Post by Ivory Fair on Apr 22, 2002 16:51:31 GMT -5
Temptations bring soul and joy to town
By EMILY CARY
Special to The Journal
Get ready to revel in the classic melodies and moves of Motown legends The Temptations and The Four Tops. Two generations after America discovered the heart and soul of the city that gave us wheels, the music continues to go round and round, this week at Wolf Trap. The kids who once bopped to the beat broadcast by American Bandstand now cuddle with grandchildren on lawn blankets at the Filene Center and summer music festivals around the nation.
Temptation Harry McGilberry Jr., 49, understands the appeal. Raised in West Philadelphia, not far from the television studio where local teen-agers vied for the chance to dance to the latest hit promoted by disc jockey Dick Clark, he inherited his bottomless bass voice from his father, a football hero and mainstay in the Swarthmore(Pa.) High School chorus, class of 1948.
``My dad used to take us to hear The Temptations and other artists appearing in Philadelphia and nearby New Jersey,'' he said. ``After my voice changed from tenor to bass before I was 15, I started singing in church next to my father. Over the years, I was exposed to a lot of gospel music and I started singing with the Silvertones and other quartets when I was still a high-school junior, but music was only a hobby for me. I knew it was important to have a trade, so I took silk-screen printing at Bok Vocational School in South Philadelphia.''
Even after establishing himself in a trade, McGilberry sang regularly with hometown quartets. As a member of The Futures, his profoundly deep voice made its record debut on the Philadelphia International label, followed by others on independent labels. While he never expected his love for music to go beyond his personal pleasure, the many friends he acquired in the music business - among them tenor Ron Tyson - could not forget his remarkable voice.
Several years after leaving the Philadelphia music scene and establishing his own silk-screening business in Greensboro, N.C., McGilberry received a telephone call from his old friend that changed his life. By that time, Tyson had joined The Temptations. The death of the original bass member, Melven Franklin, left a void, one that seemed impossible to fill until Tyson recommended his buddy. As if it were pre-ordained, his voice was the exact timbre The Temptations needed to re-create their famous sound. Overnight, what once had seemed an impossible dream to McGilberry came true.
Along with McGilberry and Tyson, founder Otis Williams, the only original member of the current lineup, baritone Barrington Henderson and tenor/baritone Terry Weeks comprise today's ``official'' ensemble.
This is an important distinction because several other groups advertised as singers who ``carry on the tradition of The Temptations'' utilize the familiar repertoire, but they are not acknowledged as the true heirs of the title. Last year, McGilberry and his colleagues welcomed the Fourth of July under the Arch at St. Louis, not on the Washington mall, as some folks were led to believe.
Nearly four years after becoming a member of the group he admired as a youngster, McGilberry thrives on the grueling schedule that takes them cross-country time and again each year. Based now in Los Angeles to be near Las Vegas where they perform many times annually, he is reaping the rewards of a format that appeals to all ages.
``Our CD released in August 1998, `Phoenix Rising,' became platinum, the first one by The Temptations to reach that goal since 1975,'' he said. ``Even though songs like `My Girl' have staying power, our audiences seem to enjoy our three new singles just as much.''
Those singles, ``Stay,'' ``This Is My Promise'' and ``How Could He Hurt You,'' incorporate the familiar rhythms with a fresh take that appeals to fans from 9 to 90, as witnessed at The Temptations's standing-room-only concerts that regularly evolve into festive family-style occasions.
McGilberry knows that he has been blessed by the values of friendship and family during the many years he has been singing for the sheer joy of it. Now that he is in a position to make a difference for someone else, he is working on a gospel project for his nephew and his brother David, a guitarist, one of the five siblings raised by a father whose life still revolves around his church choir.
By EMILY CARY
Special to The Journal
Get ready to revel in the classic melodies and moves of Motown legends The Temptations and The Four Tops. Two generations after America discovered the heart and soul of the city that gave us wheels, the music continues to go round and round, this week at Wolf Trap. The kids who once bopped to the beat broadcast by American Bandstand now cuddle with grandchildren on lawn blankets at the Filene Center and summer music festivals around the nation.
Temptation Harry McGilberry Jr., 49, understands the appeal. Raised in West Philadelphia, not far from the television studio where local teen-agers vied for the chance to dance to the latest hit promoted by disc jockey Dick Clark, he inherited his bottomless bass voice from his father, a football hero and mainstay in the Swarthmore(Pa.) High School chorus, class of 1948.
``My dad used to take us to hear The Temptations and other artists appearing in Philadelphia and nearby New Jersey,'' he said. ``After my voice changed from tenor to bass before I was 15, I started singing in church next to my father. Over the years, I was exposed to a lot of gospel music and I started singing with the Silvertones and other quartets when I was still a high-school junior, but music was only a hobby for me. I knew it was important to have a trade, so I took silk-screen printing at Bok Vocational School in South Philadelphia.''
Even after establishing himself in a trade, McGilberry sang regularly with hometown quartets. As a member of The Futures, his profoundly deep voice made its record debut on the Philadelphia International label, followed by others on independent labels. While he never expected his love for music to go beyond his personal pleasure, the many friends he acquired in the music business - among them tenor Ron Tyson - could not forget his remarkable voice.
Several years after leaving the Philadelphia music scene and establishing his own silk-screening business in Greensboro, N.C., McGilberry received a telephone call from his old friend that changed his life. By that time, Tyson had joined The Temptations. The death of the original bass member, Melven Franklin, left a void, one that seemed impossible to fill until Tyson recommended his buddy. As if it were pre-ordained, his voice was the exact timbre The Temptations needed to re-create their famous sound. Overnight, what once had seemed an impossible dream to McGilberry came true.
Along with McGilberry and Tyson, founder Otis Williams, the only original member of the current lineup, baritone Barrington Henderson and tenor/baritone Terry Weeks comprise today's ``official'' ensemble.
This is an important distinction because several other groups advertised as singers who ``carry on the tradition of The Temptations'' utilize the familiar repertoire, but they are not acknowledged as the true heirs of the title. Last year, McGilberry and his colleagues welcomed the Fourth of July under the Arch at St. Louis, not on the Washington mall, as some folks were led to believe.
Nearly four years after becoming a member of the group he admired as a youngster, McGilberry thrives on the grueling schedule that takes them cross-country time and again each year. Based now in Los Angeles to be near Las Vegas where they perform many times annually, he is reaping the rewards of a format that appeals to all ages.
``Our CD released in August 1998, `Phoenix Rising,' became platinum, the first one by The Temptations to reach that goal since 1975,'' he said. ``Even though songs like `My Girl' have staying power, our audiences seem to enjoy our three new singles just as much.''
Those singles, ``Stay,'' ``This Is My Promise'' and ``How Could He Hurt You,'' incorporate the familiar rhythms with a fresh take that appeals to fans from 9 to 90, as witnessed at The Temptations's standing-room-only concerts that regularly evolve into festive family-style occasions.
McGilberry knows that he has been blessed by the values of friendship and family during the many years he has been singing for the sheer joy of it. Now that he is in a position to make a difference for someone else, he is working on a gospel project for his nephew and his brother David, a guitarist, one of the five siblings raised by a father whose life still revolves around his church choir.