Music
Dennis Edwards
1943–2018 · singer
Detroit-raised lead singer who replaced David Ruffin in the Temptations and fronted their psychedelic-soul era, from “Cloud Nine” to “Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.”
- Born
Fairfield, Alabama- Died
Chicago, Illinois
aged 74- Birth name
- Dennis Edwards Jr.
- Detroit years
- 1953–1970s
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Dennis Edwards moved from Alabama to Detroit with his family at about ten. As a teenager he sang gospel and studied piano and composition at the Detroit Conservatory of Music, and in 1966 he cut a single for the tiny local label International Soulville. That year, with help from Motown bassist James Jamerson, he auditioned for Motown, which signed him but kept him on retainer and then placed him in the Contours. When the Temptations fired David Ruffin in 1968, Edwards took his place. His gritty, gospel-trained baritone suited producer Norman Whitfield's new psychedelic soul: “Cloud Nine” won the group a Grammy in 1969, and “I Can't Get Next to You,” “Ball of Confusion” and “Papa Was a Rollin' Stone” followed. He left and rejoined the group more than once, scored a solo hit with “Don't Look Any Further” in 1984, and later led the Temptations Review.
Highlights
- Studied at the Detroit Conservatory of Music
- Joined the Temptations in 1968, replacing David Ruffin
- “Cloud Nine” won a Grammy in 1969
- Lead on “Ball of Confusion” and “Papa Was a Rollin' Stone”
- Solo hit “Don't Look Any Further” (1984) with Siedah Garrett
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Recorded here · 1966–1972
Motown Museum
Motown's Detroit headquarters and studio, where he auditioned in 1966 and recorded with the Contours and the Temptations. Now the Motown Museum.