The Temptations are a Detroit, Michigan-based American singing group that had a string of hit singles and albums with Motown Records in the 1960s and 1970s. Beginning with the Top 10 smash single “Cloud Nine” in October 1968, the group’s collaboration with producer Norman Whitfield pioneered psychedelic soul and was influential in the evolution of R&B and soul music.
The members of the band are noted for their dancing, unusual harmonies, and fashion sense. The Temptations are one of the most successful groups in popular music, having sold tens of millions of CDs.
What was the Temptations number one song?
Early in 1965, they released the Smokey classic “My Girl,” which many consider their greatest achievement.
It was their first pop No. 1, and it is now in the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Recording Registry.
Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams began singing together in church when they were children. By early adolescence, they had created the Cavaliers, a doo-wop quartet with Kell Osborne and Wiley Waller.
After Waller left the group in 1957, the surviving trio left Birmingham to pursue a career in music. Under the supervision of Milton Jenkins, the group relocated to Detroit and changed its name to the Primes.
The Primes quickly became well-known in the Detroit area for their precise performances. Jenkins later formed a sibling group, the Primettes, which became the Supremes.
Kendricks was already regarded as a “matinee idol” in the Detroit area, while Williams’ baritone vocals were highly welcomed.
Meanwhile, Texas teenager Otis Williams traveled to Detroit as a child to live with his mother. Williams was the head of a singing ensemble called Otis Williams and the Siberians by 1958.
Elbridge “Al” Bryant, James “Pee-Wee” Crawford, Vernard Plain, and Arthur Walton were among others in the group.
The band recorded “Pecos Kid” for radio DJ Senator Bristol Bryant’s label. The group’s name was changed to The El Domingoes shortly after its publication.
Following that, Montgomery native Melvin Franklin took over as bass vocalist for Arthur Walton, and Detroit-born Richard Street (said by Melvin Franklin to be his cousin) took over as lead singer for Vernard Plain.
After signing with Johnnie Mae Matthews’ Northern Records, the group’s name was altered once more to the Distance.
