Deliver Us from Temptation [Hardcover]

Tony Turner (Author), Barbara Aria (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1992

An inside look at the lives and careers of the Temptations and other Motown artists traces the band members lives, from their roots in the deep South to their first big success to worldwide fame. 25,000 first printing. National ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Turner and Aria continue the account of Motown that began in their 1990 collaboration about the Supremes, All That Glittered , with an uneven and occasionally bitchy tell-all on the Temptations. Turner, a one-time road manager for the original group, focuses on two members in particular: David Ruffin, who died under mysterious circumstances in June 1991, and Eddie Kendrick, who died of lung cancer as this book was being prepared for publication. The Temptations' story as related by Turner is as tawdry as it is familiar: young, talented individuals become superstars over night, can't handle the fame and are sucked down into a world of excess that ruins their talent. The Temptations--who eventually split into two groups each claiming the name and competing bitterly for performance dates--spent years trying to recapture their past glory. According to Turner, Motown founder Berry Gordy is to blame for much of the Temptations' difficulties as well as those of other groups because of his capriciousness in making or breaking star talent. Photos not seen by PW
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 254 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Pr; 1st edition (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560250348
• ISBN-13: 978-1560250340
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,297,872 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast-Paced and Fun-Filled!, April 28, 2002

By 

Miss DTP "upper_echelon" (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deliver Us from Temptation (Hardcover)

I am a die-hard fan of entertainment bio's---especially those of Motown stars. I've read books about Martha Reeves, Gladys Knight, Mary Wilson, Michael Jackson, Two About Marvin, and four about the diva herself, Diana. In 'All That Glittered', Tony spun an interesting tale about the Supremes, told through the eyes of Florence. Having read this book after Mary's two books, I was amazed at how similar and how much more info Tony gave. Tony's way of writing makes you feel that you are in the middle of a gossip fest! It's fast, fluid, funny and very entertaining---which is why I decided to read his second book about The Temptations.

So I decided to find out what all the hoopla was about. It took me a long time to find one at the price I could afford but once it arrived in the mail, I immediately got to work on it. This book is as fast paced and fun-filled as his first on The Supremes. My goodness, I could not put it down'242 pgs of dish! Unlike Otis William's bio focused on Melvin and him, this one tells the story of the 3 legendary LEAD singers Eddie, Dennis and David.

The focus mainly talks about David's drug use and the death of this highly talented and misunderstood star. Tony, who was David's godchild, traveled with him on his cocaine filled tours. Tony was the jack-of-all-trades for David. He got his up in the morning, bathed, fed, clothed and housed him until his tragic death.

Tony also discusses his foe and one time employer Mary Wilson. Tony talks about driving down to a seedy part of town to buy C-sharp (cocaine) with Mary. She apparently starts screaming at the drug dealer about the price! She goes into a version of 'Stop in the Name of Love!' to prove that she IS Mary Wilson. WOW! The book also talks about David's curse filled outbursts at Martha Reeves and anyone else in David's path (funny.) The treatment of Motown of its stars is also touched on. After the hits stopped coming, Motown seemed to forget about the 'kids' who made the company. Motown may have had an artistic development program to teach dance steps and interview techniques but what about the after life of stars like David? Even the diva Diana Ross says that after the Supremes broke up she only had a $100,000 to her name--even though they rivaled the Beatles in sales!

'Deliver us from Temptation' made me weep at the end. After generating millions of dollars for Motown, David died alone apparently in a crack house. His funeral was a mess, held in the same church that Florence Ballard of the Supremes spent her last day above ground. Berry Gordy did not show up at either ceremony--how's that for gratitude! If you can find this out of print book anywhere and are a major Tempts fan--give it a read. You will learn so much about the Tempt that Motown tried to bury long before his was dead.

Is everything in this novel true? Who really knows, but it is a fast-paced fun-filled read.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Got some questions for Mr. Turner!!, June 15, 2003

By 

LoVe2ReAd (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deliver Us from Temptation (Hardcover)

I have read this book one time, but I'm reading it again to see if I missed something. I'm not really sure how to take this book. I will say this though, it's a quick read. I know as with all books about other people, you can't really believe everything, but somethings I HAVE to mention and question.

1)If he was 12 when he started travelling w/Motown, why would his mother let him travel with all these grown folk? I'm confused by this. From what I've read, it's not like he had any type of family connection to any of them or anything. And he was definitely not in the same boat as Stevie. I don't think I would have let my kid travel w/these adults (who were still very young themselves) and really trust them to watch out for him. Nope.

2)I'm not understanding why his choice of lifestyle has to color the pages of the book. I wonder if it is really necessary. As far as I can see, it doesn't add to the book. IMO. And some of the suggestions he's making do not sit well with me. I just have to ask why.

3)I haven't read anywhere HOW he ended up managing Mary first, and then ending up w/the guys. In Mary's books, she only mentions him once, total. Unless I skipped over, but I'm positive I didn't. And what she said about him wasn't even significant or anything. And the same w/the guys. I haven't read where he said how he ended up managing them or whatever it was he did.

4)And finally, for now anyways, for all the traveling that he did with the guys, there aren't any pictures in the book w/him and the guys. There is one w/him and Den, but not w/Eddie and David. And a lot of the pics of the guys are someone else's pictures. I'm curious about this.

5)In the book, he mentions about when David was replaced. He says that the Tempts were sneaking Dennis in and he gives the impression that David didn't even know Dennis. But if you let Dennis tell it, see the Street Gold tape, David and Dennis talked about it before he got the call. So, I can't help but wonder how close to certain situations Turner really was. Of course he wasn't privy to this particular incident, but this is completely different from what Dennis said.

A lot of his book reads as gossip, and truthfully, there are only so many times I could hear him call himself "Diva" and other such names, and hear others call him "Baby and the b-word" before I quit taking him seriously. It was definitely a bit much.

Also, unlike Martha Reeves or Mary Wilson, I am not understanding why he feels the need to grind an ax. He wasn't burned or anything by Motown, so most of what he says about others (i.e. Diana Ross) is from hearsay or what he's been told. I mean, really, Mary can attest to Diana's actions because it happened to her! Not this guy!

I don't feel like he honored the memories of the great Eddie Kendrick (my favorite), David Ruffin, or even the still living Dennis Edwards. In the preface, he mentions how they told him to keep the family secrets secrets.( it's in there). So I'm inclined to believe that this was more for personal gain than anything else.

I've read better books, and the main thing that this one has going for it is that it's a quick read. Pick it up from your local library, and DON'T U DARE pay ... for a used one!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pure Garbage, December 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Deliver Us from Temptation (Hardcover)

Tony Turner's two books contradict each other, they stretch true stories already told multiple time, and get fictionalized, sensationalized, and Turnerized. In other words, they are garbage.

The only people who he writes "dirt" about are dead and unavailable to defend themselves. The rest of the time he trashes Mary Wilson. Why? Because he's a disgruntled former employee who was fired by Mary years ago. It's not worth your time, or your money.

By the way, Tony was sued over this book by the big man at Motown himself. Tony lost. That's why this book is out of print and will probably never come back. But if you're looking for a good read, this is NOT it. Don't waste your time. If you think its a collectible, its not, you can have my copy for free, I don't want it.

Bottom line: Read the autobiographies of Otis Williams, Mary Wilson, Berry Gordy and the many other reat Motown books out there. This one isn't worth five cents.