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{{Short description|American singer-songwriter and country folk musician (1970–2020)}}
{{Unreferenced|date=June 2008}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Expand-section|Basic biographical data (birth date and place, education)|date=June 2008}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2020}}
<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:Temptations2007.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The Temptations in 2007. From left to right, [[Joe Herndon]], [[Ron Tyson]], [[Terry Weeks]], [[Otis Williams]], Bruce Williamson.]] -->
{{Infobox musical artist
“Big” Bruce Williamson is the current lead singer of [[The Temptations]].
| name = Bruce Williamson
| image =
| caption = Bruce Williamson
| birth_name = Bruce Alan Williamson Jr.
| birth_date = {{Birth date|mf=yes|1970|09|29}}
| birth_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|2020|09|06|1970|09|29}}
| death_place = {{nowrap|[[Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]], U.S.}}
| origin =
| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals}}
| genre =
| occupation = Singer
| years_active =
| label =
| associated_acts = [[Temptations]]
| website =
}}
'''Bruce Alan Williamson Jr.''' (September 29, 1970 – September 6, 2020) was an American [[R&B]] and [[Soul music|soul]] singer and a one-time lead singer for [[The Temptations]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mississauga.com/what's%20on/article/159691--temptations-offer-a-rare-treat|title=Temptations offer a rare treat|date=October 31, 2009|publisher=Mississauga.com|access-date=May 21, 2010|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231108/http://www.mississauga.com/what's%20on/article/159691--temptations-offer-a-rare-treat|url-status=dead}}</ref>


== Career ==
Bruce’s love for music started as a young boy out of jealousy for his cousin. She did so much for their church’s choir to the point where Bruce got fed up and wanted in on some of the action. When he asked his choir director if he could sing, he did didn’t think Bruce had what he needed to sing lead. So Bruce learned the theme song to one of his favorite children’s television shows,
Williamson had shown interest in joining the legendary [[The Temptations|Temptations]] music group since 1994. In an effort to help sign a fellow Vegas group to a label, Williamson's manager Dave Wallace introduced Williamson to long-time Temptations vocalist [[Ron Tyson]]. After listening to Williamson sing, Tyson mentored him and tried to have Williamson become a member of the Temptations for over a decade. Williamson later explained, "[[Otis Williams]] was initially against me joining the group, because he thought I was too big and too young," but Williams eventually relented allowing him to enter the group.<ref name="LasVegasBlackImage">{{cite web |last=Bailey-Tureaud |first=Kimberly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907222403/http://lasvegasblackimage.com/2013/02/bruce-williamson-with-the-temptations-las-vegas-entertainer-finds-a-home-in-music-history/?_ga=2.167194683.403846620.1599515364-2129401971.1598585044 |url=http://lasvegasblackimage.com/2013/02/bruce-williamson-with-the-temptations-las-vegas-entertainer-finds-a-home-in-music-history/?_ga=2.167194683.403846620.1599515364-2129401971.1598585044 |title=Bruce Williamson: With the Temptations, Las Vegas entertainer finds a home in music history |work=Las Vegas Black Image |url-status=live |archive-date=September 7, 2020 |date=February 1, 2013 |access-date=September 7, 2020}}</ref>
"[[The Wonder Bug]]”, and sang it for his choir director. Surprisingly, the choir director fell in love with Bruce’s voice and decided to let him lead in the choir for the next coming Sunday service. Recently, Bruce has been signing lead for the Temptations. But when he first heard the news that he was in the group, he didn’t believe it. When the first tenor of the Temptations, [[Ron Tyson]] (who happens to be Bruce’s Godfather), called him and told him that [[Otis Williams]], founder of the Temptations, wanted Bruce in the group, he didn’t buy it and hung up. This happened two more times. On the last call made by Tyson, he asked Bruce, “Would you feel better if Otis called you himself?” Bruce replied, “That’s your best bet”, and hung up again. Later on, another call found its way to Bruce’s cell phone. He answered it. It was Otis Williams. The majority of the Temptations’ fans learned that Bruce had joined the group when former member, [[G.C. Cameron]], announced it on the radio with New York DJ, Maurice Watts. During the interview, Cameron said that he was leaving the group to continue his solo career and Bruce was going to take his place. Since June of 2007, Bruce has appeared on an album (“Back to Front” which released in October of 2007), a movie, radio shows, and countless television shows. He is quoted saying, “I’ve done more in the first 6 months of being a Temptation than many artists have done in a lifetime.” Bruce is working on a contemporary gospel album entitled “Freedom.” You can listen to some of the tracks from “Freedom” by going to Bruce’s MySpace page.

Many of the Temptations' fans learned of Williamson's entry after former member [[G.C. Cameron]] told a [[New York City]] radio station that he was leaving the group to continue his solo career. Williamson has been quoted as saying that he had done "more in six months of being a Temptation than many artists have done in a lifetime." Williamson appeared on the group's recent albums, ''[[Back to Front (The Temptations album)|Back to Front]]'' and ''[[The Temptations discography|Still Here]]'', and participated in many public events with the Temptations, including countless concerts, TV appearances, and a cameo in ''[[Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story]]''.

