Biography Of The Temptations.

The Temptations are, arguably, the most influential group in soul music over the last 4 decades.

They were formed in 1961 in Detroit, Michigan, USA, by former members of two local R & B outfits.

Eddie Kendricks (b. 17th December 1939, Union Springs, Alabama, USA, d. 5th October 1992, Alabama, USA)

and Paul Williams (b. 2nd July 1939, Birmingham, Alabama, USA, d. 17th August 1973)

both sang with 'The Primes':

Melvin Franklin (b. David English, 12th October 1942, Montgomery, Alabama, USA, d. 23rd February 1995, Los Angeles, California, USA)

Eldridge Bryant

and Otis Williams (b. Otis Miles, 30th October 1941, Texarkana, Texas, USA)

came from 'The Distants'.

Initially known as the Elgins, the quintet were renamed the Temptations by Berry Gordy when he signed them to Motown in 1961.

After issuing three singles on the Motown subsidiary Miracle Records, one of them under the alter ego of the Pirates, the group moved to the Gordy label.

'Dream Come Home' provided their first brief taste of chart status in 1962, although it was only when they were teamed with writer / producer / performer Smokey Robinson that the Temptations achieved consistent success.

The group's classic line-up was established in 1963, when Eldridge Bryant was replaced by:

David Ruffin (b. 18th January 1941, Meridian, Mississippi, USA, d. 1st June 1991).

His gruff baritone provided the perfect contrast to Kendricks' delicate tenor and falsetto, a contrast that Smokey Robinson utilised to their full.

Over the next two years, he wrote a series of hits in both ballad and dance styles, carefully arranging complex vocal harmonies that hinted at the group's doo-wop heritage.

'The Way You Do The Things You Do' was the Temptations ' first major hit, a fine piece of songwriting.

'My Girl' in 1965, the group's first US number 1, demonstrated Robinson's masterly command of the ballad genre, and brought Ruffin's vocals to the fore for the first time (this track, featured in the movie 'My Girl', was reissued in 1992 and was once again a hit).

'It's Growing', 'Since I Lost My Baby', 'My Girl' and 'Get Ready' continued the run of successes into 1966, establishing the Temptations as the mainstay of the Motown sound.

The Temptations then returned Robinson his writing favours by recording the fine 'Temptations Sing Smokey' in 1965. A near perfect recording of the masters songwriting.

'It's Growing' (covered by Otis Redding and The Contours) brought a fresh facet into Robinson's lyric writing, while 'Get Ready' embodied all the excitement of the Motown rhythm factory, blending an irresistible melody with a fine vocal arrangement.

Norman Whitfield succeeded Robinson as the Temptations producer in 1966, a role he continued to occupy for almost a decade.

He introduced a new cutting edge into their sound, spotlighting David Ruffin as the featured lead vocalist, and creating a series of R & B records that rivalled the output of Stax and Atlantic for toughness and power and still sound fresh today.

'Ain't To Proud To Beg' introduced the Whitfield approach, and while the Top 3 hit 'Beauty Is Only Skin Deep' represented a return to the Robinson era, 'I'm Losing You' and 'You're My Everything' confirmed the new direction.

The peak of Whitfield's initial phase with the group was 'I Wish It Would Rain', a beautifiul ballad that the producer heightened with the delicate use of sound effects. The record was another major hit, and gave the Temptation's their sixth R & B number 1 in three years.

It also marked the end of an era, when David Ruffin first requested individual credit before the group's name. When this was refused, he elected to leave for a solo career. He was replaced by ex-Contour Dennis Edwards, whose powerful vocals fitted perfectly into the Temptations harmonies.

Whitfield chose this moment to instigate a new production style.

Conscious of the psychedelic shift in the rock mainstream, and the inventive soul music being created by Sly And The Family Stone, he joined forces with lyricist Barrett Strong to pull Motown into the modern age.

The result was 'Cloud Nine', a record that reflected the increasing use of illegal drugs among young people, and shocked some listeners with its lyrical content.

Whitfield created the music to match, breaking down the traditional barriers between lead and backing singers and giving each of the Temptations a recognizable role in the group.

Over the next four years, Whitfield and the Temptations pioneered the concept of psychedelic soul, stretching the Motown formula to the limit, introducing a new vein of social and political comment, and utilizing many of rock's experimental production techniques to get home the message.

'Runaway Child, Running Wild' examined the problems of teenage rebellion.

'I Can't Get Next To You' reflected the fragmentation of personal relationships (and topped the US charts with the group's second number 1 hit), and 'Ball Of Confusion' bemoaned the disintegrating fabric of American society.

These lyrical tracts were set to harsh, uncompromising rhythm tracks, with pounding wah-wah guitar and and layers of harmony and counterpoint.

The Temptations were greeted as representatives of the time, a trend that climaxed when they recorded Whitfield's outspoken protest against the Vietnam War, 'Stop The War Now'.

The new direction alarmed Eddie Kendricks, who felt more at home on the series of collaborations with the Supremes that the group also recorded in the late 60's.

He left for a solo career in 1971, after recording another US number 1, the classic standard ballad 'Just My Imagination'.

He was replaced first by Richard Owens, then later in 1971 by Damon Harris.

This line-up recorded the 1972 number 1 'Papa Was A Rolling Stone', a production achievement that remains one of Motown's finest moments, belatedly winning the label its first Grammy award.

At that point, everything came to an anti-climax.

Paul Williams left the group in 1971, to be replaced by another former Distant member, Richard Street.

Williams shot himself in 1973, after years of depression and drug abuse. Whitfield's partnership with Strong was broken the same year, and although he continued to rework the 'Papa Was A Rolling Stone' formula, the commercial and artistic returns were smaller.

The Temptations still had hits, and 'Masterpiece', 'Let Your Hair Down' (both 1973) and 'Happy People' (1975) all topped the soul charts, but they were no longer a leading force in black music.

Whitfield left Motown in 1975, at the same time, Glenn Leonard replaced Damon Harris in the group.

The following year, the Temptations moved to Atlantic Records for two albums, which saw Louis Price taking the place of Dennis Edwards.

When the Atlantic partnership brought no change of fortunes, the group returned to Motown, and to Dennis Edwards.

'Power', in 1980, restored them to the charts, before Rick James engineered a brief reunion with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks for a tour, an album, and a hit single, 'Standing On The Top'.

Ruffin and Kendricks then left to form a duo, Ron Tyson replaced Glenn Leonard, and Ali-Ollie Woodson took over the role of lead vocalist from Edwards.

Woodson brought with him a song called 'Treat Her Like A Lady', which became their biggest UK hit in a decade.

Subsequent releases confirmed the quality of the new line-up, although without a strong guiding hand they are unlikely to rival the achievements of the late 60's and early 70's line-ups, who represented the peak of Motown's classic era.

Franklin's death in February 1995 left Otis Williams as the sole remaining founder-member.

The Temptations are together in a totally different line-up and achieved success in 1998 with their excellent outing 'Phoenix Rising' featuring the band sampling themselves, via 'My Girl', on the excellent 'Stay'.

A new album arrived in the year 2000, entitled 'Ear-resistable' (on Motown) and was well received.

In 2001, The Temptations won a grammy for the album 'Ear Resistable'.

The current line-up are Otis Williams, Harry McGilberry Jnr, Terry, Barrington Scott Henderson & Tyson.

In 2001, the Temptations returned to the recording studio to record an album entitled 'Awesome'. The set is due in the Autumn.

Without doubt, the legacy of this fine vocal band will be written into the history books.

...why not take a listen to the beautiful 'Heavenly' taken from the 1973 album '1990'.