Papa Was a Rolling Stone

The eight members of The Undisputed Truth (vocals by Joe Harris, Billie Rae Calvin, and Brenda Joyce) were first to record "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (Norman Whitfield - Barrett Strong) in 1971. The next year they peaked with this Norman Whitfield production in the top seventy on the pop chart, top thirty R&B. The song is on their self-titled album.

In 1972, Mr. Whitfield remade it as a twelve-minute epic for another Motown group, The Temptations (Otis Williams, Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin, Richard Street and Damon Harris). It was number one on Billboard and won three Grammy Awards in 1973. This version of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by The Temptations was edited to seven minutes. Find the unedited version on their album "All Directions".