KnightD12's Posts - E.FM Radio2024-03-29T00:18:37ZKnightD12https://msoldschool.ning.com/profile/Genehttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2187042386?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://msoldschool.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=09veewoi67lem&xn_auth=noSam Cooke`s And Other Artist Switch From Gospel to R&B Music ......tag:msoldschool.ning.com,2011-04-20:1370523:BlogPost:1230662011-04-20T20:26:34.000ZKnightD12https://msoldschool.ning.com/profile/Gene
i ran across this documentary on Sam Cooke and others. We all know Sam`s story, but I always love to hear it again from a different prospective. The man with the golden voice! Did i already tell ya bout the time I carried Sams suitcase to his room? lol…<br></br>
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i ran across this documentary on Sam Cooke and others. We all know Sam`s story, but I always love to hear it again from a different prospective. The man with the golden voice! Did i already tell ya bout the time I carried Sams suitcase to his room? lol<br/>
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<a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202906454?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202906454?profile=original" width="510"/></a><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202906346?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202906346?profile=original" width="600"/></a><br/>
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<iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/v16QbI48tkw?rel=0" frameborder="0"></iframe>KLYMAXX.....AFTER UNSUNGtag:msoldschool.ning.com,2010-04-04:1370523:BlogPost:941062010-04-04T04:53:00.000ZKnightD12https://msoldschool.ning.com/profile/Gene
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If you saw the Unsung episode on the group Klymaxx, you know the show stopped at the breakup of the group. Exactly why they broke up is unclear to me. But it seems like they all thought they didn`t need the other members of the group. They could make it on their own. Well, it turns out they were unique as an all girls group. But individually, they were nothing special. They destroyed their gravy…
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If you saw the Unsung episode on the group Klymaxx, you know the show stopped at the breakup of the group. Exactly why they broke up is unclear to me. But it seems like they all thought they didn`t need the other members of the group. They could make it on their own. Well, it turns out they were unique as an all girls group. But individually, they were nothing special. They destroyed their gravy train because of GREED.<br/>
VH1 recently tracked down the former member of the group to see if they would do a one night Reunion show. They take DRAMA to a whole new level.<br/>
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klymaxx 1 VH1<br/>
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klymaxx 2 VH1<br/>
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klymaxx 3 VH1<br/>
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klymaxx 4 VH1<br/>
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klymaxx 5 VH1<br/>
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THIS IS THE NEW UNRULY COOLEY KLYMAXX THAT THE OLD MEMBERS WERE SO UPSET ABOUT. A GROUP OF YOUNG SEXY WOMEN ...THAT CAN SING AND PLAY TOO! I DON`T BLAME THEM, I WOULD BE JEALOUS TOO. BUT THEY QUIT THE GROUP AND MOVED ON. I GOTTA SIDE WITH (MS PERSONALITY) COOLEY ON THIS DISPUTE.<br/>
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<object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bnt04-dNxE4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bnt04-dNxE4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="never" width="640" height="505"></embed></object>Everything But The Kitchen Sink Goes Here. Updated :)tag:msoldschool.ning.com,2009-11-11:1370523:BlogPost:870502009-11-11T13:00:00.000ZKnightD12https://msoldschool.ning.com/profile/Gene
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HERE ARE SOME INTERESTING, FUNNY, ODD OR JUST DOWNRIGHT WEIRD STUFF I FIND WHILE SURFING THE NET.<br/>
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Here is one bully that got exactly what he asked for. Just goes to show ya, a person can only take so
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HERE ARE SOME INTERESTING, FUNNY, ODD OR JUST DOWNRIGHT WEIRD STUFF I FIND WHILE SURFING THE NET.<br/>
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Here is one bully that got exactly what he asked for. Just goes to show ya, a person can only take soIMITATION OF LIFEtag:msoldschool.ning.com,2009-11-03:1370523:BlogPost:867722009-11-03T08:57:31.000ZKnightD12https://msoldschool.ning.com/profile/Gene
What movie could bring a 14 year old Black male living in the segregated South in the very early 60s to the verge of tears? This one! Although I would never admit to crying, I will fess up to getting 'misty eyed'. Ahem cough, cough.<br />
