Post by tempfan on Nov 23, 2007 16:30:16 GMT -5
WHY OTIS IS THE LAST TEMPTATION
BY SOUTH WALES ECHO
Michael Jackson clearly didn’t listen to the financial wisdom of his ‘uncle’ Otis Williams back in the day.
The Prince of Pop is deep in the money mire and while Motown luminary Williams, the founder and sole surviving original member of The Temptations, is still touring to pay the bills he isn’t near financial ruin because he has a ruthless business mean streak.
"We are a business like Ford is a business," says Williams of The Temptations. "We may be smaller but it doesn’t mean the laws of business are any different for us."
That shark-eyed streak has served many of his former band members harshly and the fact that the group’s name is often abbreviated to The Temps has often proved horribly apt.
The five-piece vocal harmony group have at least 16 former members, some who left to pursue solo careers and some who left due to ill-health – but most of whom were fired by Williams.
"I’ve never been a malicious person," the 66-year-old told me from a Washington hotel suite.
"The Temps is my baby, something I started back in the ‘50s, and have simply done what had to be done for The Temps to survive.
"But I would have loved for the original Temps to have stayed together because we were such a unique and dynamic bunch of guys."
The Temps formed in Detroit in 1960 and soon signed up with Motown impresario Berry Gordy.
After a sticky start they found their voices and from the moment they released My Girl in December 1964, their careers spiralled upwards.
The group’s legacy is powerful, having sold more than 22 million albums and enjoyed the second-longest tenure on the Motown label, 40 years, behind only Stevie Wonder.
Williams believes the secret of the group’s success was that it was born in the ’60s. "That was the most tumultuous decade in music," he said in his rumbling baritone voice.
"You had Motown, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones standing shoulder to shoulder and making history, which is a very memorable thing. We came out of that decade just fine and I think we will be looked upon in history as one of the true greats, alongside people like Aretha (Franklin), Marvin (Gaye) and Stevie (Wonder)."
Williams worked with so many of the great figures in black music history but he barely had to think when asked to pick his favourite.
"Michael Jackson," he said quickly. "We did a show together with The Jackson Five in Chicago during the ‘70s and the crowd got so excited they flooded the stage.
"Security ushered us into the back of a little van. We were crammed in, in the dark with people banging the sides and shouting our names, and I remember Michael being very scared, because he was fairly young then.
"But he was asking, ‘Uncle Otis are you OK?’ – and that was him all over, so considerate."
Williams has his own place in musical history, partly because of his driving self-promotion, his ‘me-first’ attitude, his business sense and charm.
His mobile phone answer message plays The Temps’ first hit, Check Yourself, before his Texarkana accent drawls, "If you’re calling Otis you’d better check yourself, and if you believe it, leave it." It’s typical Williams, blowing his trumpet with memorable style.
BY SOUTH WALES ECHO
Michael Jackson clearly didn’t listen to the financial wisdom of his ‘uncle’ Otis Williams back in the day.
The Prince of Pop is deep in the money mire and while Motown luminary Williams, the founder and sole surviving original member of The Temptations, is still touring to pay the bills he isn’t near financial ruin because he has a ruthless business mean streak.
"We are a business like Ford is a business," says Williams of The Temptations. "We may be smaller but it doesn’t mean the laws of business are any different for us."
That shark-eyed streak has served many of his former band members harshly and the fact that the group’s name is often abbreviated to The Temps has often proved horribly apt.
The five-piece vocal harmony group have at least 16 former members, some who left to pursue solo careers and some who left due to ill-health – but most of whom were fired by Williams.
"I’ve never been a malicious person," the 66-year-old told me from a Washington hotel suite.
"The Temps is my baby, something I started back in the ‘50s, and have simply done what had to be done for The Temps to survive.
"But I would have loved for the original Temps to have stayed together because we were such a unique and dynamic bunch of guys."
The Temps formed in Detroit in 1960 and soon signed up with Motown impresario Berry Gordy.
After a sticky start they found their voices and from the moment they released My Girl in December 1964, their careers spiralled upwards.
The group’s legacy is powerful, having sold more than 22 million albums and enjoyed the second-longest tenure on the Motown label, 40 years, behind only Stevie Wonder.
Williams believes the secret of the group’s success was that it was born in the ’60s. "That was the most tumultuous decade in music," he said in his rumbling baritone voice.
"You had Motown, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones standing shoulder to shoulder and making history, which is a very memorable thing. We came out of that decade just fine and I think we will be looked upon in history as one of the true greats, alongside people like Aretha (Franklin), Marvin (Gaye) and Stevie (Wonder)."
Williams worked with so many of the great figures in black music history but he barely had to think when asked to pick his favourite.
"Michael Jackson," he said quickly. "We did a show together with The Jackson Five in Chicago during the ‘70s and the crowd got so excited they flooded the stage.
"Security ushered us into the back of a little van. We were crammed in, in the dark with people banging the sides and shouting our names, and I remember Michael being very scared, because he was fairly young then.
"But he was asking, ‘Uncle Otis are you OK?’ – and that was him all over, so considerate."
Williams has his own place in musical history, partly because of his driving self-promotion, his ‘me-first’ attitude, his business sense and charm.
His mobile phone answer message plays The Temps’ first hit, Check Yourself, before his Texarkana accent drawls, "If you’re calling Otis you’d better check yourself, and if you believe it, leave it." It’s typical Williams, blowing his trumpet with memorable style.