Temptations singer Ali Ollie Woodson died on Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 58. Woodson led the Motown quintet in the 1980s and ’90s and was largely instrumental in restoring the hit-making glory of the group. The “Treat Her Like a Lady” singer died of cancer, said Billy Wilson, president of the Motown Alumni Association. Wilson added that he was informed about Woodson’s death by his wife Juanita.
The group had several line up changes and Woodson was not a part of the original group. He, however, played an important role in making the band popular. The 60s and the 70s saw the Temptations post hits liker “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” ”My Girl” ”I Wish It would Rain” but they failed to post any hit in the 80s.
At that time Woodson was included in the group as a replacement for Dennis Edwards, who was the group lead vocalist in the 1970s. But, Woodson changed the Temptations fortune and helped the band notch the R&B hits “Treat Her Like a Lady,” which he wrote; “Sail Away”; and “Lady Soul.” “He had this swagger about himself. He was cool. He had a coolness about himself that was really very inviting,” remembered Wilson.
Stephen Holden described the singer in The New York Times as “a charismatic young pop-funk singer with a husky, agile voice that breaks into unexpected falsetto riffs.” Woodson was born Ollie Creggett on September 12, 1951 in Detroit, Michigan and sang with the Temptations from 1984 to 1986. He rejoined the group in 1988 and remained a part of the quintet until 1996. After that he started performing as a solo artist.
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