier the beat was hard-driving and all five temptations traded lead vocals similar to sly the family stone cloud nine the centerpiece of the group s landmark cloud nine lp was a top 10 hit and won motown its first grammy award for best r&b vocal group performance of 1969.

[close]

p. 13

the temptations 8 the blending of the motown sound and psychedelic rock sound resulted in a new subgenre of music called psychedelic soul also evident in the work of diana ross and the supremes reflections love child marvin gaye s version of i heard it through the grapevine and the music of the 5th dimension the undisputed truth and the friends of distinction more temptations psychedelic soul singles would follow in 1969 and 1970 among them runaway child running wild a number-one r&b hit i can t get next to you a number-one pop hit psychedelic shack and ball of confusion that s what the world is today but the formula began to wear thin when ungena za ulimwengu unite the world only went to #33 pop in the fall of 1970 the group s other important albums from this period include puzzle people 1969 and psychedelic shack 1970 which includes the original version of war the temptations during their psychedelic period of the late 1960s/early 1970s left to right eddie kendricks otis williams melvin franklin paul williams and dennis edwards exit eddie kendricks and paul williams paul williams who suffered from sickle-cell disease fell into depression because of the stress of touring and personal issues by the late 1960s he had developed a serious case of alcoholism [16 as his physical and mental health began to decline sharply it made performing more and more difficult williams began traveling with oxygen tanks [16 and the other four temptations made valiant efforts to raid and drain his alcohol stashes [16 by 1969 richard street lead singer of motown act the monitors and a former distant was touring with the group as a backup replacement for williams [16 for most shows save for his solo numbers williams would dance and lip-sync onstage to parts sung live by street into an offstage mic behind a curtain at other shows and during most of the second half of 1970 street substituted for williams onstage 17 eddie kendricks became detached from the group after david ruffin s firing and as the health of paul williams continued to fail kendricks began regularly fighting with otis williams and melvin franklin over leadership of the group in addition kendricks preferred the ballad material from the earlier days and was uncomfortable with the psychedelic soul material the group was now performing as a result kendricks rekindled his friendship with ruffin who persuaded him to quit the temptations and go solo after a november 1970 copacabana engagement another confrontation between himself otis williams and franklin caused kendricks to walk out in-between shows and not return both kendricks and williams then agreed that kendricks would be leaving the group kendricks later stated that he actually considered leaving as early as 1965 but remained with the temptations and unsuccessfully attempted to get permission to record a solo album without leaving the group 18 before kendricks officially left the temptations he and paul williams recorded the lead vocals for just my imagination running away with me a ballad that became kendricks final single with the group included on thesky s the limit lp along with the original album version of smiling faces sometimes just my imagination was released as a single in january 1971 and the song began steadily climbing the u.s pop singles chart peaking at #1 two months later by the time just my imagination topped the charts kendricks had negotiated his release from the group and signed a solo deal with motown s tamla label the temptations originally hired ricky owens from the los angeles-based vocal group the vibrations to replace kendricks however owens only played two dates with the group before he was fired for forgetting the words to his solo numbers [19 for several weeks of the spring of 1971 the temptations were without a fifth member owens meanwhile returned to the vibrations and died in los angeles california on december 6 1996 at the age of 57.

[close]

