Post by Jonel on Apr 7, 2003 21:16:24 GMT -5
New Temptations' line-up plays the PAC
Story last updated at 8:17 a.m. Thursday, April 3, 2003
MUSIC/CONCERTS
BY JACK MCCRAY
Of The Post and Courier Staff
All seems right with the world for Otis Williams. By his own account, he's his own boss, and he has had a very rewarding personal and professional life.
This is no small feat in the rollercoaster world of show business. Williams is the sole surviving original member of one of the world's most revered singing groups, the Temptations.
The blockbuster act helped anchor the groundbreaking Motown sound in its golden era, 1964 through the early '70s. In fact, the Temps, as they are known to fans, helped usher in the glory days for the small record company that ballooned into a media giant.
The Temptations are still going strong after more than 40 years, now with Barrington Henderson, Terry Weeks, Ron Tyson, and Harry McGilberry Jr. joining Williams in the 2003 edition of the blue chip entertainment brand.
Of the originals, Paul Williams committed suicide in 1973; David Ruffin died in 1991, Eddie Kendricks in 1992, and Melvin Franklin, with that very distinctive bass voice, in 1995.
The image of the lush, five-part harmonies, natty attire, and swirling, precise choreography in front of the gleaming, five-pronged microphone is an American pop icon. With almost 60 albums, multiple Grammys (one as recently as 2001) and hundreds of thousands of miles of touring, Williams still likes the work.
"God has blessed me to be able to do what I'm doing. I'm busier than a blind dog in a meat market," he said in a telephone interview from a tour stop in Zanesville, Ohio.
"We don't really tour anymore, we just work," Williams said. This tour started in Texas, then the Midwest, and over to the Southeast.
The group will play the North Charleston Performing Arts Center on Sunday at 8 p.m. All seats are reserved and cost $35.
When asked about the different Temptations groups over the years, Williams said, "There will never be personnel to rival the original Temps. I just try to make sure they (new members) know the history of the Temps and carry it on. We'll never get that kind of chemistry again. Paul alone was such a talent," he said. Paul Williams sang baritone, sometimes lead, and was instrumental in creating some of the group's famous dance steps.
In 1998, NBC aired an award-winning mini series on the Temptations. The movie has been airing recently on outlets such as VH1. It was based on Williams' 1990 book, "The Temptations." He cowrote the book with Patricia Romanowski, who also coedited "The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century). He was proud of his effort, the success and critical acclaim of the book, and the film treatment.
But it wasn't easy. "With the period furniture, costumes, and people being so deep in character, I couldn't take it sometimes. It was too real," Williams said of the shoot. "I'll never forget, there was that scene where we went over to David's (Ruffin) house to help him straighten up. ... I didn't want to relive that stuff." Ruffin fell victim to many of the pitfalls that accompany quick success, especially in show business.
Williams has remained on the high road throughout it all, though, and the Temptations are still an entertainment force that chooses to do just that, please an audience with beautifully crafted songs, many written by the legendary William "Smokey" Robinson, full of romance and optimism.
Williams said Sunday's show will consist of examples of hits from all the group's different eras, starting with the group's first big hit, 1964's "The Way You Do the Things You Do," and on up through the years, stopping at "My Girl," "Ball of Confusion," and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," and the more recent songs. "We've put in a new medley of memories," Williams said.
Another matter keeping Williams and the Temps busy is a new recording project. "We're planning an album of some of our earlier hits, with an upgrade. One of the songs we'd like to do is 'I'm Going To Make You Love Me,' so we have to find a young lady singer to do the couplings." That's the song the Temps recorded with the Supremes, with Diana Ross and Eddie Kendricks sharing the lead. Williams also wants to record "I'm Losing You."
"We're talking to Gerald Levert. It should be interesting," he said. Although the Temptations don't tour hard anymore, there are pretty big plans for the summer. "When we get tired, we take time off," Williams said. "... In July, we have a big show going out featuring the Four Tops, the O'Jays, the Whispers, and the Temptations. We're hitting all the big markets, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York. Depending on how things go, we may hit some secondary markets."
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: The Temptations, in concert
WHEN: Sunday, 8 p.m.
