Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone is a song performed by Motown recording act The Undisputed Truth. It was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1971, and released as a single in May 1972. Later in 1972, Whitfield took Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone and remade it as a 12-minute track for the Temptations.
The song was included on their 1972 album All Directions. The shorter 7″ single release of this Temptations version was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and won three Grammy Awards in 1973.
The Temptations- Papa Was A Rolling Stone (1972)