THE TEMPTATIONS HISTORY THE TEMPTING TEMPTATIONS. THEY SET THE STANDARD FOR MOTOWN MUSIC 1965. Like they did 47 years ago the Temptations motto TEMPTATIONS FOREVER is still as relavent today as it was then 47 years ago. For 47 years the Temptations have been an icon of American popular culture, a musical institution and international trade-mark . The classic lineup-- Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin -- set the standard for romantic soul singing . They each were tall and handsome. "Did you get them from Central Casting?" longtime manager Shelly Berger teased Motown founder Barry Gordy upon meeting the Temps for the first time. The Temps, are the ultimate Motown act, keepers of the ultimate Motown song, " My Girl," whose hills-and valleys career has paralleled the changing fortunes of Motown itself. In the early 60’s, the Temptations grew as Motown grew, molding doo-wop with the house band’s blues and the pop/R&B inventions of Gordy’s stable of producers. With Paul Williams as their first lead singer , the Temps were earthy and compelling showmen, but there was no lightning until William Smokey Robinson took over as the group’s chief writer/producer in the mid-sixties. Building on their five matched voices, Smokey made a marriage of art and commerce. Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin transformed Smokey’s rhymes into emotional drama: no one could beg like David; no one could make the girls melt like Eddie . (And no one could get so low and so lovingly as Melvin Franklin.) The Motown staff gave these songs subtly layered arrangements that stretched their teen appeal. On top of it all, the Temp’s sharp outfits and smooth demeanor epitomized high-class soul. They personalized every song they sang. "My Girl" was a message from Smokey to (his- wife) Claudette," David Ruffin told writer Sue Cassidy Clark , and he put that feeling into every word. In "Since I Lost My Baby," Ruffin enunciates the song’s pain wistfully ; he sees beauty surrounding the gloom. He promises to change as the other Temps accent his hope. When the singer pledges to find his lover, Motown’s Funk Brothers band hammers home his determination with 15 solid rhythmic hits. But as the story comes to a melancholy conclusion. Ruffin is left to wonder, "what’s going to happen to me?" The hits became more driving, though no less poetic or personal, when Gordy protege Norman Whitfield took over production in 1966. "Ain’t To Proud To Beg" was followed by "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" which went to # 3 and "I know I'm Losing You" which hit # 8 were a literal statement of Ruffin’s song character. You’re My everything ," custom-built for Eddie Kendricks, was the first of a tragic romantic trilogy from the late writer Roger Penzabene. The second was "I Wish It Would Rain," the emotional flip side of their biggest hit (‘My girl has found another/And gone away’’, a portrait of a man drenched with despair. Penzabene then wrote for the Temps "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)," and soon after took his own words to heat by committing suicide. Tension was building between the lines of these songs. Paul Williams was losing himself in alcohol, Ruffin sometimes in something worse. David was dismissed in the summer of 1968, leaving him with the solo career he abandoned to first join the Temptations. Dennis Edwards, an old friend from the Contours, stepped in to replace Ruffin. He was a gospel singer like Ruffin , only with a rougher edge. Direct and powerful, he was more a man’s man than the woman’s man the individual Tempts portrayed in the mid-sixties. With Whitfield producing and composing, the Temps material embraced a broader range of topics and more contemporary sound. "Cloud Nine’’ and "Ball of Confusion’’ were angry songs, inspired by Sly Stone’s psychedelic soul innovations. Yet the era’s biggest success was with love songs: the intensely soulful "I Can’t Get Next You" and the beautifully dreamy Eddie Kendricks vehicle, "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)." In 1971 Paul Williams, was afflicted with a liver disorder and was hospitalized and was able to return just to do "Just My Imagination" Williams always said he'd never miss a smash. When it came time to do 'Just My Imagination' on tour Williams was too ill to make the trip and was replaced by Richard Street. The leaving of Paul Williams lead to Eddie's decision to leave so "Just My Imagination" was Kendricks’ last to-do with the Temptations in May of 1971. He went solo like Ruffin, with somewhat more success. Damon Harris was his successor. Richard Street had already replaced Paul Williams because of his illness caused by drinking. In 1972 the