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    Ricky Owens -- Temptation

    Is it known why Ricky Owens membership of the Temptations was for such a short period. He was hired as a possible replacement for Eddie Kendricks in June 71 but only undertook a couple of engagements with the group before being ousted.
    Was he unhappy with the pay situation [[new members only being on a weekly salary) or did the Tempt's leader decide he wasn't suitable.
    I'd really like to know what went on.
    One of the couple of engagements he did do was in DC at the Carter Barron Th [[others were in LA and East Stanton, Pa).
    Name:  DCshowJuly71CarterBarronTempts.jpg
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    Quote Originally Posted by jsmith View Post
    Is it known why Ricky Owens membership of the Temptations was for such a short period. He was hired as a possible replacement for Eddie Kendricks in June 71 but only undertook a couple of engagements with the group before being ousted.
    Was he unhappy with the pay situation [[new members only being on a weekly salary) or did the Tempt's leader decide he wasn't suitable.
    I'd really like to know what went on.
    One of the couple of engagements he did do was in DC at the Carter Barron Th [[others were in LA and East Stanton, Pa).
    Name:  DCshowJuly71CarterBarronTempts.jpg
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    According to Otis Williams' book Temptations, Ricky Owens wasn't suitable for the group. While performing a show in Washington DC, he messed up the lyrics to "Just My Imagination" and got a large "Boo" from the crowd. Otis says that this problem persisted after a few more gigs and he was dismissed from the group. I haven't heard anything from Ricky Owens about his side of what went down.

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    Otis also wrote that Ricky wasn't moving all that well and appeared awkward. After the incident at Carter Barron, he said word spread around town that the Tempts had a bad new singer and attendance dropped sharply the next night.

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    Did Ricky go on to do much else in the music business?

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    Quote Originally Posted by TomatoTom123 View Post
    Did Ricky go on to do much else in the music business?
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    According to everything I've ever read, soon after he was fired, he re-assembled The Vibrations again, and they continued on to near the end of 1976. After that no one says anything about him, or that group. Actually, I never knew [[until many years later, that The Vibrations had disbanded in 1971, and that Ricky had joined The Temptations. I had thought that he had been with The Vibrations until the mid '70s.

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    Ricky Owens had the misfortune of joining the Tempts around the time “Just My Imagination” had topped the charts. Also, people were more upset about Eddie Kendricks leaving the group than they’d been about David Ruffin’s exit 3 years earlier. So there was an immense amount of pressure for Ricky to fill Eddie’s shoes. Apparently, the weight was too much for him and he choked.

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    Was it not Ricky who thanked audiences for all the money they were contributing to the Tempts’ lavish cars, clothes, lifestyle etc embarrassing Otis into letting him go?

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    Quote Originally Posted by BritishTony View Post
    Was it not Ricky who thanked audiences for all the money they were contributing to the Tempts’ lavish cars, clothes, lifestyle etc embarrassing Otis into letting him go?
    According to Otis, that was Damon.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by jboy88 View Post
    Ricky Owens had the misfortune of joining the Tempts around the time “Just My Imagination” had topped the charts. Also, people were more upset about Eddie Kendricks leaving the group than they’d been about David Ruffin’s exit 3 years earlier. So there was an immense amount of pressure for Ricky to fill Eddie’s shoes. Apparently, the weight was too much for him and he choked.
    Ok, that answers a few things I always wondered about. The man had recorded and performed for years with the Vibrations, seemingly with no issues there. Then, after he was fired from the Temptations, he went back to the Vibrations. I kept thinking if he was that bad with the Temptations, how did he have such a long career at all with the Vibrations? But, what you added makes it a lot clearer. Under THAT kind of pressure, I guess nearly anyone could choke.

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    The Vibrations were acknowledged as having just about the most dynamic stage act of any group [[not as slick as the Tempts but certainly as -- if not more -- entertaining).
    Also Ricky had been one of the main men in the Vibs since the late 50's. They toured all the time in the 60's, getting rave reviews. Their live act was highly popular in the UK though they never had any sort of hit here -- see ads attached -- America's most dynamic vocal dance attraction.
    The Vibrations always managed to land decent record deals with top labels in the 60's, so they [[& Ricky) must have been doing something right. They had chart hits, radio hits and tracks that have endured down the years. Even their 60's unreleased tracks are gaining in popularity & some are being issued here in the UK almost 60 years after they were recorded. After Ricky returned to the Vibs, they landed themselves a new record deal & did well again for a while.
    Attachment 19911
    Last edited by jsmith; 09-14-2022 at 06:39 PM.

