Post by tempfan on Jul 30, 2006 19:28:56 GMT -5
TEMPTATIONS CLOSE OUT THE GREEN
Patrick Ferrucci
Play: New Haven's Arts & Entertainment Weekly
Twenty-one men have been official members of the legendary group The Temptations. Twenty-one talented singers have put a little of themselves into the tunes performed by the group, which formed in 1960 in Detroit.
But since the beginning, for more than 45 years, Otis Williams has been there, leading through group as it maintained its success.
The quintet has updated its sound quite a few times during its career, always making it more current, but never losing the characteristics that have given it four pop No. 1 hits and 14 R&B No. hits.
"It's a delicate balance," says Williams, relaxing at his Los Angeles home during a recent phone conversation. "We need to maintain the sound the world has known from The Temps, but we want to stay on the cutting edge, too. But we don't want to sound ridiculous. You do this primarily with great songs, and balance those with what we're known for."
Those great songs have made The Temptations successful into its sixth decade, and not once has the group broken up, a remarkable feat. Originally formed in 1960 as The Elgins, The Temps began life as synthesis of two popular acts at the time, The Primes and The Distants. By the mid 60s, the classic lineup of the quintet had come together, with Williams, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and David Ruffin.
It didn't take long for The Temps to release The Way You Do the Things You Do, the group's first top-20 single. Only 10 months later, the guys hit the jackpot once more, taking the world by storm with the first No. 1 hit, the timeless My Girl.
The hits just kept coming: Ain't Too Proud to Beg, Beauty is Only Skin Deep, I Wish It Would Rain, I Can't Get Next to You, Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) and Papa Was a Rollin' Stone are just a few of the tunes that kept the group popular through the 70s.
"When we came along, we came along during the 60s, a turbulent time, and Motown was evolving," says Williams while explaining the The Temps' early success on the Motown label. "It was something spectacular, coming out of that two-story building. A divine hand made Motown stand out, made The Temptations stand out. The hits the producers and we were coming up with, they just worked. We were groomed and a lot of those things made us stand out."
The group went through a lot of changes over the next couple decades and into the new century, but it always is a big draw on the concert circuit, performing about 30 weeks of the year. In 1998, the group returned to the top of the charts, with the No. 1 adult-contemporary hit Stay.
Williams says keeping the group successful and on target has a lot to do with the songs, but how he chooses members of the group. "Talent is secondary," he explains. "You can have a lot of talent, but if you're a (bad person), what's it matter?
"I look for the person, someone who can take care of business, can be on time. I have to look for people to adhere to being into the group. They shouldn't do things they wouldn't do if they worked for Dell or Microsoft. We're a small microcosm of those companies. I have to make sure we find someone of that ilk. That's tough, because they have to be able to sing, too."
The current incarnation of The Temps includes Williams, Ron Tyson (who joined in 1983), Terry Weeks (1998), G.C. Cameron (2003) and Joe Herndon (2003). The key to the guys' still popular concerts?
"Practice, practice, practice," laughs Williams. "We've managed to stay on top of our game for a reason. We study and we rehearse and we sure don't rest on our laurels. We practice the same way we did when we were trying to make it. We practice our harmonies, our choreography and even our uniforms.
"We don't question ourselves. It's about taking everything seriously and making sure we give the public quality. I think we still do that."
Patrick Ferrucci
Play: New Haven's Arts & Entertainment Weekly
Twenty-one men have been official members of the legendary group The Temptations. Twenty-one talented singers have put a little of themselves into the tunes performed by the group, which formed in 1960 in Detroit.
But since the beginning, for more than 45 years, Otis Williams has been there, leading through group as it maintained its success.
The quintet has updated its sound quite a few times during its career, always making it more current, but never losing the characteristics that have given it four pop No. 1 hits and 14 R&B No. hits.
"It's a delicate balance," says Williams, relaxing at his Los Angeles home during a recent phone conversation. "We need to maintain the sound the world has known from The Temps, but we want to stay on the cutting edge, too. But we don't want to sound ridiculous. You do this primarily with great songs, and balance those with what we're known for."
Those great songs have made The Temptations successful into its sixth decade, and not once has the group broken up, a remarkable feat. Originally formed in 1960 as The Elgins, The Temps began life as synthesis of two popular acts at the time, The Primes and The Distants. By the mid 60s, the classic lineup of the quintet had come together, with Williams, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and David Ruffin.
It didn't take long for The Temps to release The Way You Do the Things You Do, the group's first top-20 single. Only 10 months later, the guys hit the jackpot once more, taking the world by storm with the first No. 1 hit, the timeless My Girl.
The hits just kept coming: Ain't Too Proud to Beg, Beauty is Only Skin Deep, I Wish It Would Rain, I Can't Get Next to You, Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) and Papa Was a Rollin' Stone are just a few of the tunes that kept the group popular through the 70s.
"When we came along, we came along during the 60s, a turbulent time, and Motown was evolving," says Williams while explaining the The Temps' early success on the Motown label. "It was something spectacular, coming out of that two-story building. A divine hand made Motown stand out, made The Temptations stand out. The hits the producers and we were coming up with, they just worked. We were groomed and a lot of those things made us stand out."
The group went through a lot of changes over the next couple decades and into the new century, but it always is a big draw on the concert circuit, performing about 30 weeks of the year. In 1998, the group returned to the top of the charts, with the No. 1 adult-contemporary hit Stay.
Williams says keeping the group successful and on target has a lot to do with the songs, but how he chooses members of the group. "Talent is secondary," he explains. "You can have a lot of talent, but if you're a (bad person), what's it matter?
"I look for the person, someone who can take care of business, can be on time. I have to look for people to adhere to being into the group. They shouldn't do things they wouldn't do if they worked for Dell or Microsoft. We're a small microcosm of those companies. I have to make sure we find someone of that ilk. That's tough, because they have to be able to sing, too."
The current incarnation of The Temps includes Williams, Ron Tyson (who joined in 1983), Terry Weeks (1998), G.C. Cameron (2003) and Joe Herndon (2003). The key to the guys' still popular concerts?
"Practice, practice, practice," laughs Williams. "We've managed to stay on top of our game for a reason. We study and we rehearse and we sure don't rest on our laurels. We practice the same way we did when we were trying to make it. We practice our harmonies, our choreography and even our uniforms.
"We don't question ourselves. It's about taking everything seriously and making sure we give the public quality. I think we still do that."