Ali-Ollie Woodson (born Ollie Creggett; September 12, 1951 – May 30, 2010) was an American R&B singer, musician, songwriter, keyboardist, drummer, and occasional actor best known for his twelve years with

the Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

alongside

Otis Williams Otis Williams (born Otis Miles Jr.; October 30, 1941) is an American baritone singer.Ribowsky, Mark (2010). ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Endearing Soul of the Temptations''. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 7–9 He is o ...

. He also worked with

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

Jean Carn Jean Carn, also spelled Jean Carne (born Sarah Jean Perkins; March 15, 1947) is an American jazz and pop singer. In mid career, she added a final ''e'' to her name. Carn is a vocalist credited with a five octave vocal range. Biography Carn was ...

, and

Bill Pinkney Willie “Bill” Pinkney (August 15, 1925 – July 4, 2007) was an American performer and singer. Pinkney was often said to be the last surviving original member of The Drifters, who achieved international fame with numerous hit records. He ...

Early life and career

Woodson was born September 12, 1951 in Detroit, Michigan, and was raised in Town Creek, Alabama. Woodson was best known as the lead singer of

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

act

from 1984 to 1986, and from 1988 to 1996. He had first recorded with the Temptations in 1983 on their ''Back to Basics'' album, when he was invited to perform lead vocals on the album track, "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", The Temptations- ''Back to Basics'' @Allmusic.com Retrieved August 28, 2010. filling in for

Dennis Edwards Dennis Edwards Jr. (February 3, 1943 – February 1, 2018) was an American soul and R&B singer who was best known as the frontman in The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a serie ...

Illness and death

According to his testimony at a televised religious service, Woodson was first diagnosed with throat cancer during one of his tenures with The Temptations. Woodson would again need to undergo surgery when the cancer returned two years later and another two years following that surgery. Retrieved May 31, 2010. In late 2008, Woodson was diagnosed with leukemia and hospitalized for several weeks. He died in Los Angeles, California on May 30, 2010, after having leukemia for nearly eighteen months.

References

External links

*
Ali Ollie Woodson interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' December 2001 (reprinted June 2010)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodson, Aliollie 1951 births 2010 deaths People from Town Creek, Alabama African-American male singers American male singer-songwriters American keyboardists American soul musicians Deaths from cancer in California Musicians from Detroit The Temptations members Deaths from leukemia Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Motown artists African-American songwriters Singer-songwriters from Michigan Singer-songwriters from Alabama