Great pictures and story line.
The truth is Otis ran the group PERIOD
edafan
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Great pictures and story line.
The truth is Otis ran the group PERIOD
edafan
Once more Dennis Edwards rejoined the group replacing Ali-Ollie Woodson [[WTF?). This period was covered a bit out of sequence above, but for [[1987-88), these were the Temptations:
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I think Ricky Owens caught a bad break having to replace Eddie so soon after "just My Imagination" had taken off. the fact that audiences were so unforgiving of him blowing the lyrics, just further proves how classic that song is. Those pics must be from private show or a rehearsal since Otis stated he was present for both of his shows.
By the mid part of 1988, Ali-Ollie Woodson was back and all was well [[buh, bye Dennis.....) The Temptations from [[1988 -92) :
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Lol this is great. Keep going marv..supremes story next? I guess miss Flo would have been the Otis character but for BG. She wouldn't have put up with no stuff and booted ...
Moving on further into the 90s is when things began to get a bit dicey for me! As a long time fan and supporter of the Temptations, even I was becoming confused over who was in the group and who was not. This also around the time Melvin Franklin became ill and have to withdraw from the group for extended periods of time. So for the era [[1992–1994) we had almost 2 groups in one. Many television appearances showed them as a 4 man group with newcomer, Theo Peoples.......
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Thanks Luke, but if I got into it about the Supremes and told what I know [[and I know the truth), It would spark World War III LOL! It would lead to all kinds of pandemonium, mayhem and perhaps some hard feelings. I ain't going to do that to Ralph or myself thank you!
True, Flo could hit the hardest...........................hehehehehehehe!
I should mention before any further that Theo Peoples came into the group in 1992,replacing long time member Richard Street. Richard had been with the group for 21 years at the time of his dismissal. From what Richard has said. He became very ill and was hospitalized with multiple gall stones, etc. Being in the hospital caused Richard to miss a show. Otis Williams blew a gasket and cursed Richard out something awful! Richard's feelings were hurt because Otis showed him no sympathy over his health crisis and that ended that!
On February 23, 1995 [[20 years ago this weekend) Melvin Franklin died. He was the true heart & soul of the Temptations in my opinion. Still the show must go on and he was replaced by Ray Davis formerly of Parliament/Funkadelic [[Y'all remember "Tear the Roof off the Sucka"? That was Ray's booming bass voice on that record). The grouping with Ray only lasted a year. The Temptations for [[1995) :
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I really think that is a male/female bias. When the female is directive and organized like Otis is, she's a bitch. With Otis, he's a strong, organized man. The other issue is that Otis has been successful at managing to keep the group going and you can't argue with success. He is recognized by the public for that. Some fans feelin differently but not the public. And in addition, the Supremes just didn't have anyone that was able to pull a group together and keep it together and modestly successful after about 1972. The Temptations did.
More unfortunate health news. In late 1995, Ray Davis was diagnosed with throat cancer and had to leave the group. His replacement was Harry McGilberry another Philadelphia native. The Temptations from [[1995–1997):
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I think you are right ,but someone did not have the patience for him to get it together. I know it must have been embarrassing for Ricky Owens, as well as his friends like The Vibrations. He was their lead singer and a star in that group, but could not last even a few shows as a Temptation.
Didn't the Madison Square Garden show push Mary over the edge so to speak? Plus the Temptations had more members to keep it going.
In 1997, Ali-Ollie Woodson left, was fired, resigned or disappeared from the group. I say it that way because they never give an official reason why the Tempts would replace a great singer like Ali. His abilities had not diminished as I have seen and heard Ali many times after he left the Temptations. In any case, he is replaced by Terry Weeks and the Temptation grouping with the last major hit "Stay" is formed. The Temptation from [[1997–1998):
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The next change in the Temptations saw Theo Peoples [[another excellent singer and genuinely nice guy) leaving to join another legendary Motown group..........The Four Tops! In steps Barrington "Bo" Henderson of Washington, PA to replace him. The Temptations from [[1998–2003):
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Are you starting to see a pattern now? Some of these groupings only lasted a year or so.
[QUOTE=marv2;272844]Are you starting to see a pattern now? Some of these groupings only lasted a year or so.[/QUOT
Marv great job on the thread; all the pics too! Interesting revisiting the history of the group.
This is a great thread Marv. I am enjoying it. It would be nice to see a similar thread on the Supremes, but I can understand your reluctance.
Theo left the Tempts to fill Levi's shoes , which is sort of impossible, but he did a great , great job. Do you know why he left , or was forced to leave, that group?
You know as well as I do, that if I were to do one on the Supremes [[I would have to tell the truth throughout...), that some people here would go mental, biserk about certain things. It would cause undue and un-needed stress for Ralph and some of the more excitable members could wind up getting banned. So no I will not do that.
