| RUFFIN | David, a lead singer of The Temptations, born in 1941 (6) |
| MOTOWN | Record label of the Temptations, Supremes, et al. |
| MELVIN | Franklin of The Temptations |
| JEWISH | TJFF = Toronto ___ Film Festival (Annual cinematic celebration for which the winner of the 2025 David A. Stein Memorial Award is "All I Had Was Nothingness" directed by Guillaume Ribot) |
| DULUTH | Port in Minnesota where Bob Dylan was born in 1941 (6) |
| OXFORD | City in which Miriam Margolyes was born in 1941 (6) |
| ALIBABA | Tom, a lead singer from Milton Abbas, is taking three months off towards the end of the year to prepare for a role in a pantomime (3,4) |
| ROLLIN | "Papa Was a ___' Stone" by The Temptations |
| MYGIRL | Song by The Temptations released in 1964 (2,4) |
| PRESLEY | Reg, professional name of lead singer of The Troggs born in 1941 (7) |
| OTIS | Baritone Williams who was a founding member of the Temptations |
| AINT | "___ Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations" |
| LAWYER | 'One who protects us against robbers by taking away the temptation': H.L. Mencken |
| MOLE | "The Bureau and the ___" (2002 Times best seller by David A. Vise) |
| ABSALOM | Son of David, a born dancer but lacking energy (7) |
| IRFANNALI | President of Guyana who succeeded David A. Granger on 2 August 2020 (6,3) |
| MARAT | The Death of ___, painting by Jacques-Louis David; a tram (anag.) (5) |
| HEAVYMETAL | Artistic genre with a lead singer? (5,5) |
| ASSIGNED | Given work from a lead singer, autographed (8) |
| ESS | Curvy letter it came to being a lead singer, Diana |
