Ricky Owens
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Ricky Owens (born Richard Edgar Owens in St. Louis, Missouri) (April 24, 1939 - December 6, 1996) was an American R&B and soul singer better known as the first tenor and lead singer of the doo-wop/R&B group The Vibrations and, briefly, as member of The Temptations, the first replacement of original Temptations founding member Eddie Kendricks.
After more than a decade with the Vibrations, Owens was enlisted to join the Temptations after Eddie Kendricks had a fall out with Temptations founders Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin. He joined the group in January of 1971 but failed to impress audience members by not singing on cue. He was then cut from the group and replaced by Damon Harris who became the group's official replacement of Kendricks.
Owens died in Los Angeles, California on December 6, 1996 at the age of 57.
