Dennis Edwards R.I.P.

“Don’t Look Any Further” was one of the big numbers in 1984. No, it wasn’t big. It was huge. My original 12″ is pretty worn out. The singer on this particular track was Dennis Edwards, who joined The Temptations in 1968 and sang on classic cuts such as “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”, “Cloud Nine”, “Ball Of Confusion”, “I Can’t Get Next To You”, or “Psychedelic Shack”. He left the group in 1977, returned in 1979, left again in 1983, and re-joined one last time in 1987 after his short solo career was over and stayed for two more years. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and then started a life with Dennis Edwards & The Temptations, re-named later to The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards.

There is a statement from Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. regarding the death of Dennis Edwards: “Dennis was the perfect artist to join the Temptations at a critical time in the group’s rise.  He epitomized their style – tall, dark, handsome – and a voice like no other.” He came into the group replacing David Ruffin and soon after, the powerful Gospel voice of Mister Edwards (who played in The Contours and The Mighty Clouds Of Joy and started his own Dennis Edwards and The Fireballs in 1961) changed the style of the group, together with the unmistakeable production work of Norman Whitfield.

His solo smash “Don’t Look Any Further” (written by Franne Golde, Dennis Lambert, and Duane Hitchings) featured a young Siedah Garrett who rose to fame three years later when she sang “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” with Michael Jackson and wrote “Man In The Mirror”.

Dennis Edwards was going through rehabilitation suffering from an aneurysm and died in Chicago yesterday after complications from meningitis – just one day before his 75th birthday, which would have been today.