Harry McGilberry
Encyclopedia
Harry McGilberry 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 member of the R&B group The Futures and later the Temptations, replacing ailing bassist and former P-Funk
member Ray Davis
to join the quintet in 1995 and recorded the albums Phoenix Rising
, Ear-Resistible
and Awesome with them.
McGilberry was fired from the group in 2003 by Temptations leader Otis Williams
for a reported drug habit (he was replaced by Joe Herndon of The Spaniels
). He later joined a Temptations splinter group, 'The Temptations Experience', replacing the then recently departed Ray Davis.
McGilberry died of an apparent drug overdose on April 3, 2006 at the age of 56. He was known by family members and friends as "Boom-Boom".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer and latter-day bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
singer for The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
between 1995 and 2003.
Born Harry McGilberry, Jr. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, McGilberry was a member of the R&B group The Futures and later the Temptations, replacing ailing bassist and former P-Funk
P-Funk
P-Funk is a shorthand term for the repertoire and performers associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and the distinctive style of funk music they performed...
member Ray Davis
Ray Davis (musician)
Raymond "Ray" Davis was the original bass singer and one of the founding members of The Parliaments, Parliament, and Funkadelic. His regular nickname while he was with those groups was "Sting Ray Davis". Aside from George Clinton, he was the only original member of the Parliaments not to leave the...
to join the quintet in 1995 and recorded the albums Phoenix Rising
Phoenix Rising (Temptations album)
Phoenix Rising is a 1998 album by The Temptations for the Motown label, featuring the debut of new Temptations Barrington "Bo" Henderson, Terry Weeks, and Harry McGilberry. The album, the Temptation's first million-selling album in twenty years, features the hit single "Stay", which samples the...
, Ear-Resistible
Ear-Resistible
Ear-Resistible is a 2000 album by The Temptations for the Motown label. Featuring the single "Selfish Reasons", the album won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.-Track listing:#"I'll Just Go Crazy - Intro" – 0:33...
and Awesome with them.
McGilberry was fired from the group in 2003 by Temptations leader Otis Williams
Otis Williams
Otis Williams is an American baritone singer. Nicknamed "Big Daddy", he has also acted as a sporadic songwriter and record producer. Williams co-founded the Motown vocal group The Temptations in early 1960 as The Elgins, a group in which he continues to perform...
for a reported drug habit (he was replaced by Joe Herndon of The Spaniels
The Spaniels
The Spaniels were an American R&B doo-wop group, best known for the hit "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite".They have been called the first successful Midwestern R&B group...
). He later joined a Temptations splinter group, 'The Temptations Experience', replacing the then recently departed Ray Davis.
McGilberry died of an apparent drug overdose on April 3, 2006 at the age of 56. He was known by family members and friends as "Boom-Boom".