Bruce Williamson (singer)

Bruce Williamson Jr. (September 28, 1970 – September 6, 2020) was an American R&B and soul singer and a onetime lead singer for The Temptations.

Biography

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Bruce started singing in church at a young age. 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.

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 made a contact and friendship in Temptations vocalist Ron Tyson. In 2006, Williamson first learned from Tyson that he was a member of the group but said he was in denial of it until founding member Otis Williams called to tell him the news himself. 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 has 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.

He was replaced by former Tower of Power vocalist Larry Braggs.

Williamson died on September 6, 2020 in Las Vegas after battling COVID-19. At the time of his death, Williamson was working on a gospel project with a reloaded BlackBerry Jam band entitled Send the Rain.

External links

• Bruce Williamson's official MySpace page