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One hot summer afternoon, I decided to go to the movies. Lucky for me I lived within walking distance of 2 of the 4 movie houses that Blacks could go to. One was old, but the other had only been opened for a year or so. The new one had better air conditioning, so…
What movie could bring a 14 year old Black male living in the segregated South in the very early 60s to the verge of tears? This one! Although I would never admit to crying, I will fess up to getting 'misty eyed'. Ahem cough, cough.<br />
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One hot summer afternoon, I decided to go to the movies. Lucky for me I lived within walking distance of 2 of the 4 movie houses that Blacks could go to. One was old, but the other had only been opened for a year or so. The new one had better air conditioning, so my choice was easy. I didn`t care what was playing, I just needed a couple of hours respite from the heat. After my 20 minute walk, I discover that "Imitation Of Life" was playing. I had been wishing for a shoot em up or a horror movie, and this looked like some sappy love story. Oh Noo... I muttered to myself, thinking its too late to turn back now.<br />
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Now this was back in da day ...before movies had a starting time. You just walked into the middle of the movie...and stayed till it started over to see what you missed. Well I watched the last 30 mins or so, then stayed through the entire next showing. It was the most powerful, moving movie I had ever seen! I swear when Mahalia Jackson sang, everyone in that movie was in tears. I had never seen anything like it. In fact about week later I went back to see it again. :)<br />
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Adolescence has not stopped Sarah Jane from attempting to pass for white: she begins dating a white boy (Troy Donohue), who severely beats her after learning she is black. Some time later, Sarah Jane passes in order to get a job performing at a seedy nightclub, and lies to Annie and tells her she is working at the library. When Annie learns the truth and appears to claim her daughter, Sarah Jane is fired, and Sarah Jane's subsequent dismissal of her mother's care begins taking a physical toll on Annie. Lora returns from her trip to Italy to find that Sarah Jane has run away from home, and has Steve hire a detective to find her. The detective locates Sarah Jane in California, living as a white woman under an assumed name and working as a chorus girl. Annie, becoming weaker and more depressed by the day, flies out to California to see her daughter one last time and say goodbye.<br />
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The plot of the 1959 version of Imitation of Life was significantly altered from the original book and the 1934 film version. In the original story, the "Lora" character, Bea Pullman, became famous with the help of her maid Annie's family waffle recipe. As a result, Bea, the white businesswoman, becomes rich, and Annie, her subservient black maid, turns down any and all offers to share any profits. The story was altered so that Lora becomes a Broadway star with her own talents, with Annie assisting her by serving as a nanny for Lora's child. In addition, producer Ross Hunter was cannily aware that these plot changes would enable Lana Turner to model an array of glamorous costumes and real jewels, something that would appeal to the female audience at that time.<br />
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Well, I can halfway understand how Sarah Jane would want to live the much easier life of being White. But to disown her own Mama in order to do so? NO WAY IN HELL!<br />
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I was looking on the web for pictures people had created to honor MJ, or just reposted pics that they found elsewhere.<br />
I thought I would share some of them with you. Feel free to post any of your own that you`ve run across.<br />
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I was looking on the web for pictures people had created to honor MJ, or just reposted pics that they found elsewhere.<br />
I thought I would share some of them with you. Feel free to post any of your own that you`ve run across.<br />
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<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v682/knightd12/MJ_kid.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"/></a>Curtis McNair - The Man Behind The Album Covers At Motowntag:msoldschool.ning.com,2009-04-26:1370523:BlogPost:721252009-04-26T19:30:00.000ZKnightD12https://msoldschool.ning.com/profile/Gene
<p><img alt="" height="211" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202900630?profile=original" width="316"></img></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" height="99" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202900860?profile=original" width="149"></img> <br></br> N.C. native Curtis McNair spent various parts of his 76 years as an inventor, artist, teacher and civil rights activist, but he is best known as the designer for some of Motown's best-known album covers, including Marvin Gaye's “What's Going On.” He's now retired and living outside of Wadesboro, with his wife, Donna, a prison chaplain.<br></br> <br></br>
