Dennis Edwards Jr. (February 3, 1943 – February 1, 2018) was an American soul and R&B singer who was best known as the frontman in The Temptations for Motown Records. Edwards joined the Temptations in 1968, replacing David Ruffin and sang with the group from 1968 to 1976, 1980 to 1984, and 1987 to 1989. In the mid-1980s, he launched a solo career, recording the 1984 hit single "Don't Look Any Further" (featuring Siedah Garrett). Until his death, Edwards was the lead singer of The Temptations Review, a Temptations splinter group.
Biography
Early years and career
Edwards was born in Fairfield, Alabama, about eight miles from Birmingham, to Reverend Dennis Edwards Sr. and Idessa Fuller. He began singing at two years old in his father's church. The Edwards family moved to Detroit, Michigan when Edwards was about ten years old. He would continue to sing in the church pastored by his father, eventually becoming choir director.
As a teenager, Edwards joined a gospel vocal group called The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and studied piano and musical composition at the Detroit Conservatory of Music. After learning that Sam Cooke had switched from gospel to secular music, he organized his own soul/jazz group, Dennis Edwards and the Firebirds in 1961. Back at home, he was not allowed to sing or listen to secular music due to his mother's disapproval of a secular music career. His last major duty assignment was with Headquarters Battery, 2nd Howitzer Battalion, 35th Artillery, Seventh Army. When asked of his potential second album, Edwards told the New York Daily News he had hoped to record a cover of Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness" and a potential duet with Aretha Franklin. In 1985, his follow-up album Coolin' Out featured such a cover and a moderately successful title single. Shortly after, Temptations member Ron Tyson had seen Edwards performing in a Philadelphia night club, but discussions about Edwards' potential second return went nowhere.
In 1987, Woodson was fired after arriving late for shows, and Edwards was brought back once again. The Temptations recorded the album entitled Together Again, featuring the hit single "I Wonder Who She's Seeing Now". Edwards left the group for a third and final time to join Ruffin and Kendricks; he was again replaced by Woodson in 1989. That same year, Edwards was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Temptations.
1990–1992: Ruffin, Kendricks, and Edwards
Beginning in 1989, Edwards toured and recorded with Ruffin and Kendricks, billing themselves as the "Former Leads of The Temptations". David Tucker, a documentary filmmaker, profiled the group and released a MTV documentary titled Original Leads of the Temptations. Throughout 1991, all three men toured throughout Europe, with the next tour scheduled for June 26. Because they did not have a manager, Ruffin was selected to retrieve the concert proceedings from the local promoter at each venue. When the European tour was finished, Ruffin had landed in Philadelphia with a briefcase containing $40,000 in British travelers' checks. Edwards and Kendricks—who were overseas—had pleaded for Ruffin to wire transfer the checks. On June 1, 1991, Ruffin suffered an overdose at a Philadelphia crack house and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital hours later. At the time of Ruffin's death, the briefcase had not been recovered.
Over a year later, in October 1992, Kendricks died from lung cancer in Birmingham, Alabama.
1993–2017: The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards
In 1993, Edwards recorded his third solo album Talk to Me with the Three Gems record label. The album was primarily recorded at the Strawberry Skys recording studios in Columbia, South Carolina. By this time, Edwards had moved to St. Louis, Missouri to move closer to his mother. In September 1994, he told the St. Louis Dispatch that despite not being an active member of the Temptations, he was still actively performing. That same month, the Temptations received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The surviving members, as well as relatives of Ruffin, Kendricks, and Paul Williams were in attendance at the induction ceremony and received plaques in their honor. Edwards was noticeably absent, in which he later claimed he was not informed about the honor.
As early as 1995, Edwards began touring under the name "Dennis Edwards and the Knew Temptations", prompting a legal battle between himself and Otis Williams. In November 1997, a federal judge ruled that Edwards could continue performing under their current name; Edwards' then-manager felt using "Knew" was "unique, different, and an attention getter." However, Williams appealed the ruling, in which Edwards was legally barred from using the band's name, which led Edwards's group to be called the Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards. Edwards's group eventually included Paul Williams Jr. (son of original Temptations member Paul Williams).
In 2013, Edwards (as a member of the Temptations) was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame. They were also awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Temptations Review was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame on October 4, 2015.
Personal life and death
Edwards had a relationship with singer Aretha Franklin, who stated he was the inspiration behind her 1972 soul song "Day Dreaming". Edwards was briefly married to Ruth Pointer, whom he wed in Las Vegas on December 21, 1980, and divorced in 1983. The couple had one daughter, Issa Pointer, who became a member of her mother's vocal group, the Pointer Sisters. Edwards moved to Florissant, Missouri in the 1980s to be closer to his mother.
Edwards died in an Illinois hospital on February 1, 2018. He had been battling meningitis before his death. He is interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri.
! style="width:45px;"|US R&B<br>
|-
| rowspan="1" |1984
|Don't Look Any Further
| style="text-align:center;" |48
| style="text-align:center;" |2
| style="text-align:center;" |91
|-
| rowspan="1" |1985
|Coolin' Out
| style="text-align:center;" |–
| style="text-align:center;" |36
| style="text-align:center;" |–
|-
| rowspan="1" |1993
|Talk to Me
| style="text-align:center;" |–
| style="text-align:center;" |–
| style="text-align:center;" |–
|-
| rowspan="1" |2006
|Look What the Lord Has Done
| style="text-align:center;" |–
| style="text-align:center;" |–
| style="text-align:center;" |–
|-
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "–" denotes releases that did not chart.
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" |Year
! rowspan="2" |Title
! colspan="3" |Peak chart positions
|-
! style="width:45px;"|US<br>