Walter Gregory "Joe" Herndon (born January 5, 1949) is an American R&B and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

singer, former bass singer of a version of doo-wop group

The Spaniels The Spaniels were an American R&B and doo-wop group, best known for the hit "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite". They have been called the first successful Midwestern R&B group. Some historians of vocal groups consider Pookie Hudson to be the first ...

and former

bass singer A bass is a type of classical male singing voice and has the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', a bass is typically classified as having a vocal range extending from around the second E b ...

for

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 ...

(2003–15).

Biography

Herndon was born in Washington, D.C. and began his career joining the D.C.-based version of

in the 1970s. He would remain singing with this version of the group until the late-1990s when he joined forces with former

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 1 ...

singer Glenn Leonard to form the splinter group ''The Temptations Experience''. Upon the dismissal of Temptations bass singer

Harry McGilberry Harry McGilberry (January 19, 1950 – April 3, 2006) was an American R&B and soul singer and latter-day bass singer for The Temptations between 1995 and 2003. Born Harry McGilberry Jr. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, McGilberry was a memb ...

in late 2003, Herndon was asked to replace McGilberry as a featured member of the legendary

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 ...

quintet by Otis Williams. Herndon left his job as Amtrak Conductor and made his official Temptations debut on their last

album, 2004's ''

Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

''. He remained a member of the group alongside Otis Williams, Bruce Williamson,

Ron Tyson 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 1 ...

and

Terry Weeks Terry Wayne Weeks (born December 23, 1963) is an American R&B and soul singer who is currently one of the lead singers of the legendary Motown quintet The Temptations.http://www.thetemptations.com/ Temptations Official Website Early life Weeks ...

until his departure in 2015 and he was replaced by Willie Green.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herndon, Joe 1949 births Living people The Temptations members Singers from Washington, D.C. American soul singers African-American male singers American basses American male dancers American male singers Dancers from Washington, D.C.