As regards Dennis's unreleased solo album from 1977, this was actually co-produced by Mike & Brenda Sutton and Harold Johnson. As far as I know Jeffrey Bowen had no involvement in it whatsoever [[that's what the UK Motown office told me at the time). The same source gave me a tracklist for the album but, unfortunately, I mislaid that many years ago but from what I remember from the track titles it sounded like a more conventional soul album and not some sort of funk workout. Only one track has been released from the album and that was "When The Lights Come Down On Love" which appeared on the Temptations' "One By One - The Best Of The Solo Years" 2 CD set issued back in 1995:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lv_p_r7-4A
If this track is anything to go by I think this vaulted LP is probably another of those lost Motown album gems.
After Dennis left or was dropped by Motown in 1978 the UK "Blues & Soul" magazine reported he had signed with Buddah and was being managed by Gladys Knight's then husband Barry Hankerson. Whether anything was recorded for Buddah I don't know.
As for the PIR interest in the Temptations in late '79, it was Gamble & Huff that courted the group and wanted the group to re-unite with Dennis, David and Eddie [[as, I think, Louis Price had left the group by then) but that possible deal fell through and, so, Smokey got the group to re-sign with Motown in early '80 and then, of course, David and Eddie came back on board two years later.
Ivor
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