Temptations hit # 1 again with "Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone," a taut Whitfield funk epic that hit close to home, as Edwards remembered that his father, too died on the third of September. "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" a song which earned them another Grammy. On August 17, 1973 the Temptations faced the great loss of Paul Williams. Williams committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Williams also tried a solo career, but his one single, "Feel Like Giving Up," was too literal to bear . Held together by founder Otis Williams’ resolve, the Temps rolled on. The super-funky "Shakey-Ground" turned out to be Dennis Edwards' last great Temptations hit, although he would be their lead singer untill 1983 ( and return briefly in 1987). The group fell on hard times and left Motown in 1977, then came back home with some new voices for the 80's: the underrated Ali-Ollie Woodson, taking the lead, and the sweetly expressive Ron Tyson in the Kendricks role. Woodson co-wrote "Treat Her Like a Lady," the kind of lovely mid-tempo ballad that served the Temptations well thoughout the decade. In 1989 Six Temptations were inducted into the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame on January 18, 1989 cause you have to remember Paul Williams. Richard Street departed from the Temptations in 1993 Theo Peoples came into Streets part. Street felt he had put in all he could. The love was gone. In the 90's, the Temps family tree was devastated by the deaths of David Ruffin (June 1, 1991-age 50), Eddie Kendricks ( October 5, 1992 - age 52) and Maurice King, their first vocal coach, all within a couple weeks of each other. On February 25, 1995, Melvin Franklin passed away. He was eventually replaced by Ray Davis for 1 year then came Harry McGilberry,Jr. In 1998 Peoples left and with the the death of Four Top Laurence Payton Theo Peoples is now a Top. The Temps perserve. "Error of Our Ways," . cut before Melvin's death, is a "Ball of Confusion" for a new decade. Theo Peoples, replacing Richard Street and The album "For Lovers Only"Melvin is only on 1 song on this album before he died. "Life Is But A Dream" The Temptations can never be replaced. Though their legacy is etched with bittersweetness, there is salvation in these songs. Otis Miles Williams is the only living survivor of the original Temptations. You could say that Dennis Edwards is the last surviving former lead singer of the Temptations still living. "Tall, Tan, Talented & Totally Terrific." That's how the Temptations were introduced. And that's what they always will be. "There was just something with that original set of voices, it was almost angelic in a way," said Cornelius Grant, the guitarist who directed the Temps' band at their Sixties peak. "I'm telling you, people got redeemed, I mean they got religion listening to those guys sing. It was such a spiritual thing." The mold was cast in the mid-1960's: David (Davis) Ruffin, the raspy, poignant preacher, the mercurial "X" factor. Eddie Kendricks, the greatest falsetto, the sweetest smile, responsible for dress and style. Paul Williams, a baritone with a taste for the blues, their choreographer, their soul. Melvin (David English) Franklin, the lovble spokesman, the deepest bass in Creation. Otis Williams first brought them all together, the tenor voice in the middle, the key to their sound. Others have ably filled those roles, carving new traditions through the years: Dennis Edwards, Ali-Ollie Woodson, Richard Street, Damon Harris, Glenn Leonard, Louis Price, Ron Tyson, rookie Theo Peoples. The Temptations was a group Berry Gordy believed in. For some at 2648 West Grand Boulevard, that was enough. But the Temps became much more. They were Southern men: Otis from Texarkana, Texas; Melvin from Montgomery, Alabama; Paul and Eddie, best friends from Birmingham; David Ruffin from Whynot, Mississippi. But Detroit was their home. The Motor City in the Fifties was a hotbed of visiting gospel shows and doo-wop on the radio. "The Dixie Hummingbirds, the Harmonizing Four, the Flamingos, the Moonglows, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Vibrations," said Otis, pausing to hum a few bars from each. "Everyone wanted to be in a group like that." And so Otis had his Distants- Elbridge Bryant, Melvin Franklin, Richard Street and James "Pee Wee" Crawford. Their former manager directed the Primes, featuring Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. Berry Gordy, known for writing Jackie Wilson's hits, was on the move with a few acts, including Smokey Robinson's (Got A Job") miracles. Competition was fierce. As host of the local record hops, St. Stephens Community Center was the nerve center for lip-synch battles. "You might say the Temptations were born in St. Stephens' bathroom,' said Otis, "Man, Otis, I really like your group, and if you should become unhappy where you are, come see me 'cause I'm starting my own company." Crawford and Street quit the Distants. The Primes, meanwhile, had split up when there were no recordings. (Their sister group, The Primettes- including Diane Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson- would have more luck.) Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams paid a visit to Otis's home at North LaSalle Gardens. "They huffed and puffed the three or four miles to get there, Paul with his guitar under one arm," said Otis. "I will never forget- we rehearsed 'A Hundred Pounds of Clay.' Pretty soon we were ready for Berry Gordy." Gordy was ready with a fledgling Motown, and gave the new group- christened the Temptations the day of their signing-opportunity to find their way. For three years nearly every producer in the Motown family took a swing, with little commercial success. The Temps stayed busy, rehearsing at Melvin's Momma Rose's house, pitching in at Motown, singing background for Stevie Wonder, Liz Lands, Marvin Gaye, The Miracles and Mary Wells. Smokey Robinson hit the first home run with "The Way You Do The Things You Do." Former solo hopeful David Ruffin replaced Elbridge Bryant, and then suddenly the Temptations were stars, scoring Motown's first hit of the all - important year 1964. The five prayed together each night, their brotherhood empowered by success."We'll always be together," they vowed, as they gave eachother nicknames -- "Ruff" (David), "Cornbread" (Eddie), "Poopie"(Paul), "Blue" (Melvin) and "O" for Otis. Eddie drove a string of hits, his sweet falsetto matching perfectly to Smokey's romantic productions. David grabbed the spotlight whenever it hit, dropping to his knees, balling his fist, pulverizing the crowd. "I Like It, I Like It" the girls screamed. Smokey paid attention. He promised David a song. "Between shows at the Apollo Theater," recalled writer/photographer Don Paulsen, "Smokey arranged the Temptations in a circle. He had a little portable tape recorder on which he'd cut for them. He tried out different harmonies, seeing which voices would blend. He'd say," then we come to the chorus:Eddie, you go "my girl" Paul, you go "my girl" David, you go "my girl." And I thought that was a nice song, we'll see what happens.'" "My Girl" went to be a universial number one smash. The Temptations high-stepped into Gordy's hierarchy, looking cool, confident, consummate. A strong rhythm section backed them live:band director/guitarist Cornelius Grant(turning down and offer to play with the Miracles),bassist Bill UpChurch and Norman Roberts Smokey Robinson made Ruffin the group's centerpiece. He responded with fire, weaving romantic drama into the silky threads of "It's Growing" "Since I Lost My Baby," "My Baby," and even album cuts like "Who's Loving You," one of his finest performances. But Smokey didn't leave Eddie behind,serving up the stone R&B jam "Get Ready,"for him to ride. Yet when "Get Ready'' falteedon the pop charts, Gordy protege Norman Whitfield was waiting with "Ain't To Proud To Beg." The songs overpowering achievement ment Whitfield had a lock on Temps releases for the next eight years. Still, Berry wanted more than the teenagers buying his records. He wanted their parents"The smart supper clubs, the Ed Sullivan and Dean Martin shows,'' is how choreographer (POPS) Cholly Atkins described his target. Atkins was hired to smooth their steps, to give them "class and sophistication to treat htem so that they could be consumed by almost anybody. " The Temps played the Copcabana and recorded an album of Broadway standards. "OL MAN RIVER" had already became a showstopper, transfored from old-timey embarrassment into a unique dramatic vehicle for Melvin ( BLUE ) Franklin. The spare live arrangement was inspired by the Flamingos. "The Flamingos' version lent itself to the authenticity of how the world was back in the slave days,'' Melvin said. " Hope was in the song , the hope for a better day some day.'' The Temptations triumphed, becoming the slickest, the sharpest, the badest, the busiest. In a rush for material, the group cut an abundance of tracks for the landmark album WITH ALOT O'SOUL, including the previously unreleased "Lullaby Of Love" Ruffin was ablaze ,stamping "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and Frank Wilsons "All I Need" with incredable passion. He was tender, too, trading leads with Eddie on ''Your My Everything. THE REST OF THE HISTORY IS IN THE TEMPTATIONS HISTORY II
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