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HALL of FAME INDUCTEES
DENNIS EDWARDS
Instruments:
Vocals
Date of Birth:
February 3, 1943
Place of Birth:
Birmingham, Alabama
1987
Governor's
Achievement
Award
1999 Inductee
Dennis Edwards, the son of a minister, began singing gospel music with the Golden Wonders. He moved into the realm of secular music with a group called Fireworks, before joining the Contours. With Edwards as a member, the Temptations' Producer Norman Whitfield took the group into the realm of Sly Stone--influenced psychedelic soul with songs such as "Cloud Nine""Psychedelic Shack" and "Ball of Confusion". The move worked. The Temptations won their first of three Gammy Awards and Edwards found himself firmly entrenched with Temptations fans. In 1977, Edwards departed the group, but was back before the end of the decade, and in charge of one of the group's biggest hits, "Power". During the 1980s, Edwards, Kendricks and Ruffin teamed up to record and tour a power packed show which featured many of the groups most successful songs.