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    Info on their 1972 record deal .. their LP was released in the US, Canada, Germany, the UK [[on both A&M & a year later on RCA). It was later put out again in the US & the UK [[on CD in 2002).
    Attachment 19912

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    Carl Fisher resurrected the group in the 2000's and they performed live shows in the US [[in 2011 for sure) & UK [[2013). When they came to the UK I think Carl was the only member of the group from back in the 60's [[with Earl Smith from the Show Stoppers singing lead a lot of the time). There are clips on you tube of both US & UK shows ...
    I believe Ricky Owens died back in 1995.

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    The Vibrations live ... back in the 60's ... watch the part from 3 mins 30 secs onwards.

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    A quote posted under the above video ...
    I saw the Vibrations in the 60's several times in Pittsburgh and Tri-State area!! They were always fantastic, doing it ALL! Great showmanship, superb leads, fantastic harmonies, funny routines at times, soulful, you name it! Kinda' like the vocal group version of Jackie Wilson, predating the Temps. Their harmony blend is still beautiful!! Overall, as good as it gets and the Vibrations deserved much more success than they received!

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    A recent-ish UK 45 release ...
    'Cause You're Mine, Follow Your Heart & Gonna Get Along Without You Now have all been released here in the last 10 years too.
    Last edited by jsmith; 09-14-2022 at 06:47 PM.

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    Oops, sorry, Reese is right, thanks for correcting.

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    From all that’s been written, it’s been made to believe Ricky joined the group, did a few gigs, and was fired. But we’ve seen from photos that he replaces Eddie and the new lineup with Paul Williams still in the group does a photo session [[these go unpublished for decades) and a few gigs including one where Otis is absent and it’s just four Temptations. Paul then leaves due to health reasons and Richard Street steps in. The new lineup does a photo session and more gigs before Ricky is fired.

    So what’s the time line of all this? It has to be more than just a few weeks.

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    David Ruffin was out of the Tempts in July 68. Eddie Kendricks became disenchanted with the group after David Ruffin's firing and as the health of Paul Williams continued to fail. He would pick fights with Otis Williams & Melvin Franklin. Kendricks kept in touch with Ruffin & was eventually persuaded to go solo. He felt he was being cheated by Otis Williams & Motown's handling of the Temptations' finances. Kendricks also repeatedly suggested that Ruffin should be allowed back into the group & for the group to go on "strike" – no performances, no recordings – in 1970. There was regular group infighting between Kendricks, Otis Williams and Franklin which grew from this disagreement. In November 1970 during a stint @ the Copacabana, Kendricks walked out in-between shows and did not return. Eddie had been attempting to get permission to record a solo album way before actually leaving the group. His last lead vocal recording was "Just My Imagination", which was released as a single in January 1971. By early March it was No. 1 on the US pop charts. By that time, Kendricks had negotiated his release from the group and signed a solo deal with Motown.
    So Eddie was officially 'out of the group' in early March 71. So they went on to hire Ricky Owens to replace Kendricks. It seems Owens first live shows with the group were in June 71. For several weeks of that spring, the Temptations performed as a quartet. Some sources suggest the Carter Barron stint was Owens last as a Tempt, but others say he undertook another couple of engagements after that with them.
    Either way, it seems his time performing live with the group lasted only around 5 or so weeks. It's stated that Ricky was selected from 300 guys who had wanted to join the group. His first public show as a Tempt was at the LA Forum -- shouldn't be too hard to establish the date of that. His 2nd at the Twin Coaches Supper Club, East Stanton, Pa. Then came the Carter Barron series of shows [[June 28th to July 4th). Billboard reported in late July that Ricky had been tried out by the group -- suggesting by then he'd not been hired on a permanent basis. As this fact was in the 24th July edition of BILLBOARD, I'd guess they got the news of his departure around the 18th/19th/20th.
    Anyone know of any shows he undertook as a Tempt between 4th July & 18th July ?
    Attachment 19917
    Last edited by jsmith; 09-16-2022 at 04:03 AM.

