In April 1971, a friend convinced Harris to audition for The Temptations, at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Eddie Kendricks had left the group and was replaced with Ricky Owens from The Vibrations. According to Otis Williams, Owens was giving uneven performances, and The Temptations were again looking for a replacement. Harris first performed for Melvin Franklin, Richard Street, and Dennis Edwards before auditioning for Williams. Williams was hesitant about taking on the young singer, who was nearly a decade younger than the rest of The Temptations. Franklin, Street, and Edwards voted to accept Harris, however, and he made his onstage debut a few weeks later as first tenor/falsetto.
