Post by Ivory Fair on Apr 22, 2002 17:24:10 GMT -5
Walking in history's footsteps
(from the Motown Live web site)
When five skinny young men walked together onto the rehearsal stage back in the early '60s, history stood in the wings and nodded. These were the anointed. They would become the standard-bearers for breathtaking harmonies, stylish choreography and thrill-making vocal leads. Legends in the making, they felt fire in the soles of their feet, strength in their hearts, and power in the songs their voices would weave into the fabric of pop music's tapestry.
And so today, when five like-dressed men step away from the microphone to execute a synchronized little move of the hips at a right angle, slide that foot up on the toe, both history and mythology are stepping in those footsteps. It's the "Temptations Walk, 1999".
First performed in the early '60s by Otis Williams and four other men, it's still a thrill to see-living testimony to THE TEMPTATIONS' musical history made by David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin and Paul Williams. Lovingly executed today by Otis and their heirs-in-music: Ron Tyson, Barrington "Beau" Henderson, Harry McGilberry and Terry Weeks, it proves those men are gone, but in no way forgotten-not by a grateful public or by the men who now carry the legacy forward into the next generation.
Memories of THE TEMPTATIONS stretch back a long and winding road. To earn the devotion of the millions who love them still, they started out in those Motown bus tours called The Motor Town Revues. They criss-crossed the country and the crowds became larger, drawn like a magnet to the impossibly sweet tenor of Eddie Kendricks, the honeyed soul shout of David Ruffin, the beautiful baritone of Paul Williams, the heart of the group Melvin Franklin, and the engine that made it all run, Otis Williams.
As the hits came rushing out of Detroit and onto the charts, the pace accelerated. The lights grew brighter, the crowds more frenzied as the group sang "The Way You Do The Things You Do," "My Girl, " "Get Ready," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," "Beauty's Only Skin Deep," "I Know (I'm Losing You)," "You're My Everything," "Cloud Nine," "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," and "I Can't Get Next to You" and the world eased into the '70s.
The group personnel changed with time and tides. Dennis Edwards replaced David Ruffin and led the group through the early '70s with a long string of hits, including "Psychedelic Shack," "Runaway Child, Running Wild," "Don't Let The Joneses Get You down," and "Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite the World)." Setting another trademark, a long string of hits featured multiple trade-off leads; some like "Superstar" featured a lead turn by every single group member. "Papa Was A Rolling Stone," "Cloud Nine," "I Can't Get Next To You," and "Ball of Confusion" are among the smashes with lead trades.
Eddie Kendricks crystallized for all time the essence of the first tenor voice on "Just My Imagination," and then departed the group. He was replaced in succession by Damon Harris, Glenn Leonard and ultimately Ron Tyson.
In the roads traveled from those early days, to the international capitols of the world, this group has dazzled everyone from the tiara wearers to the kids who've scraped their lunch money together to buy. The group in and of itself deserves the admiration of the less tireless, since their touring schedule runs into hundreds of playdates each year.
Indeed, the line-up of Otis Williams, first/second tenor; Ron Tyson, first tenor; Barrington Henderson, baritone; Terry Weeks, first/second tenor and baritone; and Harry McGilberry, bass, hold the circle of time in their hands and hearts as they hold the microphones in the name of one of the most beloved group of men ever to step up into history's footsteps…………….THE TEMPTATIONS.
(from the Motown Live web site)
When five skinny young men walked together onto the rehearsal stage back in the early '60s, history stood in the wings and nodded. These were the anointed. They would become the standard-bearers for breathtaking harmonies, stylish choreography and thrill-making vocal leads. Legends in the making, they felt fire in the soles of their feet, strength in their hearts, and power in the songs their voices would weave into the fabric of pop music's tapestry.
And so today, when five like-dressed men step away from the microphone to execute a synchronized little move of the hips at a right angle, slide that foot up on the toe, both history and mythology are stepping in those footsteps. It's the "Temptations Walk, 1999".
First performed in the early '60s by Otis Williams and four other men, it's still a thrill to see-living testimony to THE TEMPTATIONS' musical history made by David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin and Paul Williams. Lovingly executed today by Otis and their heirs-in-music: Ron Tyson, Barrington "Beau" Henderson, Harry McGilberry and Terry Weeks, it proves those men are gone, but in no way forgotten-not by a grateful public or by the men who now carry the legacy forward into the next generation.
Memories of THE TEMPTATIONS stretch back a long and winding road. To earn the devotion of the millions who love them still, they started out in those Motown bus tours called The Motor Town Revues. They criss-crossed the country and the crowds became larger, drawn like a magnet to the impossibly sweet tenor of Eddie Kendricks, the honeyed soul shout of David Ruffin, the beautiful baritone of Paul Williams, the heart of the group Melvin Franklin, and the engine that made it all run, Otis Williams.
As the hits came rushing out of Detroit and onto the charts, the pace accelerated. The lights grew brighter, the crowds more frenzied as the group sang "The Way You Do The Things You Do," "My Girl, " "Get Ready," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," "Beauty's Only Skin Deep," "I Know (I'm Losing You)," "You're My Everything," "Cloud Nine," "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," and "I Can't Get Next to You" and the world eased into the '70s.
The group personnel changed with time and tides. Dennis Edwards replaced David Ruffin and led the group through the early '70s with a long string of hits, including "Psychedelic Shack," "Runaway Child, Running Wild," "Don't Let The Joneses Get You down," and "Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite the World)." Setting another trademark, a long string of hits featured multiple trade-off leads; some like "Superstar" featured a lead turn by every single group member. "Papa Was A Rolling Stone," "Cloud Nine," "I Can't Get Next To You," and "Ball of Confusion" are among the smashes with lead trades.
Eddie Kendricks crystallized for all time the essence of the first tenor voice on "Just My Imagination," and then departed the group. He was replaced in succession by Damon Harris, Glenn Leonard and ultimately Ron Tyson.
In the roads traveled from those early days, to the international capitols of the world, this group has dazzled everyone from the tiara wearers to the kids who've scraped their lunch money together to buy. The group in and of itself deserves the admiration of the less tireless, since their touring schedule runs into hundreds of playdates each year.
Indeed, the line-up of Otis Williams, first/second tenor; Ron Tyson, first tenor; Barrington Henderson, baritone; Terry Weeks, first/second tenor and baritone; and Harry McGilberry, bass, hold the circle of time in their hands and hearts as they hold the microphones in the name of one of the most beloved group of men ever to step up into history's footsteps…………….THE TEMPTATIONS.