Elbridge Bryant- What happened to Al Bryant of The Temptations?

Elbridge Bryant was an American tenor singer and one of the founding members of Motown singing group The Temptations. The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan known for their choreography, distinct harmonies, and dress style. The group released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s beginning with the Top 10 hit single “Cloud Nine” in October 1968, pioneered psychedelic soul, and was significant in the evolution of R&B and soul music. The group went on to sell tens of millions of albums. The group was first formed in 1960 under the name the Elgins.

Elbridge Bryant: Bio Summary

Who was Al Bryant?

Elbridge Bryant also known as Al Bryany or Bones was born on 28 Sep 1939 in Thomasville, Georgia. The singer later relocated to Detroit, where he met his best buddy, Otis Williams. Before founding The Elgins in 1960 with fellow Distants Melvin Franklin and Otis Williams, and The Primes’ Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams, Otis Williams and Elbridge Bryant were in several groups together, including Otis Williams & the Siberians, the El Domingoes, and The Distants. Before signing with Miracle Records, a subsidiary of Motown Records, the Elgins renamed themselves The Temptations.

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The label was discontinued after publishing two of the group’s recordings, and all subsequent releases were released under the Gordy Records label. Paul Williams and Kendricks shared most of the lead vocals on The Temptations’ studio recordings with this configuration. At the same time, Otis Williams, Franklin, and Elbridge Bryant were frequently called upon to sing background vocals, offer ad-libs, harmony vocals, and occasionally a few lead lines.

When The Temptations played live on stage, all five members of the group got an opportunity to sing lead, with Bryant, Kendricks, and Paul Williams handling the majority of it (the latter would serve as the Temptations’ main lead, both on stage and in the studio, for most of this period).

During live performances in 1963, Elbridge Bryant would also sing the lead on “May I Have This Dance” and was a co-lead on “I Want a Love I Can See”. The group also sang backing vocals for Mary Wells and Marvin Gaye, among other Motown artists.

The Temptations only had one hitting record during their first two years with Motown, “Dream Come True,” which reached #22 on the R&B charts; the single’s b-side, “Isn’t She Pretty,” featured all five members trading lead vocals. Despite its financial success, the single, like the group’s other six singles released during this period, failed to rank on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles charts in the United States (although most became huge regional hits).

Elbridge Bryant’s Alcoholism and Departure from The Temptations

Elbridge Bryant became dissatisfied with the group’s lack of national success because he had a normal day job as a milkman, which he preferred to continually perform and record with the group.

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By 1963, the singer who was nicknamed the “wild one” by his fellow group members became sometimes volatile and unpredictable to deal with and he also had a heavy drinking problem. According to doms2cents, the singer’s excessive drinking took a toll on his health as he developed liver cirrhosis, which causes symptoms like jaundice, bleeding, swelling, fatigue, and confusion. Al’s condition worsened over time, making him unable to perform at his best.

One mid-1963 backstage altercation between Bryant and Paul Williams resulted in the former smashing a beer bottle across the latter’s face and landed him in the hospital. Surprisingly, Paul forgave Al and asked the other group members to also do the same as he was determined to give Bryant another chance to become a better person. However, he threw the chance to the dogs as the group determined a few months later that he had done little to nothing to change and was still being uncooperative.

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After a second altercation onstage during Motown’s 1963 company Christmas party, Elbridge Bryant was fired from the group. In 1964, Bryant was replaced by David Ruffin, who was the lead vocalist on a number of the group’s biggest hits, including “My Girl” (1964), “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” (1966), and “I Wish It Would Rain” (1967).

What happened to Al Bryant?

Elbridge Bryant joined several other Detroit singing groups after being fired from the Temptations, including The Premiers. Al also tried to pursue a solo career but did not achieve much success. The singer also sued Motown for unpaid royalties but lost the case.

All these took a toll on the singer worsening his health condition. Al Bryant of The Temptations died of liver cirrhosis on October 26, 1975, in Florida according to his Find A Grave profile.