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    Eddie's obviously singing on the next Temptations 45 tracks; especially on "You're The Exception To The Rule" & [[most probably too) on "It's Summer". This 45 only just scraped into the US R&B top 30, a relative failure after the pop #1 of their earlier 45. Of course "It's Summer" was a relatively old recording.
    Seems strange that very few recordings were made by the group in the first six months of 1971 [[though they did seem to be in complete turmoil).
    Was "Superstar", the plug side of the group's following 45 [[released mid Oct 71), one of the only tracks they cut that year ?
    Last edited by jsmith; 09-16-2022 at 11:24 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jsmith View Post
    Eddie's obviously singing on the next Temptations 45 tracks; especially on "You're The Exception To The Rule" & [[most probably too) on "It's Summer".
    In his book, Otis wrote that this single was recorded after Eddie and before Ricky, with just himself, Dennis, Melvin, and Paul.

    But in the more detailed notes of THE COMPLETE MOTOWN SINGLES: VOL. 11A - 1971, it is written that IT'S SUMMER was Dennis, Otis, Melvin, and Richard. It was recorded in May of 1971.

    The notes also speculate that I"M THE EXCEPTION... might have been Eddie's final session with the group.

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    Quote Originally Posted by reese View Post
    In his book, Otis wrote that this single was recorded after Eddie and before Ricky, with just himself, Dennis, Melvin, and Paul.

    But in the more detailed notes of THE COMPLETE MOTOWN SINGLES: VOL. 11A - 1971, it is written that IT'S SUMMER was Dennis, Otis, Melvin, and Richard. It was recorded in May of 1971.

    The notes also speculate that I"M THE EXCEPTION... might have been Eddie's final session with the group.
    Interesting... so was Paul in and out of the group during this time and Richard was filling in?

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    That The Temptations climbed out of this hole is rather remarkable...

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    Quote Originally Posted by reese View Post
    In his book, Otis wrote that this single was recorded after Eddie and before Ricky, with just himself, Dennis, Melvin, and Paul.

    But in the more detailed notes of THE COMPLETE MOTOWN SINGLES: VOL. 11A - 1971, it is written that IT'S SUMMER was Dennis, Otis, Melvin, and Richard. It was recorded in May of 1971.

    The notes also speculate that I"M THE EXCEPTION... might have been Eddie's final session with the group.
    They recorded "It's Summer" twice, eh?

    I quite like parts of the arrangement of the later version, especially in stereo, but the song itself isn't really strong enough as an a-side IMO, and its poor sales reflected this. Also, to my ears, the stereo album mix smokes the mono single mix, and I don't often say that about Motown!

    The original is a far better version IMO but, again, it isn't smash hit material.

    I suspect that it was recruiting Damon Harris and recording "Superstar" and "Take A Look Around" that rescued them. They're both far better as singles.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bradsupremes View Post
    From all that’s been written, it’s been made to believe Ricky joined the group, did a few gigs, and was fired. But we’ve seen from photos that he replaces Eddie and the new lineup with Paul Williams still in the group does a photo session [[these go unpublished for decades) and a few gigs including one where Otis is absent and it’s just four Temptations. Paul then leaves due to health reasons and Richard Street steps in. The new lineup does a photo session and more gigs before Ricky is fired.
    Brad, where can one access these photos of the Dennis/Ricky/Paul/Otis/Melvin line-up? I don't recall coming across photos of that line-up. Other than seeing photos of Ricky Owens as a Vibration, I only ever saw the pic of him in JRT's "Motown: Hot Wax, City Cool & Solid Gold"--and even that headshot [that looks like a candid stage pic--not posed] isn't confirmed as from a Tempts performance in the book. I would think it would be difficult to believe Ricky appeared onstage once, screwed up some lyrics, and Otis said, "you're fired." If you're going to "invest" in someone new, you give them more than one shot. [Although don't get me started on what must've been massive pressure to--literally--perform in a group that he likely idolized for a long time... not surprising he was either going to thrive or dive.] Anyway, I'd love to see pix of the line-up with Ricky.

    Also, had the Tempts not found a 5th member at that time, if wonder if they might have just gone on as a quartet. Sure, they probably wanted to keep the image and the sound on the same level, but... had things just not worked out with anyone, would it have been a ticking clock to keep looking-looking-looking and not finding? Previous Motown groups had done it before--a member dropped out and the group decided to carry on with those who were left. Even in the case of The Supremes, they crawled out of a hole left by the departure of a key member in 1973. Were they huge from then on? No, but... the group didn't completely collapse. The Tempts aren't very different, IMO. [And clearly, if you think about it, they had just as much group drama as the Sups--perhaps not as well publicized.]

