Another new line-up for The Temptations?

Larry Braggs is out, but no new member has been announced.

There’s a few things in life which you can predict accurately: the taxman will always be after your money; we’ll all eventually die; and The Temptations will always have another new line-up on the cards.

And here we are: nearly 60 years after the group originally formed, the group may be in the market for yet another lead singer. Lead vocalist Larry Braggs, has left the group. Larry, who joined the group in 2016, left the group late last year. No official announcement has been made, but recent performances and social media posts by the group confirm that there are only four Temptations performing at the moment.

Currently, Terry Weeks, who joined the The Temptations in 1997, is covering the lead vocals (and, by all accounts, is smashing it).

No reason has been given for the departure, but Braggs did go on tour with David Sanborn, Marcus Miller and Bob James in August 2019. The Temptations drafted in former member G.C. Cameron to cover, until Larry returned. But now, he’s out.

No replacement for Larry has been announced yet. The line-up of The Temptations currently includes Willie Green, Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks and Otis Williams, the last original member of The Temptations. It’s rumoured that the new member might be soul star Glenn Jones, but there’s been no official confirmation yet.

While we await news on a replacement (or the group will carry on as a quartet), the group are set to embark on another tour of the UK this year celebrating 60 years of The Temptations. They’ll be joined by fellow Motown alumni The Four Tops, who had a new lead singer join their ranks last year.

That The Temptations may have a new line-up shouldn’t be surprising to anyone with more than a passing knowledge of the group.

Originally formed in 1960, the group featured Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks and Eldridge “Al” Bryant. Bryant didn’t last long, and was replaced by David Ruffin. David lasted until 1968 when he was replaced with Dennis Edwards. Dennis would be sacked twice from the group (the final time in 1989) and replaced first by Louis Price then the great Ali Woodson.

But that’s not all: various other members have come and gone over the decades, including Richard Street, Damon Harris, Theo Peoples, and GC Cameron. Today, at 78, Otis is the last original left.

We wait to see what Otis does next with The Temptations. In the meantime, UK fans can check out their autumn tour dates with The Four Tops here.