Richard Street
WThe name Richard Street is synonymous with the motor city music scene, dipping way back in the day to Detroit doo-woppers The Distants. Formed in 1955, the group also included Otis Williams and Street's cousin Melvin Franklin, all of whom would eventually sing in The Temptations. Come 1959, the hopeful formed The Monitors and was hired four years later by Berry Gordy as a quality control producer for Motown Records. As artists like The Miracles, The Supremes, The Jackson Five and Marvin Gaye sprung up, Street was right by their side and working with the movement first hand. He eventually entered the front lines himself when The Temptations underwent a line-up overhaul in the early 1970s, which started with the departures of David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks for solo careers, along with Paul Williams as he battled alcoholism.
The arrival of Richard together with Dennis Edwards signaled a notable musical shift in direction and the next few years would find The Temptations tackling topics in the news -- the Vietnam War and urban poverty -- with songs such as "Take A Look Around", "Ball Of Confusion" and the landmark "Papa Was A Rolling Stone", which earned the group three Grammy Awards.
Richard performed many hundreds of shows with The Temptations in over 20 years as a member of the group, visited dozens of countries worldwide, and along with other members past and present, was there when the group was inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall Of Fame in 1989. In his upcoming book, Ball Of Confusion, Richard chronicles his years with the group.
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