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    Quote Originally Posted by danman869 View Post
    Brad, where can one access these photos of the Dennis/Ricky/Paul/Otis/Melvin line-up? I don't recall coming across photos of that line-up. Other than seeing photos of Ricky Owens as a Vibration, I only ever saw the pic of him in JRT's "Motown: Hot Wax, City Cool & Solid Gold"--and even that headshot [that looks like a candid stage pic--not posed] isn't confirmed as from a Tempts performance in the book. I would think it would be difficult to believe Ricky appeared onstage once, screwed up some lyrics, and Otis said, "you're fired." If you're going to "invest" in someone new, you give them more than one shot. [Although don't get me started on what must've been massive pressure to--literally--perform in a group that he likely idolized for a long time... not surprising he was either going to thrive or dive.] Anyway, I'd love to see pix of the line-up with Ricky.
    Not the edition of the group you mentioned but here's a photo of Ricky with the Tempts: Otis, Melvin, Richard, and Dennis. This photo appeared in the 1986 25TH ANNIVERSARY booklet.Name:  RIcky Owens with the Tempts.jpg
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    Last edited by reese; 09-17-2022 at 04:12 PM. Reason: Corrected the album booklet in which the photo appeared.

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    Quote Originally Posted by reese View Post
    Not the edition of the group you mentioned but here's a photo of Ricky with the Tempts: Otis, Melvin, Richard, and Dennis. If I'm not mistaken, this photo appeared in the 1974 TEMPTATIONS ANTHOLOGY booklet.Name:  RIcky Owens with the Tempts.jpg
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    Thanks, Reese! Did the '74 Anthology booklet detail that it was Ricky Owens in the photo or just one photo of many without explanation?

    Here's the only photo I'd ever seen identifying Ricky as a Temptation:
    Name:  Ricky Owens - Temptations 1971.jpg
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    It's from page 94 of JRT's "Motown: Hot Wax, City Cool & Solid Gold." And it's interesting that JRT said Ricky did one performance and was out. That doesn't appear to have been quite the case from what we've shared here.

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    Quote Originally Posted by danman869 View Post
    Thanks, Reese! Did the '74 Anthology booklet detail that it was Ricky Owens in the photo or just one photo of many without explanation?

    Here's the only photo I'd ever seen identifying Ricky as a Temptation:
    Name:  Ricky Owens - Temptations 1971.jpg
Views: 1646
Size:  101.0 KB

    It's from page 94 of JRT's "Motown: Hot Wax, City Cool & Solid Gold." And it's interesting that JRT said Ricky did one performance and was out. That doesn't appear to have been quite the case from what we've shared here.
    Actually, I was wrong. The photo appears in the 25TH ANNIVERSARY booklet, not the ANTHOLOGY booklet. It was included in a collage of other photos, no captions. But near the end of the booklet, each member of the group gets a mention and Ricky is included there.

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    Quote Originally Posted by reese View Post
    Not the edition of the group you mentioned but here's a photo of Ricky with the Tempts: Otis, Melvin, Richard, and Dennis. If I'm not mistaken, this photo appeared in the 1974 TEMPTATIONS ANTHOLOGY booklet.Name:  RIcky Owens with the Tempts.jpg
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    They actually took two photos with Ricky in the same photo shoot. One with Paul and the one with Richard that’s posted here. My guess is that Ricky didn’t become an official member until the Carter Barron show.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jboy88 View Post
    They actually took two photos with Ricky in the same photo shoot. One with Paul and the one with Richard that’s posted here. My guess is that Ricky didn’t become an official member until the Carter Barron show.
    So it seems that they were preparing for Paul's departure. Much like when the Marvelettes did a series of photos at the same shoot, some including Georgeanna and some not.

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    The Temptations show @ the LA Forum [[with Ricky Owens in the line-up) was on 19th June 71 -- Gladys Knight & the Pips were the support act. No doubt Gladys & the members of the Pips would already have known Ricky from the times the Vibrations played on gigs with Gladys & the boys [[ahead of them joining Motown + maybe after too).
    The other acts on the Carter Barron shows were the Orbiteers, Swiss Movement & Yvonne Fair. No idea who the Orbiteers were, most probably a local DC group.
    Bobby Eli was the Vibrations musical director through much of the 1960's [[till he helped form MFSB), so he'd no doubt know the full story about Ricky Owens & the group. I know he was a SDF member years ago but don't think he is any longer.

