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Soul Mates:
The group's original lineup consisted of Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Otis Williams (no relation to Paul), Elbridge Bryant and Melvin Franklin, a fusion of members from Detroit-area vocal acts the Primes and the Distants. The quintet initially performed as the Elgins and changed its moniker to the Temptations before signing with Motown's Miracle label around 1961. Bryant was replaced by David Ruffin in 1964, the same year the group scored a No. 11 Billboard pop hit on Motown's Gordy imprint with the Smokey Robinson-penned "The Way You Do the Things You Do."
New Voices:
Ruffin was replaced in 1968 by former Contours singer Dennis Edwards. The '70s and '80s saw many lineup changes, most notably the departures of Kendricks and Paul Williams in 1971. Otis Williams is the only original member still with the Temptations. The group's most recent efforts include 2000's Ear-Resistible, 2001's Awesome and 2004's Legacy.
Chart Smashes:
The various lineups of the Temptations placed more than 50 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1964 and 1991. Some of their biggest hits include "My Girl" (No. 1, 1965), "You're My Everything" (No. 6, 1967), "I Wish It Would Rain" (No. 4, 1968), "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" (No. 2, 1969), "I Can't Get Next to You" (No. 1, 1969), "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" (No. 1, 1971) and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (No. 1, 1972).
Awards and Achievements:
Winners of four Grammy Awards; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, class of 1989.
Tempting Temptations Trivia:
Paul Williams committed suicide in 1973; Otis Williams released an autobiography in 1988; Ruffin died from a drug overdose in 1991, Kendricks succumbed to lung cancer the following year and Franklin died from a brain seizure in 1995; the Temptations' story was the subject of a 1998 NBC miniseries; Edwards currently performs under the billing the Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards; ex-Spinners singer G.C. Cameron replaced Barrington Henderson, who was fired in June of '03 -- Henderson then filed a lawsuit against the band in October of that year, alleging failure to pay royalties and misuse of his likeness to promote the group; Reflections, a studio recording that finds the guys covering 15 Motown classics, arrived in January of 2006; Detroit's Woodbridge Estates residential complex has a street named after the Temptations; last fall, Otis sued three ex-members, and their managers, for performing under monikers that utilize the Temps' name.
Coming Up "Next," a Classic:
Relive one of the Temptations' finest moments, as the quintet offers up its No. 1 pop hit from 1969, "I Can't Get Next to You."
- Oldies1033.com
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