McNair, would rather be known for marching for civil rights in the ’40s,…</p>
<p><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202900630?profile=original" alt="" height="211" width="316"/></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202900860?profile=original" alt="" height="99" width="149"/><br/> N.C. native Curtis McNair spent various parts of his 76 years as an inventor, artist, teacher and civil rights activist, but he is best known as the designer for some of Motown's best-known album covers, including Marvin Gaye's “What's Going On.” He's now retired and living outside of Wadesboro, with his wife, Donna, a prison chaplain.<br/>
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McNair, would rather be known for marching for civil rights in the ’40s, helping to integrate the Army in the ’50s, and that he was among the first blacks hired at Chrysler’s corporate office in the early ’60s — a man of firsts. Instead, McNair is most known for his time at Motown where he created some of the most memorable album covers of the time.<br/>
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On Friday, the McNairs make their first visit to the Belk Theater uptown, where several dozen of his covers will be displayed as part of a two-night Charlotte Symphony tribute to Motown, featuring the band Spectrum. Following are excerpts of an interview with McNair by reporter Mark Price<br/>
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Q. How many covers are you bringing to the show?<br/>
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About 70. That's not all the covers I designed. I don't have copies of about 30 percent. The ones I don't have are the ones I'm not proud of. We didn't have a big budget for covers, so I did what I could with what they gave me, including paintings, old photos, even busts.<br/>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202901156?profile=original" alt="" height="500" width="500"/><br/> Q. What's your best stuff?<br/>
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Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Undisputed Truth, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and some lesser-known acts like Brass Monkey. Some of my favorites are ones by those little-known bands that Motown picked up in an attempt to break into the white market. They wanted to compete with the Beatles. Rare Earth was one. Another was called Magic and then there was Lost Nation, who I thought was a lot of fun. I did an album cover for them at the Ford Museum in Dearborn. They had to go to the restroom at one point, and on their way out, I noticed that the angles of the columns were interesting, so we took a picture of them outside the restroom door. That's the cover.<br/>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202901168?profile=original" alt="" height="500" width="500"/><br/> Q. Wasn't there a dispute over the famous Marvin Gaye cover?<br/>
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I had a supervisor at the time who had taken the initiative to have a photo session for that without me. He laid these photos down on the table and told me what he selected to use. I disagreed, based on the content of the album. I said ‘OK, Marvin is the building. Let's ask him.' The two of us went to Marvin, who looked at my choice and said “I want that on the cover.” End of story. It amazes me the impact that album had. I got a call in the past year from a guy in Greensboro who fought in the Vietnam War. He'd heard about me and called to tell me that album helped get them through it all. It's amazing to imagine yourself being in Vietnam, listening to that album.<br/>
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The cover is a portrait of Gaye wearing an expression of resolve, with the collar up on his black leather coat and flecks of moisture on his face and hair. McNair says the cover represents one of the few cases in which he photographed the recording sessions to get inspiration. He still has the photos.<br/>
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“Marvin had half the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in the studio, with all these jazz musicians, and he was directing them all, yet he could not read music,” McNair says, laughing at the thought.<br/>
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“I could see how emotional he was, in terms of the essence of the album, and I wanted to match that. Marvin’s brother was in the military and had come back from Vietnam with stories of the carnage over there. Marvin was perplexed and he was trying to express that.”<br/>
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The irony, of course, is that Motown founder Berry Gordy at first refused to release “What’s Going On” as a single, because he saw it as too political and uncommercial. Likewise, execs didn’t like McNair’s cover.<br/>