    Anyone here got access to this edition of TAN magazine ... June 71 ...
    Name:  TemptsTanJune71.jpg
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    Last edited by jsmith; 09-18-2022 at 09:01 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jsmith View Post
    The Temptations show @ the LA Forum [[with Ricky Owens in the line-up) was on 19th June 71 -- Gladys Knight & the Pips were the support act. No doubt Gladys & the members of the Pips would already have known Ricky from the times the Vibrations played on gigs with Gladys & the boys [[ahead of them joining Motown + maybe after too).
    The other acts on the Carter Barron shows were the Orbiteers, Swiss Movement & Yvonne Fair. No idea who the Orbiteers were, most probably a local DC group.
    Bobby Eli was the Vibrations musical director through much of the 1960's [[till he helped form MFSB), so he'd no doubt know the full story about Ricky Owens & the group. I know he was a SDF member years ago but don't think he is any longer.

    Anyone here got access to this edition of TAN magazine ... June 71 ...
    Name:  TemptsTanJune71.jpg
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    I have never even heard of this magazine. Thanks for posting the pic.

    I did find the text of the article taken from this magazine. Here's the link:
    https://www.lipstickalley.com/thread...thread.802368/

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    Gary, you might not have heard of Tan, but... you'd likely be familiar with its' sister magazines: Ebony and Jet. All three were from Johnson Publications. Tan was originally called "Tan Confessions" when first published in 1950 and was shortened to just "Tan" in 1952. It continued to be published under that name through October 1971 when in November 1971 it was renamed "Black Stars." It remained under that name through 1981 when it stopped being published.

    Jet was considered a weekly news magazine, Ebony was considered a monthly general interest magazine, and I believe Tan was intended to be a little bit more sensational--including stories about black movie, TV, and singing stars. [[Probably what prompted the eventual renaming to "Black Stars.")

    If you follow The Supremes at all, you might recall these times they graced the cover of Tan and then Black Stars a few times over the years. The Supremes graced the cover in April 1966 [[using the same exact photo used on the cover of sister publication Ebony in June 1965--only with the image reversed!), September 1968, January 1970, and July 1971. Three of those four can be found on the internet if you just google The Supremes and Tan. I have a photo of the 1971 cover, but can't find it on the web.

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    Quote Originally Posted by lockhartgary View Post
    I have never even heard of this magazine. Thanks for posting the pic.

    I did find the text of the article taken from this magazine. Here's the link:
    https://www.lipstickalley.com/thread...thread.802368/
    Thanks for posting the interview with Eddie. It was a fascinating read. Wasn't Eddie recording solo material in the later half of 1970? I get the impression that Eddie left the group because of his conflicts with Otis and Melvin and it was a done deal once it was decided that Paul would be leaving the group. Seems like the group had quite a bit of turmoil starting with David Ruffin, or really Eldridge Bryant.

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    Quote Originally Posted by danman869 View Post
    Gary, you might not have heard of Tan, but... you'd likely be familiar with its' sister magazines: Ebony and Jet. All three were from Johnson Publications. Tan was originally called "Tan Confessions" when first published in 1950 and was shortened to just "Tan" in 1952. It continued to be published under that name through October 1971 when in November 1971 it was renamed "Black Stars." It remained under that name through 1981 when it stopped being published.

    Jet was considered a weekly news magazine, Ebony was considered a monthly general interest magazine, and I believe Tan was intended to be a little bit more sensational--including stories about black movie, TV, and singing stars. [[Probably what prompted the eventual renaming to "Black Stars.")

    If you follow The Supremes at all, you might recall these times they graced the cover of Tan and then Black Stars a few times over the years. The Supremes graced the cover in April 1966 [[using the same exact photo used on the cover of sister publication Ebony in June 1965--only with the image reversed!), September 1968, January 1970, and July 1971. Three of those four can be found on the internet if you just google The Supremes and Tan. I have a photo of the 1971 cover, but can't find it on the web.
    Yes, I am very familiar with Jet and Ebony. Being an African-American growing up in the late '60s and '70s, I saw those magazines a lot.

