The Temptations Tickets

The Temptations
The Temptations (sometimes abbreviated as The Temps or The Tempts) is an American vocal group that has achieved fame for putting together one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's collection has included, during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.

Original Group Members
The original group included members of two local Detroit vocal groups: The Distants, which featured second tenor/baritone Otis Williams, first tenor Elbridge "Al" Bryant and bass Melvin Franklin; and first tenor/falsetto Eddie Kendricks and second tenor/baritone Paul Williams from The Primes.

Among the most notable future Temptations were lead singers David Ruffin and Dennis Edwards , Richard Street , Damon Harris, Ron Tyson, Ali-Ollie Woodson, Theo Peoples, and G.C. Cameron. Like its sister female group, the Supremes, the Temptations' lineup has changed frequently over the years.

History
Childhood friends Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Kel Osbourne, and Wiley Waller formed a doo-wop group called the Cavaliers in their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, in 1955. Reduced to a trio after Waller left the group in 1957, Kendricks, Williams, and Osbourne left Birmingham in order to break into the music business. After first moving to Cleveland, Ohio, they settled in Detroit. The Primes, as the doo-wop trio was now called, were well-known around Detroit for their meticulous performances.

The Distants
Otis Williams had moved from his native Texarkana, Texas to Detroit as a young boy, to live with his mother.By 1958, he was the leader of Otis Williams & the Siberians, a doo-wop group that included Williams, his friend Elbridge "Al" Bryant, James "Pee-Wee" Crawford, Vernard Plain, and Arthur Walton.

This quintet recorded the single "Pecos Kid" backed with "All of My Life" for a label run by local radio deejay Senator Bristol Bryant. The single never took off outside the local Detroit market, and the Siberians changed their name to The El Domingoes shortly afterward.

At this time, more changes took place. Montgomery, Alabama native Melvin Franklin replaced Arthur Walton as the bass singer and Franklin's cousin, Detroit-born Richard Street, replaced Vernard Plain as lead singer. The group soon signed with Northern Records, run by Johnnie Mae Matthews, who renamed the group The Distants.

The Distants recorded two singles for Northern, "Come On" (1959, featuring additional background vocals by the Andantes), and "Alright" (1960). Between these two releases, Albert "Mooch" Harrell replaced Pee-Wee Crawford. "Come On" was a local hit for the Distants, and the Warwick label picked the record up for national distribution.

After the release of "Alright", Matthews appointed Williams the group leader, and the group was renamed Otis Williams & the Distants. Though Otis Williams had a pleasant, but unremarkable, lead voice, he organized the group and so became the defacto leader, as he would later with the Temptations.

The Temptations in the 1990s
The album cover to the 1998 album Phoenix Rising. Pictured left to right: Terry Weeks, Barrington Henderson, Otis Williams, Ron Tyson, Harry McGilberry. From the 1990s on, the Temptations' lineup began to change more frequently than before.

Two years later, Melvin Franklin was forced to stop performing because of failing health. He died on February 23, 1995 at the age of 52, after suffering a brain seizure. Ray Davis, from Parliament-Funkadelic, came on as new bass singer, and the group recorded the pop standards album For Lovers Only, which contained two tracks led by Melvin Franklin.

Davis left shortly after completing the album, due to a lung cancer diagnosis.The group continued as a quartet for a short time, before recruiting bass Harry McGilberry, a former member of the Futures.

Musical Style
The Temptations' songs depended upon the individual members' interaction as a group; unlike many other R&B groups, each member of the Temptations was a lead singer of some capacity.

Although the group always had an appointed main lead singer who dominated most the lead vocals (from Paul Williams to David Ruffin, Dennis Edwards, and later singers such as Louis Price, Ali-Ollie Woodson, and Terry Weeks), that singer was never given more of a promotional push than the other members.

Co-lead songs, with two or more of the singers sharing the lead vocals, are common in the Temptations catalog, particularly among the psychedelic-era recordings of the late 1960s/early 1970s.

Legacy and Influence
The Temptations, with their tailored suits and detailed choreography, set the bar for male soul and R&B groups. Before the Temptations became popular, most black vocal groups were rough, high-energy acts with rawer vocals and more improvisational dance movements.

A generation has literally lived on the wonderful choreography and catchy melodies of The Temptations. The Motown veterans have popularized soul, funk, Rhythm and Blues, and doo-wop immensely with their changing lineups for over half a century.

The Temptations vocal group evolved from The Elgins, formed after the merger of Detroit veterans the Distants (Otis Williams, Elbridge Bryant, and Melvin Franklin) and local newcomers the Primes (Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and Kell Osborne). The first five came together to make The Temptations in 1962 in Detroit, signing to Motown Records. Bryant was sacked after a fight following an uneventful start, giving rise to the "Classic Five" lineup when David Ruffin replaced him as lead singer. This coincided with their golden period, but Ruffin's arrogance saw him replaced by Dennis Edwards and soul replaced by psychedelic rock and later disco. Over the ensuing decades, personnel changes saw singers like Glenn Leonard and G.C. Cameron join. Otis Williams now remains the only original artist.

Six of The Temptations are Hall of Famers. Modern classics "My Girl", "I Can't Get Next to you", "Just My Imagination", and "Papa was a Rollin' Stone" comprise their four Billboard #1s (14 RandB Charts #1s). The Temptations have three Grammys.

Their seamless choreography stands out live. The Temptations have performed in many countries, and recorded albums of concerts at NYC's Copacabana and London's Talk of the Town.

Crowds clutching The Temptations tickets will be swaying along to their catalogue of hits in Salem and Prior Lake next.