WHERE: North Charleston Performing Arts Center, Montague Avenue
ADMISSION: $35, plus applicable fees, at North Charleston Coliseum box office; all Publix grocery stores; all TicketMaster outlets, http://www.ticketmaster.com; charge by phone 554-6060
Click here to return to story:
charleston.net/stories/040303/pre_temps.shtml
Story last updated at 8:17 a.m. Thursday, April 3, 2003
MUSIC/CONCERTS
BY JACK MCCRAY
Of The Post and Courier Staff
All seems right with the world for Otis Williams. By his own account, he's his own boss, and he has had a very rewarding personal and professional life.
This is no small feat in the rollercoaster world of show business. Williams is the sole surviving original member of one of the world's most revered singing groups, the Temptations.
The blockbuster act helped anchor the groundbreaking Motown sound in its golden era, 1964 through the early '70s. In fact, the Temps, as they are known to fans, helped usher in the glory days for the small record company that ballooned into a media giant.
The Temptations are still going strong after more than 40 years, now with Barrington Henderson, Terry Weeks, Ron Tyson, and Harry McGilberry Jr. joining Williams in the 2003 edition of the blue chip entertainment brand.
Of the originals, Paul Williams committed suicide in 1973; David Ruffin died in 1991, Eddie Kendricks in 1992, and Melvin Franklin, with that very distinctive bass voice, in 1995.
The image of the lush, five-part harmonies, natty attire, and swirling, precise choreography in front of the gleaming, five-pronged microphone is an American pop icon. With almost 60 albums, multiple Grammys (one as recently as 2001) and hundreds of thousands of miles of touring, Williams still likes the work.
"God has blessed me to be able to do what I'm doing. I'm busier than a blind dog in a meat market," he said in a telephone interview from a tour stop in Zanesville, Ohio.
"We don't really tour anymore, we just work," Williams said. This tour started in Texas, then the Midwest, and over to the Southeast.
The group will play the North Charleston Performing Arts Center on Sunday at 8 p.m. All seats are reserved and cost $35.
When asked about the different Temptations groups over the years, Williams said, "There will never be personnel to rival the original Temps. I just try to make sure they (new members) know the history of the Temps and carry it on. We'll never get that kind of chemistry again. Paul alone was such a talent," he said. Paul Williams sang baritone, sometimes lead, and was instrumental in creating some of the group's famous dance steps.
In 1998, NBC aired an award-winning mini series on the Temptations. The movie has been airing recently on outlets such as VH1. It was based on Williams' 1990 book, "The Temptations." He cowrote the book with Patricia Romanowski, who also coedited "The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century). He was proud of his effort, the success and critical acclaim of the book, and the film treatment.
But it wasn't easy. "With the period furniture, costumes, and people being so deep in character, I couldn't take it sometimes. It was too real," Williams said of the shoot. "I'll never forget, there was that scene where we went over to David's (Ruffin) house to help him straighten up. ... I didn't want to relive that stuff." Ruffin fell victim to many of the pitfalls that accompany quick success, especially in show business.
Williams has remained on the high road throughout it all, though, and the Temptations are still an entertainment force that chooses to do just that, please an audience with beautifully crafted songs, many written by the legendary William "Smokey" Robinson, full of romance and optimism.
Williams said Sunday's show will consist of examples of hits from all the group's different eras, starting with the group's first big hit, 1964's "The Way You Do the Things You Do," and on up through the years, stopping at "My Girl," "Ball of Confusion," and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," and the more recent songs. "We've put in a new medley of memories," Williams said.
Another matter keeping Williams and the Temps busy is a new recording project. "We're planning an album of some of our earlier hits, with an upgrade. One of the songs we'd like to do is 'I'm Going To Make You Love Me,' so we have to find a young lady singer to do the couplings." That's the song the Temps recorded with the Supremes, with Diana Ross and Eddie Kendricks sharing the lead. Williams also wants to record "I'm Losing You."
"We're talking to Gerald Levert. It should be interesting," he said. Although the Temptations don't tour hard anymore, there are pretty big plans for the summer. "When we get tired, we take time off," Williams said. "... In July, we have a big show going out featuring the Four Tops, the O'Jays, the Whispers, and the Temptations. We're hitting all the big markets, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York. Depending on how things go, we may hit some secondary markets."
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: The Temptations, in concert
WHEN: Sunday, 8 p.m.
WHERE: North Charleston Performing Arts Center, Montague Avenue
ADMISSION: $35, plus applicable fees, at North Charleston Coliseum box office; all Publix grocery stores; all TicketMaster outlets, http://www.ticketmaster.com; charge by phone 554-6060
Click here to return to story:
charleston.net/stories/040303/pre_temps.shtml