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    The temps would've had a hard time wihtout a first tenor, as eddie's voice was a central part of the group, so finding a replacement was very important, otis would not have been able to carry out the first tenor leads if it came down to it, the photo with paul is kinda rare[i've seen it].

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    Appearing in but a couple of concerts doesn’t to
    me pass the membership test. Since he didn’t record with the group, I’d say Ricky moreso just auditioned to become a Temptation.
    Maybe the deciding factor would be , were contracts signed ?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Boogiedown View Post
    Appearing in but a couple of concerts doesn’t to
    me pass the membership test. Since he didn’t record with the group, I’d say Ricky moreso just auditioned to become a Temptation.
    Maybe the deciding factor would be , were contracts signed ?
    I agree with that sentiment. I don’t really count Ricky as an official member since he doesn’t [[that we know of) appear on any recordings. I always acknowledge Damon Harris as Eddie’s replacement. I still consider him a part of the group’s story, but more as a footnote though.

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    I remember reading [[probably in Otis' book) that Ricky had complained about being too tired to show up for so many rehearsals and performances. Berry quickly put an end to that!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Philles/Motown Gary View Post
    I remember reading [[probably in Otis' book) that Ricky had complained about being too tired to show up for so many rehearsals and performances. Berry quickly put an end to that!
    That was Damon. Otis wrote that Berry was working with the group on vocals for GLASS HOUSE and Damon wasn't giving Berry what he wanted and complained that he was tired. Later, Berry told Otis "I don't like his attitude. Get rid of him."
    Last edited by reese; 09-20-2022 at 09:49 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Boogiedown View Post
    Appearing in but a couple of concerts doesn’t to
    me pass the membership test. Since he didn’t record with the group, I’d say Ricky moreso just auditioned to become a Temptation.
    Maybe the deciding factor would be , were contracts signed ?
    I think the 25TH ANNIVERSARY booklet worded it that Ricky didn't pass his probationary period.

    I'm not sure about contracts and such. But I don't think the group would go through the effort of publicity photos before the new member was finalized. They must have released some info to the press re Ricky replacing Eddie, as I have an old RIGHT ON! magazine from 1971 and it mentions Ricky's short stint. I had never heard about it before then.

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    It’s kind of befuddling it went that far before someone noticed “this guy ain’t it”

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    Quote Originally Posted by reese View Post
    That was Damon. Otis wrote that Berry was working with the group on vocals for GLASS HOUSE and Damon wasn't giving Berry what he wanted and complained that he was tired. Later, Berry told Otis "I don't like his attitude. Get rid of him."
    Oh, it was Damon. Okay, thanks, Reese. I stand corrected. The '70s Tempts came and went so much, I couldn't keep up with them.

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    Speaking of Damon, I shared this link to download a pdf some years ago. It's an interesting read. It's called Fighting Temptation: The Damon Harris Story:

    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...,d.eWE&cad=rja

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    I can understand why they gave Ricky Owens a tryout. He came from a group that actually existed before the Temptations were formed so he had professional experience and the group were dynamic dancers. Those 2 things, to me, are major pluses. It just wasn't in the cards.

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    If Ricky predates the temptations maybe it was realized he brought an oldness to an already aging group. Maybe he was even a little stiff/less agile in his stage motions.
    They certainly went in an entirely different direction by going with young and limber Damon.

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    Damon was a good replacement for Eddie Kendricks. He could fulfill the vocal duties but brought his own spin/personality to the act. Interesting that just 8 years after My Girl, the Temptations would be number 1 with the radically different Papa was a Rollin' Stone, and 3 of the members on that one weren't on My Girl. Amazing the changes the Temptations navigated in such a time span.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Boogiedown View Post
    If Ricky predates the temptations maybe it was realized he brought an oldness to an already aging group. Maybe he was even a little stiff/less agile in his stage motions.
    They certainly went in an entirely different direction by going with young and limber Damon.
    Good points!

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    Otis also states that because of damon's youth[19yrs old]he wasn't sure that the kid would be mature enough, and he was proven right when damon mouthed off to berry...career suicide!

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    Ricky Owens on lead for The Vibrations

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    Eddie Kendricks once said he’d considered leaving the group in 1965, but ultimately thought better of it. I personally believe Ricky Owens would have fared much better if he’d joined in the mid sixties.

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