No Temptation for Street to leave stage

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JUST NO TEMPTATION FOR SINGER TO LEAVE STAGE.

Richard Street a former member of the legendary Temptations, he still performs at 63 and has a home in Corona.

By MARY BENDER
The Corona Press-Enterprise

Richard Street has a million stories, and they tumble out one after the other, peppered with the first names of the famous and talented folks he's met and worked with during his five decades in show business. Stevie. Marvin. Michael. Diana.

At an age when workers generally ponder retirement, Street, 63, still enjoys the stage and the spotlight -- along with the memories and life experiences he collected during more than 20 years as a lead singer of The Temptations, the legendary Motown Records quintet.

But that's the past. These days, Street's energy and enthusiasm for performing come as much from his present and his future. He has a new group of guys with whom he records and tours: Clayton Hooker, Terry Forsythe, Terrence Horn and Forrest Gardner.

In April, the quintet performed in Kuala Lumpur. "It took 18 hours to get there. I haven't been on a plane that long in years," Street said. "But it was worth the trip. The people were very friendly."

And after weeks on the road, Street relishes his time at home -- which, for the past few years, has been Corona, California -- and the wife who saw him through the rough patches, the flip side of the entertainment industry's glamour.

"I love going to work more now," Street said, "because a lot of my friends are no longer here." Although 11 years have passed, he particularly mourns the loss of his cousin Melvin Franklin, who sang bass in The Temptations for 34 years. "I was seven days older than him," Street said. "He was more of a brother than he was a cousin."

With his unlined face, trim physique and fluid dance moves, Street doesn't look the part of the grizzled showbiz veteran. Career longevity hasn't worn him out; it's given him perspective.

"Now that I'm older and much more experienced about life, I appreciate things much more," Street said. "You don't take things for granted."

He remembers well the career summits, like singing "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" for Muhammad Ali in The Champ's dressing room, just before he took the ring against rival Joe Frazier for the "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975. "What a thrill to know we psyched this guy up!" Street said.

He worked at Motown's "Hitsville USA," the original Detroit headquarters, alongside legends such as label founder Berry Gordy Jr., Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, and the very young Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.

But Street can just as vividly conjure up the low points. There was the 1992 concert in his hometown, the day of his mother's funeral. "I had to go to Detroit and bury her, and I had to do a show," he said. "They had me booked the same night we put her in the ground. That was the hardest show I've ever had to do in my life. When I was singing 'My Girl,' I could see her face."

In 2000, a blood clot on his lung was the first in a succession of serious health scares. "The pain was so great. I said: 'God, if you can't stop the pain, take me,' " Street recalled. "I had never felt anything like that in my life."

Medication corrected the problem, but he didn't forget his brush with mortality. "That was a turning point. That made me appreciate the sun shining in the morning," Street said.

In 2001, he had hip replacement surgery to mend an injury from being tossed to shore while ocean swimming in Malibu. For 15 years after the injury, he walked with a limp.

"I got the hip replacement because people said 'you won't be in pain anymore'," Street said. "I got to the point where I thought I would never dance again."

But recovery didn't come easily. "I didn't perform for three years. I was totally bedridden, and that makes you think," Street said.
After physical therapy, he regained his health and returned to performing in 2004.

His new ensemble, which bills itself "Richard Street, former lead singer of the Temptations," will hit the road again this month and will tour most of the summer. The group also is scheduled to perform in Temecula California over the Labor Day weekend.

It's no wonder that, given the musician's gypsy life, Street admits he isn't very well-versed on Corona or the Inland Empire. "I'm not here that much," he said. "Most of my house is in my suitcase."

Kelly McGuire, chief audio engineer at the Fender Center for Music Education in Corona, said he'd love Street to drop by the museum on Main Street, which hosts performances by well-known artists and workshops for young musicians, including "Kids Rock For Free."

"I'm a big Temptations fan. I'm a Detroiter," said McGuire, 47, listing the expertly choreographed quintet's music as part of soundtrack of his childhood -- back when AM radio played a wide range of Top 40 hits, regardless of artist or musical style.

"I love 'I Can't Get Next To You,' 'Psychedelic Shack,' 'Cloud Nine,' " McGuire said. "I started liking (The Temptations) a lot when I started playing guitar." He strummed along to the radio and Temptations records, trying to figure out the notes and chords.

"The Temptations were very talented, with so many great voices," said McGuire, himself a musician who often includes the group's hits in his repertoire.

"They could each be lead singers, and they could each blend into the group.