Post by tempfan on Apr 6, 2006 18:08:34 GMT -5
AUDIENCES LOVE THE THINGS THEY DO
The doo-wop sounds of the Temptations are still in demand.
By Carol Tannehill
Fort Wayne News Sentinel
The Temptations are hard to resist.
Even though it’s been 42 years since their first chart hit — the Smokey Robinson-produced “The Way You Do the Things You Do” — helped define the Motown sound, the group still has audiences dancing in the aisles at concerts worldwide.
And, despite the fact that only one original member, Otis Williams, remains, the Temptations’ signature harmonies, impressive choreography and familiar oldies have been lovingly preserved.
“The Legends of Motown starring the Temptations” makes a tour stop Saturday at the Embassy Theatre. The Marvelettes (“Please Mr. Postman” and “Don’t Mess with Bill”), an R&B girl group formed in 1960, are special guests.
The world has changed a great deal since teenage doo-woppers negotiated their first deals with Berry Gordy and other Motown moguls in the early 1960s. Their mellow soul music soothed a country in turmoil over civil rights and the Cold War; that rare quality still attracts fans.
The Temptations’ almost continuous touring keeps them on the road 350 days a year. Their 61st album, “Reflections,” hit stores in January.
“This music has just permeated American society,” Terry Weeks, a Temptations member, said in a recent interview with The Toledo Blade.
“It seems like it has no expiration date to it. I look out at audiences, and I see four generations. It’s new to some of them. Even 40 years later, these songs are still in demand. It’s a testament to the music of this era.”
The group performs Friday in Toledo.
The Temptations were originally known as the Elgins. Members of two earlier singing groups, the Primes and the Distants, founded the group, which signed on with Gordy in 1961. Besides Williams, the initial roster included Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams (no relation to Otis), Melvin Franklin and Elbridge Bryant, according to “The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits.” David Ruffin, who sang the lead on “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” replaced Bryant in 1964.
Over the years, the Temptations have played musical chairs with more than 20 members, losing singers to death, incompatibility and other interests, and replacing them with new ones.
Most of Otis Williams’ original group-mates have long since passed away: Paul Williams died in 1973, Ruffin in 1991, Kendricks in 1992 and Franklin in 1995.
But the continual changes didn’t stop the group from racking up dozens of hits on the Top 40 R&B and rock charts. They include “My Girl” (1965); “Psychedelic Shack” (1970); “Just My Imagination” (1971) and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (1972).
The quintet’s current incarnation is composed of G.C. Cameron, Ron Tyson and Joe Herndon, in addition to Williams and Weeks.
Their latest project is called “Reflections,” but it looks to the future as much as the past. Released earlier this year on the NewDoor label, the album features the Temptations’ takes on other artists’ R&B classics. The tunes include Marvin Gaye’s “Can I Get a Witness,” the Isley Brothers’ “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)” and the Supremes’ “I Hear a Symphony” and “Reflections.”
Tempted to go?
What: The Legends of Motown starring the Temptations, with special guests the Marvelettes.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Embassy Theatre, 121 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Tickets: $27.50, $32.50 and $39.50 at the Embassy box office and Ticketmaster outlets. Call 424-1811 to charge by phone