The group with "five lead singers" - David Ruffin (replaced by Dennis Edwards in 1968), Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin - the temptin' Temptations was THE male vocal group of the '60s and the early-'70s. Mellifluous harmonies, dynamic dance steps, and killer material provided primarily by Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield (with co-writers Eddie Holland and Barrett Strong) yielded 43 Top Ten hits over 25 years, 36 of which are included on the spectacular recent double-CD collection My Girl: The Very Best of the Temptations.
After recording a series of unsuccessful singles with Motown beginning in 1962, the Tempt's hooked up with Smokey Robinson for their first smash "The Way You Do the Things You Do" in 1964.
Smokey and the group then cranked out hit after hit, including their signature tune, "My Girl." The intro is instantly-recognizable genius: the three-note bass line repeated, the ascending guitar line that feels like home, the swanky finger snaps, the drum break. Then David Ruffin enters with his greatest vocal - a gospel-tinged reverie of private sunshine, warmth and honeyed music, hovering above a cushion of Temptin' harmonies where "Under the Boardwalk" meets "I Only Have Eyes For You."
Robinson ended his run with the Temptations with the aggressive, even menacing "Get Ready" in '66: chattering sax, a charging beat and Eddie Kendricks' falsetto soaring through a great chorus give his lover fair warning that wildness awaits her upon his arrival.
Then Norman Whitfield entered the picture. Whitfield stands as the most adventuresome and funky of the giant Motown songwriter/producers; his greatest work, including seven years of hits with the Temptations, ranks among the finest pop music of the last fifty years.
Whitfield was born in Harlem in 1943 where he developed twin interests in music and billiards. Whitfield's family fortuitously ended up in Detroit when his father's car broke down on the way back to New York from an aunt's funeral in California.
By the age of 18, Whitfield had already written and produced local hits for the Distants and the Synetics. The persistent, observant youth could be found loitering about the Motown office, "always staring at something," Berry Gordy told Nelson George in Where Did Our Love Go?
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - latoshia williams
i love the temptations old songs they are great i wanted to know more about lamont williams i guess thats his name otis williams's son
2 - Lynn
How old was he when he died and what did he die from?
3 - arlene davis
whereis dennis edwards living at and does he still perform and does he have a web sit and does otis william have a web site
4 - Corinne Nurse
I want Otis Williams to know what a good book he has written. I enjoyed reading it so much. I am tempting to collect music with David and Eddie also pictures and any books that were written about them. I am ever so crazy about David's voice it is so amazing. He was something, I mean a character out of this world. I have an appreciation for the original temptations I can hardly wait to begin my collection. I only wish I was living in the USA in the days of David Ruffin; I am sure I would have been David's Groupie and probably would of enjoyed it all. I just thought he was an interesting and sexy person. Oh boy I would of been going to go out of my mind. I was just coming into this world when David was 18 years of age. anyway, if there is any information that you could share about my interest for collecting their music in the biginning I mean the 1960 to when David and Eddie left the tempts, Please send me an e-mail with any information.
5 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Corinne, perhaps the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would have some cool information or artifacts you could check out. Have you tried Motown? Best of luck with your search - there's nothing like the original Temps!
6 - JEAN L. AIKEN
I CAN AGREE WITH CORINNE,DAVID RUFFIN WAS VERY HANSOME.HE SANG VERY WELL,AND I GUESS I COULD HAVE BEEN A GROUPY BEING THAT HE IS ONLY 6 YRS OLDER THAN I AM AND WE BOTH ARE CAPRICORNS MY BIRTHDAY IS JANUARY 11 AND HIS IS JANUARY 18 EXACTLY ONE WEEK APART.THE MAN WAS SPECIAL AND HE WAS INDEED HANDSOME.
7 - JOYCE
I WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY TIMES EDDIE KENDRICKS WAS MARRIEDAND HOW MANY CHILDREN DID HE HAVE?
8 - Maria Love
I two would like to know more about Eddie Kendricks personal life. Such as marriages, children and his life style around the people he held close to him.
9 - julito
want to know the causes of the death of otis lamont williams the son of otis williams and want to know if mama rose maother of melvin franklin is still alive
10 - Marsha
Besides his wife Patricia, how many other wives did Eddie have and how many children?
11 - FPRESSINGON
would like to know more about David Ruffin life as a boy where was his father
why did he go live with another minister
also are there any video/dvd of David performing? where can I find them
12 - Gina Moore
Noticed the comments on David Ruffin. He is my uncle and I may write a book about him. What aspects of his life would be of interest to you?
13 - kim
what ever happen to mama rose franklin english
14 - dante h. plata
Would like to know what was/is Otis Williams last wife's name? I think it starts with Goldie.
Thank you.
15 - Karey
Goldie Shortridge
16 - Audrey
I want to know if Eddie Kendricks had any children, he was a very talented person, his singing voice is one in a million ,as well as his beautiful smile,His songs are also top on my list
17 - Vicki
I have searched all over the internet to find articles about Eddie Kenricks personal life. Such as where are his children. What are their names and ages. How many times was he married and for how long. Was he married when he died?
I just can't seem to find anything but the sam old information about him.
18 - Chris Chiles
I must disagree with the beginning of your article. Being the moitors Elgens (yes like the watch and then
BUT BASICLY EVERY THING BEGAN IN 1961 WITH ELBRIDGE AL BRYANT & RICHARD IN THE GROUP.RENT TEMPTATIONS THE MOVIE.
19 - Ida Walker
I have purchased the dvd "Get Ready", it is a must see for all the Temptation fans out there. This dvd goes all the way back to when the Tempts first started singing. At the end of the dvd, there is a list of people who had anything to do with putting this dvd together and one of the people was a Paul Kendicks,I wonder if this was Eddie's son. Did he name his son after his best friend Paul Williams?
20 - cherquala cole
i loved reading the book and watching the movie very much. that is my all time favorite book movie and the musical group. i just hate that paul got on to drinking and shoot himself, david got on drugs, blue had a big heart, and he seemed like a very nice guy from what i had read and saw.that eddie had gotten cancer and i thank god that otis is still alive to tell their story. and that he had started the group and did every thing that he did
21 - Corinne Nurse
Ida Walker,
Please share with me where you bought the DVD of Eddie, David and the original Temptations? Thank you much.
22 - charles
Iloved the temps, I use to sing their songs to my daughters when they were only three and four years old.
23 - gloria monroe
I like to known their real names and their middle name. what is Paul middle name,what is Parris middle names. i would like to see a pictuer of them and their father.
24 - gloria monroe
Do you have a picture of Paul & Paul together. do they have a middle names.
25 - G Smith
Hi folks,
lets me just start this off like this it's been rumored that i am the first born child of the one eddie kendricks, let me stress "rumored"
you see the story i got from my aunt on her death bed was that my mother and he dated briefly
while my mother was still in high school in detroit Mi. apon hearing of my mothers pregnacy she was ship off to live with my aunt and uncle my grandmothers middle brother. Eddie tried from what im told tried to find my mother but the rest of her sibling were banned from telling him of her where abouts by my grandmother.Now like i said earlier this was told to me by my aunt because she said she couldn't take this to her grave she said to me the man whom i thought was my farther was not truly my farther and my biological farther was eddie kendricks She past in 1995 just months before eddie past.so i was unable to seek him out to try and put closer to this "rumor" so if anyone out there can give me some advice as to how i can proceed with this matter.