With the way she vehemently (and notoriously) turned down millions to sing alongside her former chum Diana Ross for the much-publicized Supremes reunion tour last year, you'd expect that Mary Wilson wouldn't want to leave her house, let alone perform anywhere. But since the aforementioned tour soon became an embarrassing bust, Wilson has been touring on her own this year, standing front and center, performing as she sees fit.
Although watching Wilson again work those dance moves and keep the harmony flowing with her fellow Supremes would've been a kick, it's completely understandable why she didn't. Her proposed $3 million fee was only five times less than Miss Ross's. At any rate, many would prefer to see Wilson perform solo anyway, as they believe she'd blow Ross and her wigs off the stage.
Joining Wilson will be former Temptations lead singer Dennis Edwards. Edwards's reign as front man for the legendary soul quintet (he replaced the self-destructive David Ruffin in 1968) was perhaps the most memorable time in the group's history. While fellow Motown stars Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder have been heavily praised for making the transition from sassy pop to social commentary in the early '70s, it's less well remembered that the Tempts followed suit, churning out such social melodramas as "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and "Ball of Confusion" while also indulging in the occasional ballad ("Just My Imagination," for example), for which they were so well known.
Edwards is looking to remind audiences both old and new of the vocal group's legacy with his quartet of journeyman crooners called "The Temptations Review." (In 1999 a court battle with surviving Temptation Otis Williams prohibited Edwards from referring to his group as anything other than a "review.") But in the end, it matters little who accompanies these two stars on their classic songs. Wilson and Edwards are just old-school cats who like to pay tribute to the music they were a part of so long ago, and they're looking for audiences who like to do the same.
