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Post by Queenie on Jun 8, 2004 8:03:41 GMT -5
Board:
Can someone do a synopsis of Dennis inception with Motown?
Is Dennis an original member of the Contours?
Was Dennis the lead singer of the Contours?
Did you see the Contours performed?
After Dennis left the Contours, what happen to the group?
Dennis glory days with the Tempts, which member did he hang out with?
After leaving the Tempts, why he did not cut tides with Motown and move to another label (Epic, Capitol..)?
Why Dennis did not have an electrify career like Stevie Wonder, Eddie Kendricks, and Marvin Gaye?
Record Deals: I heard Dennis was shopping for a record label to promote their work. Anyone knows what is going with that??
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Post by BeesNVMe on Jun 8, 2004 10:39:22 GMT -5
Dang Queenie...I gotta go to work...I'll be late fooling with you. Be back later to try and answer these. In the meantime, I know someone else can fill you in.
Latah
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Post by Queenie on Jun 8, 2004 23:06:03 GMT -5
okay board what about Dennis and the Countours??
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Post by Queenie on Jun 9, 2004 23:49:08 GMT -5
Somebody please answer this thread if no ones don't answer I am going to ask Genna or O to answer the thread.
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Post by Queenie on Jun 13, 2004 12:11:20 GMT -5
BEES you promise you were going to respond to this thread
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Post by BeesNVMe on Jun 13, 2004 12:46:47 GMT -5
Dennis was originally from B'ham AL and later moved to Detroit. In high school, Dennis was a member of a group called Crowns of Joy. Later, he formed his own group, Dennis Edwards and The Firebirds...they were a jazz group. It was James Jamerson who heard Dennis and suggested he come to Motown for an audition. Motown liked Dennis' voice and signed him. During this time, The Contours needed a lead singer...Dennis was given the job. Dennis was not on Do You Love Me...The Contours biggest hit. I would venture to say that they did not have any chart topping hits at the time Dennis was in the group. It was during this time Dennis was asked to join The Temptations.
I had seen The Contours perform, but I don't recall Dennis being with them. After Dennis left The Contours, I think they had mostly moderate hits.
Whenever I saw Dennis, he was usually with Eddie K or Paul Williams.
I don't know why Dennis cut records with Motown or any other label. It seems once an artist leaves Motown, it's hard for another label to pick them up. I can't say whether Dennis wanted to remain with Motown (and they failed to work with him) or Dennis wanted to go to another label and had a hard time signing with one.
As of now, Dennis is looking forward to putting out a new cd. There are a lot of technicalities to be worked out. Hopefully, everything will work out and Dennis will release more music because we do want to hear from him. I thought Naturally could have been a huge hit for Dennis nem if they had only gotten some airplay. If I can think of anything else...I'll be back!
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Post by BeesNVMe on Jun 13, 2004 12:49:33 GMT -5
Temptations singer Dennis Edwards still has soul
By Tony Kiss, Entertainment Editor
June 12, 2003 1:49 p.m.
BREVARD - For 35 years, Dennis Edwards has been a tempted man.
There have been a lot of good years. And some bad times too, including an ugly court fight and the deaths of dear friends. But Edwards has always come back for more.
He can't escape his legacy as longtime former lead singer for The Temptations, the Grammy-winning pop and soul sensations. On Saturday, Edwards is bringing his "Temptations Review" show to Brevard Music Center as part of BMC's opening round of 2003 concerts.
"When I go to my grave, I will be a Temptation,'' said Edwards. "We didn't know years ago that our music would still be so popular (today). We had our era. But I am grateful."
"The Temptations Review" is not The Temptations singing group, which continues to perform under that name. After a lenghty fight for rights to the group's name, a 1999 court order allows Edwards to perform as The Temptations Review.
"I think if we could have worked it out between ourselves, it would have been easier," he said. "They almost got me. That court battle cost a lot of money, upwards of a million dollars. To spend that kind of money on something that you feel is rightfully yours is bad. Nobody wins but the attorneys."
While Edwards doesn't own the Temptations name, he does have an invaluable asset.
"I am blessed with the voice," he said. And on Saturday, he'll use that gift in a 90-minute concert that includes many of The Temptations' biggest hits, from "My Girl" to "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and "Just My Imagination." He's joined by singers David Sea, Mike Patillo, Bernard Gibson and Chris Arnold.
"This group is excellent," he said. "If it weren't on a par with the original group, I would just stay in my living room. Some nights I get goose bumps."
The story of The Temptations is a long one, with members coming and going over the years. The group started in 1960, but Edwards didn't join until 1968 after singer David Ruffin was booted for missing too many gigs and showing up late for others. With the handwriting on the wall, Ruffin asked Edwards to take his plum spot up front.
"David was my best friend," Edwards said. "I told him I didn't want to do it because we were good friends. But they were having problems and didn't want the group to break up."
And so Edwards became a Temptation, leading to some of the group's biggest successes, including its first Grammy.
"There were good things and bad things," he said. "You will have squabbles like any other family. But when it's time to go out and do the job, then you do the job. We really loved each other."
Edwards joined and left The Temptations three times. In 1989, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Edwards then teamed with Ruffin and original group member Eddie Kendricks in a super lineup.
But it didn't last long - Ruffin died in 1991 after a cocaine overdose and Kendricks followed in 1992 of lung cancer. "I am really the last (of the group's classic) lead singers," Edwards said. "I really miss those guys, David and Eddie."
But the current "Temptations Review" captures the same sound, he said. "Some nights, I turn my head and I think the guys are still there."
Despite The Temptations enormous and enduring popularity, riches didn't come as part of the deal. "We did not get what was properly ours," Edwards said. "Unfortunately, that's one of the reasons I am still going.
"But they can't take away the love I have for it, the passion." Contact Kiss at 232-5855 or TKiss@CITIZEN-TIMES.com
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Post by BeesNVMe on Jun 13, 2004 12:52:29 GMT -5
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Post by Queenie on Jun 13, 2004 13:13:02 GMT -5
Sorry BEES it only opens up more inquiries about the men call tempts... Question: How far back did Paul and Eddie know Dennis? Did Paul, Eddie, and Dennis go to the same school and church in Alabama? Also when did Dennis meet David before or after David became a Tempt?? |
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Post by BeesNVMe on Jun 13, 2004 18:46:33 GMT -5
I am going out on a limb here, Queenie. I would guess that Dennis met David while David was still a Tempt...probably around 1964 or 65. I know Dennis was around when Jr was born. I know Eddie attended church in North B'ham...forgot the name of the church...don't know whether or not Paul or his family attended the same church.
The guys did not meet once the Tempts were formed; they all hung out at the same places, knew the same people, etc. Don't believe the hype!
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Post by Queenie on Jun 13, 2004 21:24:00 GMT -5
I really enjoy reading your commentary about Dennis..Without Dennis setting the record straight (book and movie) fans can only speculate his inception to MOTOWN especially tempts.
I have more questions about Dennis but, I will post them latter. Once again thanks you very much for commentary.
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