Background
Ruffin himself did not sing on "How Can I Forget" because, by late June, he was no longer part of the Temptations. The group had already been dealing with Ruffin's ego clashes and his desire for special treatment for at least two years, and warded off his desire to have the name of the group changed to "David Ruffin & the Temptations" (in response to The Supremes being renamed "Diana Ross & the Supremes"). After Ruffin failed to show up for a series of engagements in Cleveland, Ohio that month (instead going to visit his then-girlfriend Gail Martin, daughter of Dean Martin, and see her open her own musical show), Otis Williams and the other Temptations decided Ruffin had gone too far and fired him.
Dennis Edwards was brought in as Ruffin's replacement, amidst cries of "Where's David?" from the crowds at live shows, and Ruffin's attempts to jump onstage and steal the microphone from Edwards during the shows. Edwards was officially introduced as the Temptations' new lead singer on July 9, 1968 at a live show in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and the group enlisted extra security to prevent Ruffin from attending and disrupting their shows,
Edwards would make his on-record debut with the next Temptations album, Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations. Starting with the group's next solo studio album, also titled Cloud Nine, producer Norman Whitfield began edging the group towards a Sly & the Family Stone-eque (dubbed "psychedelic soul", using Edwards' gruffer voice as the centerpiece for several psychedelic-based hit singles and albums.
Read more about this topic: The Temptations Wish It Would Rain
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