Sometime after he was no longer with the Tempts, I heard the group live when
Glenn leonard first came on the scene. I saw plenty facial expressions on Glenn
that night but could barely hear a word he was singing. My wife and I looked at
each other in disappointment, obviously thinking the same thing..........missing
Damon! Ironically, as we drove home, a song came over the radio called "Taboo",
and as we listened to it for the first time, I turned to my wife while driving
an remarked........"the Tempts would have been better off getting that guy on
the radio than the one we heard tonight". She agreed, and went on to say that
she liked the song and wondered who sang it. When it was over, the radio station
went to commercial and never said who it was, so I went to the record store in
search of it and told the sales guy that I "think" the name of the Song is Taboo
but I wasn't sure. He looked it up.......said it was on an album .......and upon
leading me to it, I then discovered much to
my amazement we had been listening to the man himself.........the BIG FISH that
got away.........none other than Damon Harris. I was thrilled !!!

As for his problems with Otis, that seems to have been right from the jump when
Damon was brought before him for an audition. I can't help wonder if his youth
was somewhat of a threat to Otis, or perhaps some deep down bias he had looking
down on "the kid". If memory serves me correct, Otis claimed in his book that it
was Berry Gordy's idea to "get rid of" Damon (hmm?).

Michaelangelo Rosario <ekimpito@...> wrote:
Damon Harris in the tradition of Eddie Kendricks
If dreams come true, Damon Harris is a living example. Damon Harris is a native
of Baltimore, was a member of the Temptations from 1971-1975. Damon sang lead
tenor and took the place of his boyhood idol, the legendary Eddie Kendricks.
Kendricks a founding member of the Temptations had influence a whole generation
of singers and Damon was at the forefront of that movement.
The Tempts with Damon Harris as their lead had experience an enormous amount of
success commercially. His vocals on recording, such as "Papa Was a Rolling
Stone" and "Masterpiece" have become classic. Damon's entrance into the group
was like a breathe of fresh air. He was standout performer. Moreover, he was
young, innocent, good looking, personable and had a great voice. During his
tenure, the Temptations had complied nine gold records, three Grammies and two
American Music Awards. However, with all the adulation, he enjoyed the fame,
fans and money. Damon departed from the group in 1975. He rejoined his boyhood
friends to form the group Impact. Impact, a gentlement's quartet, was made up of
brotherhood, togetherness, and sweet harmony. After the breakup of Impact in
1978, Damon continued on his musical journey. A journey that led him to record
his first solo LP, simply entitled "Silk". Silk is a kaleidoscope of Damon's
incredible voice. Damon possessed the most sweetest and
silkiest tenor since Eddie Kendricks. In seven short years, Damon Otis Harris
has established his stuff as a very gifted and versatile performer. He emerged,
out of the seventies, as the most compelling lead tenor of his generation. In
1971, at Damon debut, at the Apollo, his voice was just unbelievable. His voice
just soar above the rest of the guys. It was like an angel singing clear, strong
and very melodic. I wholeheartedly believe that Damon was the best singer to
ever replace Eddie Kendricks. I think the similarities with Damon and Eddie is
not so much the timber of their voices, please bear in mind that Damon is from
Baltimore and Eddie is from the deep south Alabama, therefore, Kendricks has
more of a southern accent. What makes Damon very similar to Eddie is his
phrasing, his intuition, and his melodic approach to a lyric.





Bluebossa80_Rosario






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