The Temptations

The Temptations Bio

The Temptations is an esteemed R&B vocal group from Detroit, Michigan that reigned throughout the 1960’s until the early 2000’s. The group consisted of vocalists Otis Williams, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin. The Temptations are referred to as “#1 R&B/Hip Hop Artists of All Time” and one of the “125 Greatest of All Time Artists” by Billboard Magazine. Starting off with humble beginnings, the jazz vocalists first called themselves The Elgins and auditioned under this name Motown in 1961, immediately being signed to Motown imprint, Miracle. A year later, ‘Dream Come True’ was released being The Temptations first Billboard R&B hit, landing at number 22. In 1964, single ‘The Way You Do The Things You Do’ which landed on the 11th spot on the US Billboard Pop Charts for 11 weeks. It was not until 1965 where the group released their biggest single yet, ‘My Girl’, which was their first number one hit and presently, has 359.9 million plays on Spotify. Over the course of the group’s music career, The Temptations produced and released 53 Billboard Hot 100 Hit Singles. Their R&B and funk sound has influenced the R&B sounds of the early 2000’s, which is still present in today’s genre. Considered America’s “National Treasure”, the group received 4 Grammys: their first being ‘Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental’ in 1969 for their song ‘Cloud Nine’ and the next three for their hit, ‘Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone’, winning Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group, Best R&B Instrumental and Best R&B Song in 1973. In 2013, they were awarded the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. Presently, Otis Williams is the only surviving member of the group that is part of the The Temptations musical ‘Ain’t Too Proud’, which received 11 Tony nominations