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( The picture on the "Whats Going On" LP was taken in Marvin`s own backyard while it was sleeting. )<br/>
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There were other juicy tidbits in the article including stories on Smokey Robinson handing him a set of “bad pictures” and asking him to put the images together for an album cover and of course, there’s Diana Ross. It seems everyone wants to know about Diana Ross. In the article, McNair remembers Diana Ross as another act who typically got her way, including a time when Berry Gordy flew McNair from Detroit to New York City to personally tell him Ross’ face needed to be bigger on a Supremes-Temptations duet album. Ahh, the good old days.<br/>
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“When a friend of mine recommended I apply for the job, I went to Motown expecting to see an art department with five or 10 people working. I remember asking, ‘Where is everybody?’ and I was told, ‘You are it.’ So, I was art director, designer and whatever else was needed,” recalls McNair.<br/>
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McNair averaged 25 covers a year which, according to historians, is an amazing feat. The covers were mostly low-budget affairs utilizing colorized old photos, the combination of several photos into one drawing, and flipping photos upside down or backward. McNair’s techniques “created a badly needed new look for the label.”<br/>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202906195?profile=original" alt="" height="500" width="500"/><br/> McNair left Detroit in 1990 and life became simpler. He began work as an elementary school art teacher in Rockingham and here’s the part of the story I most enjoyed reading, in 2003, while visiting First Baptist Church in Wadesboro, he met his future wife, Donna Ingram. She, too, was at work on a second life having retired as an assistant superintendent with the Durham County schools to become a Pentecostal minister. The two were married in 2005 and now live on nine acres outside Wadesboro.<br/>
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It is rare to find this kind of history. We will hear about the history of Capital Records, MGM, those who created the art in many corporations and advertising agencies but we will rarely hear or read the history of those men and women who wrote the lyrics, the music, or those creators of the art in companies like Motown or Stax. I was very glad to see this story on Curtis McNair<br/>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202906238?profile=original" alt="" height="500" width="500"/><br/> One last interesting fact, McNair did the covers for all of Motowns acts.................except one.<br/>
Berry Gordy hired an outside firm to do the covers for The Jackson Five. If ya ask me, he wasted his money.<br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202906318?profile=original">Click Here For CURTIS McNAIR- MOTOWN ALBUM COVER DESIGNER INTERVIEW.m3u</a><br/>
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LIKE THE FUNK BROTHERS, THE PEOPLE THAT MADE MOTOWN GREAT ARE FINALLY GETTING THEIR CHANCE IN THE SPOTLIGHT WHILE THEY ARE STILL WITH US.<br/>
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If you have a favorite Album cover, Motown or otherwise, share it here.</p>Otis Williams talks about The Temptationstag:msoldschool.ning.com,2009-04-05:1370523:BlogPost:684702009-04-05T20:00:00.000ZKnightD12https://msoldschool.ning.com/profile/Gene
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<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo a tempt_zps6cqzq9ki.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v682/knightd12/MUSIC%20RELATED/a%20tempt_zps6cqzq9ki.jpg"></img></a><br />
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Otis Williams<br></br>
Real name is Otis Miles<br></br>
Born October 30, 1941 Texarkana, Texas<br></br>
Formed Otis Williams and The Siberians with Elbridge "Al" Bryant, James "Pee Wee" Crawford, Arthur Walton, and Vernard Plain. Plain was the lead singer.<br></br>
Changed name to The Distants. The group consisted of Williams, Plain, Crawford, Bryant, and…
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<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v682/knightd12/MUSIC%20RELATED/a%20tempt_zps6cqzq9ki.jpg" alt=" photo a tempt_zps6cqzq9ki.jpg" border="0"/></a><br />
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Otis Williams<br/>
Real name is Otis Miles<br/>
Born October 30, 1941 Texarkana, Texas<br/>
Formed Otis Williams and The Siberians with Elbridge "Al" Bryant, James "Pee Wee" Crawford, Arthur Walton, and Vernard Plain. Plain was the lead singer.<br/>
Changed name to The Distants. The group consisted of Williams, Plain, Crawford, Bryant, and Melvin Franklin. Plain quit and Franklin brought in Richard Street as a replacement.<br/>
Formed a brother-like relationship with Melvin Franklin<br/>
He was the organizer and enforcer of the group.<br/>
Nickname was "O"<br/>
