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The Temptations

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Hey, Elton! Beyond the Music rocks!

I'm not going to argue with the King!

"My Girl"

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TITLE: "My Girl"

YEAR: 1965

ARTIST: The Temptations
Hey, lads! Remember the Ed Sullivan Show? Boy, do I ever! The girls went crazy over us! I ended up marrying a beautiful model. So how did I end up with Yoko?

Blast from the past: The (original) Temptations

Soaring harmonies and the sharing of lead vocals made The Temptations different from most soul acts of the 1960s.

David Ruffin and his classic signature glasses. Ruffin's addition to the group helped transform The Temptations into a top act.

I had this album as a kid. I wonder what happened to it?

The Temptations performing on their television special in 1969.

The distinctive voice of Eddie Kendricks helped give The Tempataions a unique sound.

Otis Williams, the only remaining member of the original group.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

One of the most successful soul acts of the 1960s, The Temptations epitomized classic soul. Stop-on-a-dime choreography and classy elegance made the group a hit on stage. In the studio, their harmonies benefited from Motown's best songwriters and producers. The presence of several talented lead vocalists with distinct styles meant that they could play it both smooth and sweaty. This enabled them to adapt to progressive funk and rock trends better than most 1960s soul stars. Unfortunately, too many personnel changes and tragedies reduced them to a nostalgia act for the past twenty years.

The original quintet - Eldridge Bryant, Eddie Kendricks, Otis Williams, Paul Williams, and Melvin Franklin formed in the early 1960s. Signed by Motown in 1961, they recorded seven singles that barely made any noise. In early 1964, two factors helped them break from the pack. First, the group recruited David Ruffin to replace Bryant. The second factor was the concentrated attention of Smokey Robinson, a legendary writer and singer in his own right. Robinson wrote and produced most of The Temptations' mid-60s hits, starting with 1964's "The Way You Do The Things You Do." The Temptations' harmonies jelled with state-of-the-art soul production for the first time. "My Girl," the featured MP3 now playing, established the group as a household name. This 1965 single, which made #1 on America's R & B and pop charts, was one of Smokey's best compositions. It remains one of Motown's signature tunes.

The Temptations are usually remembered as one of Motown's most romantic and pop-oriented acts. Wide appeal and a certain diversity were ensured by the splitting of lead vocal chores between David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks on the early hits.

Starting in 1966, Norman Whitfield gradually took over production duties from Smokey Robinson. Whitfield was probably the first of the Motown principals to assimilate late 1960s trends from the rock and funk worlds into the label's hit machine. The 1968 single "Cloud Nine" was a landmark for both Motown and soul, introducing a high degree of social consciousness into the lyrics and psychedelic guitar into the arrangement. For The Temptations themselves, it was a different landmark of sorts because it was their first big hit after the departure of Ruffin, who was replaced by Dennis Edwards. Ruffin became a solo artist, but his career had its ups and downs.

The Temptations rarely wrote their own material, and in the late 1960s and early 1970s they became mouthpieces of sorts for Whitfield. With Barrett Strong, Whitfield penned message songs to reflect the complexity and confusion of the times, dressed up in arrangements heavily influenced by the rock-soul-psychedelic fusion of Sly & The Family Stone. This style ie evident on such hits as "Psychedelic Shack," "Runaway Child, Running Wild," and "Ball of Confusion."

The group never turned their backs on good old-fashioned romance, however. "I Can't Get Next To You" (one of my personal favorites) and "Just My Imagination" clearly demonstrated this .

In early 1971, all was not well in the group. Paul Williams left due to health and alcohol problems, Eddie Kendricks was the next to leave and started a solo career. Unfortunately, his career fizzled. That left only Otis Williams and bass singer Melvin Franklin from the mid-60s quintet. Whitfield would continue to work with The Temptations through the mid-70s. Indeed, the 1972 U.S. #1 single "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" was a triumph for him, the group, and Motown. But The Temptations' funk, once futuristic, started to sound repetitive on follow-up singles. With the loss of Whitfield and a general lack of direction at Motown, The Temptations were unable to continue adapting to the commercial and artistic trends of the day.

One tragedy after another beset The Temptations family during the next two decades. Paul Williams, David Ruffin , Eddie Kendricks, and Melvin Franklin died of various illnesses. The Temptations continue to tour today, but Otis Williams is the sole link to the illustrious past.

Hits, dynamic choreography, transitions, and tragedies are all part of The Temptations' legacy. Fittingly, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Biography information courtesy of RollingStone.com.