It's a diamond milestone for one of Detroit's iconic music acts.
The Temptations have announced a yearlong 60th anniversary celebration that will include a host of activity, including music releases, a video series and a planned return to live performing. More projects will be announced in coming weeks.
Additionally, the commemorative hit show "Ain't Too Proud" is set for its Broadway return Oct. 16, along with a Detroit debut at the Fisher Theatre in August 2022. (The Detroit run was scheduled for summer 2020 but delayed amid the pandemic.)
It was 60 years ago Saturday that Otis Williams, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin and Elbridge Bryant signed a deal with Berry Gordy and Motown Records, two months after auditioning for the label as the Elgins.
By 1964, with David Ruffin now in the fold, the Tempts landed the breakthrough single "The Way You Do the Things You Do," sparking a long, powerhouse run that included some of the 20th century's most memorable hits: "My Girl," "Get Ready," "I Wish it Would Rain," "Just My Imagination," "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone."
Otis Williams, the original group's lone surviving member, said in a Friday statement that reaching the 60-year mark "hasn't always been easy," but he feels blessed to have shared the journey with fans and his fellow Tempts through the decades.
"To be the last one standing from the classic lineups can be hard sometimes, but I know God left me here for a reason, and that was to continue to share with new generations of fans, the great music that we started back in that two-story house in Detroit known as Hitsville, U.S.A.," Williams said. "Music is a universal language, and I know our music, throughout the years has brought people joy, comfort and sometimes even hope. I truly hope that was our greater purpose on earth."
Williams said he's planning a return to the road later this summer for the the group, which today includes Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, Willie Greene, Jr. and Mario Corbino.
The 60th anniversary commemoration, set to run through June 2022, is being spearheaded by Williams and Temptations manager Shelly Berger with Motown and Universal Music Enterprises.
"The Temptations' evolution during the 20th and 21st centuries is one of the greatest American music stories of our generation," read a statement by UME president Bruce Resnikoff. "They are among the most legendary artists in the business, and their meteoric rise to superstardom exceeded all expectations and changed the course of music history, here and around the world. It is a tremendous honor to recognize not only the group’s legacy, artistry and distinguished catalog of music, but also the sole-surviving member of the classic group, Otis Williams, who continues to carry the torch forward for fans today."