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TMZ.com has reported that Otis Williams, the sole surviving original member of the Temptations, and who is still the leader of the group, is suing former Tempts Ali Woodson, Glenn Leonard and Bo Henderson, for using variations on the Temptations name in knock off groups or performances around the US. Woodson is now a member of The Temptations Revue feat. Dennis Edwards (who is apparently not being sued), but has also appeared in his own Emperors of Soul group as well as Legendary Lead Singers of the Temptations.<br/>
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With a history of two dozen legitimate Temptations over the past 40+ years of performing, spinoff groups have been a regular issue that has bothered Williams. At one point in the 70s, members Eddie Kendrick and David Ruffin teamed with Edwards to form a sort of parallel universe version of the group that had its three most notable singers in it.<br/>
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The suit comes as the current version of the original Temptations releases its newest disc, Back to Front, an album of remakes of classic soul songs.<br/>
Williams claims this is copyright infringement and that they are hurting his reputation by<br/>
accepting lesser billing and lesser fees.<br/>
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<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v682/knightd12/MUSIC%20RELATED/a%20tempt2_zpsywzylbik.png" alt=" photo a tempt2_zpsywzylbik.png" border="0"/></a><br />
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I ran across this interview Otis did with Rinocast. That must be connected with the oldies label Rino Records. The interview totals about 1 hour and 5 mins. I`ve broken it down into more manageable segments. As you will see, Otis loves to talk about the Tempts. He gives interesting insights on the evolution and the inner workings of the group and their relationship with each other as well as Motown.<br/>
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The last interview is one that David Ruffin did when he, along with Eddie Kendricks and Dennis Edwards were touring Europe. On the US leg of that tour, they recorded "Eddie, David & Dennis In Las Vegas" .<br/>
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<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v682/knightd12/MUSIC%20RELATED/a85f4d86-705e-4bf3-b2a5-79e0e0de03eb_zpsuzqpt0dn.jpg" alt=" photo a85f4d86-705e-4bf3-b2a5-79e0e0de03eb_zpsuzqpt0dn.jpg" border="0"/></a><br />
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Eddie Kendrick(s) Died Oct.5th, 1992. On Their Last Live CD Together, "Live In Las Vegas", March 2nd, 1991, David Sea Was Also Performing With Eddie, David & Dennis. Ali Woodson Is Now Performing With Dennis Edwards & The Review!<br/>
One review of that CD......<br/>
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An historic night<br/>
author: Andrew Claps<br/>
To be honest, I really wasn’t expecting much from this set, as I’ve heard from a couple of people that, by this time, Eddie’s and David’s voices were shot. Well, this album gives lie to that assertion, as both sound terrific—amazing given that Eddie was dying of cancer and David was decades deep into cocaine addiction and would be dead within months of this show—and Dennis Edwards more than holds his own and proves that he definitely belongs on the Mount Olympus of Tempts singers. If you’re a Tempts fan, you absolutely can’t miss this one. A VERY pleasant surprise.<br/>
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Thank you Edie for your help with my first blog.<br/>
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Now on to the interviews.<br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202933964?profile=original">Otis 1.mp3</a><br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202942592?profile=original">Otis 2.mp3</a><br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202943023?profile=original">Otis 3.mp3</a><br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202943638?profile=original">Otis 4.mp3</a><br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202956774?profile=original">Otis 5.mp3</a><br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202967791?profile=original">Otis 6.mp3</a><br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202976758?profile=original">David Ruffin - Live Interview Part One.mp3</a><br/>
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FROM THE CD EDDIE, DAVID AND DENNIS IN LAS VEGAS<br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202981541?profile=original">Eddie David Dennis - Keep On Truckin.mp3</a><br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202986141?profile=original">Eddie David Dennis - My Girl.mp3</a><br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202986249?profile=original">Eddie David Dennis - Ain`t Too Proud To Beg.mp3</a><br/>
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<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2202986555?profile=original">Eddie David Dennis - A Song For You.mp3</a>