Williamson left the Temptations in 2015, citing weight problems and wanting to record a [[gospel music|gospel]] album. He was replaced by former [[Tower of Power]] vocalist Larry Braggs.<ref>{{cite web|last=Haffenden|first=George|title=New Line-Up Of The Temptations Revealed|url=http://thefunkandsoulrevue.com/new-line-up-of-the-temptations-revealed/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129164225/http://thefunkandsoulrevue.com/new-line-up-of-the-temptations-revealed/|url-status=live|website=The Funk and Soul Revue|date=January 11, 2016 |archive-date=January 29, 2016|access-date=September 7, 2020}}</ref>

== Personal life and death ==
Born and raised in [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]], on September 29, 1970,<ref name="NYT">{{cite web|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/15/obituaries/bruce-williamson-dead-coronavirus.html|title = Bruce Williamson Jr., a Latter-Day Temptation, Dies at 49|last = Steven|first = Kurutz|date = September 15, 2020|access-date = September 16, 2020|work = [[The New York Times]]|archive-url = https://archive.today/20200916065507/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/15/obituaries/bruce-williamson-dead-coronavirus.html|archive-date = September 16, 2020|url-status = live}}</ref> Bruce started singing in church at a young age.<ref name="LasVegasBlackImage" /> Williamson's love for music began after experiencing jealousy over his cousin's frequent choir leads. Having sung gospel music for most of his life, he also began singing R&B music in local clubs. Williamson later took his talent to the famous [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] Strip, fronting the popular cover, funk band, BlackBerry Jam.

In August 2020, Williamson was diagnosed with [[COVID-19]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada]] after having recovered from [[gall bladder]] surgery. He died from complications of COVID-19 in [[Las Vegas]] on September 6, 2020, at age 49. At the time of his death, Williamson was working on R&B and gospel albums, one of which was with a reloaded BlackBerry Jam band entitled ''Send the Rain''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wallis |first=Kim |title=Bruce Williamson, former lead singer of The Temptations, dies at 49 from COVID-19 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2020/09/07/bruce-williamson-temptations-former-lead-singer-dies-covid/5740039002/ |work=[[USA Today]] |date=September 7, 2020 |access-date=September 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sblendorio |first=Peter |title=The Temptations singer Bruce Williamson dead at 49 after coronavirus battle |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-bruce-williamson-temptations-singer-dead-20200907-pfxu657xkrhtfobsost36dcbca-story.html |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=September 7, 2020 |access-date=September 7, 2020}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=1772151}}
⚫
*[http://www.myspace.com/bigbrucemog Bruce WIlliamson's official myspace page]
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0001971987}}
* {{Discogs artist|Bruce Williamson Jr.}}
⚫
*[http://www.myspace.com/bigbrucemog Bruce Williamson's official MySpace page]


{{The Temptations}}
{{The Temptations}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Bruce}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Bruce}}
[[Category:African American singers]]
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:American gospel singers]]
[[Category:American rhythm and blues singers]]
[[Category:The Temptations members]]
[[Category:The Temptations members]]
[[Category:Singers from Los Angeles]]
was born april 7th 1946 in pheonix arizona
[[Category:Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male singers]]

Latest revision as of 16:33, 1 July 2024

Bruce Williamson
Birth nameBruce Alan Williamson Jr.
Born(1970-09-29)September 29, 1970
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedSeptember 6, 2020(2020-09-06) (aged 49)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
OccupationSinger
Instrument
  • Vocals

Bruce Alan Williamson Jr. (September 29, 1970 – September 6, 2020) was an American R&B and soul singer and a one-time lead singer for The Temptations.[1]

Career

[edit]

Williamson had shown interest in joining the legendary Temptations music group since 1994. In an effort to help sign a fellow Vegas group to a label, Williamson's manager Dave Wallace introduced Williamson to long-time Temptations vocalist Ron Tyson. After listening to Williamson sing, Tyson mentored him and tried to have Williamson become a member of the Temptations for over a decade. Williamson later explained, "Otis Williams was initially against me joining the group, because he thought I was too big and too young," but Williams eventually relented allowing him to enter the group.[2]

Many of the Temptations' fans learned of Williamson's entry after former member G.C. Cameron told a New York City radio station that he was leaving the group to continue his solo career. Williamson has been quoted as saying that he had done "more in six months of being a Temptation than many artists have done in a lifetime." Williamson appeared on the group's recent albums, Back to Front and Still Here, and participated in many public events with the Temptations, including countless concerts, TV appearances, and a cameo in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

Williamson left the Temptations in 2015, citing weight problems and wanting to record a gospel album. He was replaced by former Tower of Power vocalist Larry Braggs.[3]

Personal life and death

[edit]

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, on September 29, 1970,[4] Bruce started singing in church at a young age.[2] Williamson's love for music began after experiencing jealousy over his cousin's frequent choir leads. Having sung gospel music for most of his life, he also began singing R&B music in local clubs. Williamson later took his talent to the famous Las Vegas Strip, fronting the popular cover, funk band, BlackBerry Jam.

In August 2020, Williamson was diagnosed with COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada after having recovered from gall bladder surgery. He died from complications of COVID-19 in Las Vegas on September 6, 2020, at age 49. At the time of his death, Williamson was working on R&B and gospel albums, one of which was with a reloaded BlackBerry Jam band entitled Send the Rain.[5][6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Temptations offer a rare treat". Mississauga.com. October 31, 2009. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Bailey-Tureaud, Kimberly (February 1, 2013). "Bruce Williamson: With the Temptations, Las Vegas entertainer finds a home in music history". Las Vegas Black Image. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  3. ^ Haffenden, George (January 11, 2016). "New Line-Up Of The Temptations Revealed". The Funk and Soul Revue. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  4. ^ Steven, Kurutz (September 15, 2020). "Bruce Williamson Jr., a Latter-Day Temptation, Dies at 49". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  5. ^ Wallis, Kim (September 7, 2020). "Bruce Williamson, former lead singer of The Temptations, dies at 49 from COVID-19". USA Today. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  6. ^ Sblendorio, Peter (September 7, 2020). "The Temptations singer Bruce Williamson dead at 49 after coronavirus battle". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
[edit]
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