p. 14

the temptations whitfield took the remaining temptations quartet and re-recorded it s summer the b-side to ball of confusion that s what the world is today as a replacement single smiling faces sometimes was released as a single for the undisputed truth instead becoming a top 5 hit on the billboard hot 100 in 1971 meanwhile it s summer peaked at #51 on the billboard hot 100 making it the first temptations single to miss the top 40 since farewell my love eight years earlier after declaring a few weeks later that he was unable to continue performing due to medical reasons paul williams quit the temptations in may [20 richard street officially took williams place although williams remained on the group s payroll as an adviser and choreographer after williams had recovered enough to record again he recorded two sides for a debut solo single however on august 17 1973 williams died in detroit at the age of 34 his death ruled a suicide by the wayne county coroner 9 the temptations in the early 1970s a month later in may 1971 the temptations had finally found a permanent replacement for the first tenor position in twenty-year-old baltimore native damon harris otis williams edwards franklin street and harris continued recording and performing and norman whitfield continued producing hits for them among these were top 40 hits such as superstar remember how you got where you are 1971 a message from the temptations to david ruffin and eddie kendricks and take a look around 1972 late 1972 saw the release of papa was a rollin stone a magnum opus produced by norman whitfield originally a three-minute record written and produced for the undisputed truth whitfield took the somber tune and created a sprawling solid rock the first studio album featuring richard street and damon harris featured the new members dramatic twelve-minute version for the temptations a forerunner prominently on its front cover pictured l-r damon of the extended single soon to become popular in clubs and harris richard street top row otis williams melvin discothèques an edited seven-minute version was released as a franklin dennis edwards bottom single and became one of the longest hit singles in music history it hit #1 on the pop charts and #5 on the r&b charts radio djs loved the its length as much as its catchy beat and lyrics as it allowed them to go across the street from the station for a sandwich during their shift and return before the record ended in 1973 papa was a rollin stone won the temptations their second grammy for best r&b performance by a group whitfield and arranger/conductor paul riser won the award for best r&b instrumental performance for the instrumental version on the b-side and whitfield and barrett strong won the songwriting grammy for best r&b song after papa was a rollin stone whitfield stopped working with barrett strong and began writing the temptations material on his own the success of papa led whitfield to create more elongated operatic pieces including the top 10 hit masterpiece 1973 and several of the tracks on the resulting masterpiece album tensions developed between whitfield and the group who found whitfield arrogant and difficult to work with and the group citing his habitual tardiness his emphasis of the instrumental tracks over the vocals on many of his productions and the declining singles and albums sales as other sources of conflict sought to change producers otis williams complained about whitfield s actions and the temptations stagnant sales to berry gordy and as a result the group was reassigned to jeffrey bowen co-producer of the 1967 in a mellow mood album the final norman whitfield-produced temptations album 1990 was released in late 1973 and included the top 30 single let your hair down shortly afterwards whitfield left motown and in 1975 established whitfield records,

[close]

p. 15

the temptations taking the undisputed truth and willie hutch with him along with rose royce who performed an instrumental track for let your hair down before recording their 1976 smash car wash 10 dry spell bowen s first lp with the temptations was january 1975 s a song for you which included a cover of the titular leon russell tune popularized with soul audiences by donny hathaway along with the pop top 40/r&b number-one hits happy people featuring the commodores as the instrumentalists and shakey ground featuring instrumentation by parliament-funkadelic s eddie hazel along with billy bass nelson glasshouse the group s final top 40 pop hit was also included damon harris was fired from the group during the recording of a song for you as his behavior and work ethic were deemed unprofessional 21 and his replacement was washington d.c native glenn leonard formerly of the unifics 22 a number of producers including bowen brian holland james carmichael and even the temptations themselves tried producing hits for the next three lps house party november 1975 wings of love march 1976 and the temptations do the temptations august 1976 none of these recordings were as commercially successful as a song for you however and none of their associated singles entered the billboard charts 23 as time progressed bowen pushed dennis edwards further to the front of the group which was evident on tracks like wings of love featuring edwards vocal more prominently than the other temptations backing vocals 24 otis williams felt that this was hurting the group accused motown of inattention and cited this as the reason for the group s declining sales and popularity after the temptations do the temptations was recorded in 1976 edwards was fired from the group 25 and with new lead louis price on board they left motown for atlantic records 26 success continued to elude the group at atlantic however their two releases on atlantic hear to tempt you 1977 and bare back 1978 along with their associated singles had failed to perform any better at atlantic than their last handful of singles had at motown as a result in 1979 atlantic released the group from its contract 24 and shortly afterwards the temptations met once again with smokey robinson and berry gordy who re-signed the group to motown in 1980 27 return to motown and reunion upon the return to motown several lineup changes occurred louis price departed from the group and joined the drifters dennis edwards who had made an unsuccessful attempt at developing a solo career with the assistance of entrepreneur barry hankerson during his three-year exit from the group returned to the lineup and berry gordy co-wrote and produced power the temptations first single under the new contract power from the album of the same name only bubbled under the top 40 of billboard s hot 100 but hit #11 on the r&b charts two years of under-performing singles and albums followed including an eponymous album with philadelphia-based producer thom bell until motown began planning a temptations reunion tour in 1982 cover of the 1982 reunion album pictured from top left david ruffin otis williams melvin franklin eddie kendricks dennis edwards richard street glenn leonard eddie kendricks and david ruffin agreed to rejoin the group for the new album entitled reunion and its subsequent promotional tour and melvin franklin s nephew rick james the motown funk star who had previously used the temptations as backup vocalists

[close]