Also, Theo Peoples joined the Four Tops while Levi was still performing with the group. The actual fourth spot he filled was that of Lawrence Peyton. I don't know why he left the Tempts but based on the pattern I've seen with that group, he was likely canned!
As I said, I can understand your reluctance, but it would make a nice read just as this thread is a nice read of the Tempts.
I forgot that Theo's first spot in the 4 Tops was as Payton's replacement. Theo probably left the Tempts to be with a more stable group. But then look what happened to him with the Tops. Do you know why he left the Tops?
This could have been a good thread. It is obvious that it was created for the purpose of taking a dig at Otis.
It seems to me that Otis is a very insecure man and I'm not a very big fan of his. He was surrounded by all these talented men and he seemed to have problem with all of them. Jealous much? I hate it when people say he is like Mary Wilson but Mary, unlike Otis, is a talented singer and has an amazing stage presence [[like Diana and Florence). She should have gone solo earlier than she did, she did not need a group. Otis on the other hand needs the Temptations to lean on.
Otis is the heart and soul of the Temptations. The only Temptation to be in the group from the beginning to now, through every lineup. He has kept the legacy alive.
I would have to say that while Otis has faced criticism from various perspectives through the years, he was the logical person who stepped up on many occasions to deal with the many issues which arose threatening the continuation and legacy of one of Motown's premier acts. Perhaps the fact that he was not a lead singer seeking individual adulation kept him focused on the interests of the group and not the prospect of his personal advancement. Issues like individual egos, drug and alcohol problems, lack of discipline by some group members throughout the years, etc. necessitated someone to keep those things in check internally to prevent the disintegration of the group like happened to so many other ensembles through the years, as we all know the stories of many of them....So while I'm sure that Otis made some questionable decisions through the years, at least he was there to make the tough decisions that few others were capable of or unwilling to do...
Ce qu'une charge de horseshit. LOL
Your truth about the Supremes Marvin, would never get passed the most inane fact-checker and is highly unlikely to cause any Supremes fan to spiral out of control. However your loyalty to Ralph and the other individuals here is both lofty and chivalrous.
This thread is pleasantly entertaining.
CE
The last person I need protection from is you sweet-cheeks. There is nothing you can throw my way that I cannot handle. LOL
Perhaps you should kiss and tell, you may find it cathartic.
You and I have some unfinished business to put to bed so to speak Marvin. I will be in East Patchogue this coming May and would love to take you to lunch. I can make it convenient for you by meeting you in Oyster Bay, Bayville or Huntington. My treat, your choice of eatery. Kindly send me a private message if you feel so inclined.
CE
Lalalalalalalala....... LOL! Now returning to our saga of one of the Greatest Groups in history............The Temptations! It began to look like the Tempts had auditioned, invited and discarded just about every available, talented male vocalists they went retro. They invited former Spinner and solo star G. C. Cameron to join the Temptations and he accepted! I would have never guessed this one. G.C. is an awesome singer, but he had been a soloist for decades. The Temptations from [[2003–2007):
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After 4 years with the Temptations, I guess G.C. decided that he could hang so he too left the group which by now was mostly a touring act. In fact that by the 90s and 00s, there were so many "Temptations" acts out there usually consisting of one former member of the Temptations and four new and unknown singers that you had to designate "Otis' Temptations" the one associated directly with Motown [[or Universal). With G.C. gone, in steps Big Bruce Williamson as a lead singer. Hard to believe but Bruce was born in 1970 when the Tempts were riding high with "Ball of Confusion". The Temptations from [[2007–present):
I don't know a lot about The Tempts after Eddie left, so this is interesting . I'm not a fan of Otis, but if he's a jerk to work with, don't work with him. I don't enjoy his group and he sweats like a piece of rancid pork just by walking on stage. It's too bad he can't work with Dennis' group - they are faboo.
I think The Supremes' revolving door criticism is worse than that of The Tempts because of the size of the group AND personnel involved. DMC were far more visable to the public at large than The Tempts ever were - plus, there was only one star of the group who sang lead and one star of the bg - Flo - who loomed large over Mary. Cindy was a great replacement as far as a step-in, but, she brought nothing close to the group like Flo did - which elevated Mary's status and created a lot more focus on Miss Ross. Once Diana left, another great step-in joined, but still not a replacement for Diana in terms of starnosity. So, you have the least fave of the original 3 as the only familiar face......then it changed AGAIN. The Tempts still had 80% of the group when Dennis arrived, and he was an amazing vocal fit and looked great. PLUS The Tempts had the added plus of having Norman whitfiekd change his approach to The Tempts singles by featuring at least 4 of them members and funking up the sound at the same time. By comparison, Frank Wilso broke very little new ground with JMC.
Ultimately, Otis was wise not to try to take over the group lead, and kept the sound as close to the original as possible.