After more than six decades, Williams still kickin’ it with The Temptations: ‘Who would have imagined?’
The current configuration of The Temptations, with Otis Williams at center (courtesy The Temptations)
If you are 60 and a fan of music, you will remember The Temptations as providing some of the best R&B sound from the 1960s and ’70s.
If you are under 60, you may have seen the Broadway musical, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” the story of the five-man singing group from Detroit that caught the fancy of a generation, in a theater near you.
The Temptations will perform an 8 p.m. concert on Friday, Sept. 21, at Chinook Winds Casino and Resort in Lincoln City.
I saw The Temptations-based musical at Keller Auditorium in 2022. I have read Williams’ autobiography, published in 1988. And I have visited Detroit’s “Hitsville Museum,” the birthplace of Motown Records, with whom The Temptations were affiliated from 1961-76 and 1980-2004. So I am very familiar with what I consider one of the premier musical groups of any era.
Billboard Magazine recently ranked them No. 1 on its list of the 100 greatest R&B/Hip-Hop artists of all time. Rolling Stone Magazine calls them “indisputably the greatest black vocal group of the modern era.”
The Temptations have been nominated nine times for Grammy Awards and have won five, including Motown Records’ first-ever Grammy in 1969 with their song “Cloud Nine.” They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame. They were given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a star on New York City’s Apollo Theater Walk of Fame.
The Temps’ first top-20 single came in 1964 with “The Way You Do the Things You Do.” The song “My Girl” became their first No. 1 hit in 1965.
Overall, the Temps have racked up 15 No. 1 R&B songs along with four No. 1s on the pop charts. They have also produced 16 No. 1 R&B albums, 53 singles that reached the Billboard Hot 100 and 44 that have reached the top 10 on the R&B charts.
Only one member of the original group that started in 1962 is still alive, and he remains its heart and soul — Otis Williams, who will turn 83 on Oct. 30. Of the others who made up the “Classic Five” that were members during the peak years of 1964-68, Paul Williams died in 1973, David Ruffin in 1991, Eddie Kendricks in 1992 and Melvin Franklin in 1995.
The original Temptations in the early 1960s
The current configuration of The Temptations includes Williams, Ron Tyson (75), Terry Weeks (61), Tony Grant (57) and Jawan Jackson (37). Tyson has been a member of the group since 1983, Weeks since 1997. Grant came aboard in 2021 and Jackson in 2022. A total of 27 singers have been members of The Temps since their inception, with Williams the one constant.
I recently spoke with Dr. Williams in a phone interview from Dallas, where The Temps were staging a “private show.” Noting that they were about to begin a mini-tour of seven concerts in a 10-day span that began in California and finishes in Oregon on Saturday, I told the Los Angeles resident that seems like a pretty hectic schedule.
Otis Williams has been a member and guiding light of The Temptations for 63 years (courtesy The Temptations)
OW: Yes it is. That’s why I try to sit or lay down as often as I can (laughs).
KE: Once you are done with a show these days, you must be exhausted. There is probably not the kind of post-concert partying that engaged you in your youth.
OW: We still love performing, but you learn how to do things in moderation when you have been around as long as The Temptations have been. I can’t complain. I am blessed to still do what I do.
KE: You look, act and perform like a much younger man than 82. How do you do it?
OW: I try to take care of myself. I tell people, beware of what you do when you’re young, because it will sure catch up with you as you get older.
KE: Do you personally play all of your dates, or do you sit any out?
OW: No. I will be right up there bouncing with the rest of the guys.
KE: Do you have a workout routine?
OW: From time to time, I work out. I used to go to the gym. What I do now is walk. I had surgery on my right knee, so I try not to do too much to stress that out. All in all, I can still get around and do what I have to do.
KE: The Temptations celebrated your 60th anniversary in 2022, and you are still going strong in 2024. That’s incredible staying power. What’s been the secret?
OW: I have always had a measure of discipline within myself. I’m not trying to sound sanctimonious, but when I moved to L.A. in my mid-30s I learned that if you’re going to be in this game a long time, you better start taking better care of yourself. When I am home, I don’t go out to the parties unless I am invited to something special. But to go out and hang out like I used to when we first started? I learned to take care of myself so when it is time to do what I still enjoy doing, I am able to do it.
KE: The Temptations have played in the state of Oregon several times over the years. Any memories from those shows?
OW: It has always been pleasant memories. It is a gorgeous state to visit. I used to see a young lady who lived in Portland, but I haven’t seen her in years.
KE: You have come a long way from rather humble beginnings in Texarkana (population about 15,000 in the 1940s, located 180 miles from Dallas). Do you ever think about that?
OW: Absolutely. Oh yeah. That’s the foundation of me being real with myself, coming from such a humble position and upbringing to where I am now. I always become very reflective of where I was. I am very thankful to God first and foremost. This business we are in is so fickle. If you let it take over, you won’t last at all. I have 62 years in, and I am still jumping around on stage like I am 22. Here it is, I am 82.
KE: You write in your autobiography that you got much of your parenting from your two grandmothers. They must have been a powerful influence on you.
OW: I had two wonderful grandmothers who instilled in me about always being thankful and remembering God. I still bend my knees when I get ready to go to bed to say my prayers. I have that deep-rooted in my being. It has helped keep me being real with life. To be in show business as long as I have been … it is such a tricky business. If you let it grab ahold of you, the next thing you know, you’re in bad shape.
KE: The move to Detroit to live with your mother and stepfather at age 11 put you in touch with the gospel music scene and eventually R&B. You started your own group in the late ‘50s and began to make connections to people who became bandmates with you, and eventually in The Temptations. What was it like living in Detroit in those formative years?
OW: It was fantastic. To come from Texarkana to Detroit, I was seeing things I didn’t see in Texas. When I was 12 or 13, that was during the infancy of rock and roll. I went to the Fox Theater and saw all these fabulous rock and rollers like Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, The Cadillacs, the Royal Jokers. … There was a big lineup of shows and performers. For me to see 4,000 to 4,500 people going crazy over what five guys were doing on stage, that was my initiation to thinking, ‘That’s what I want to do.’
When I got to be 21 or 22, The Temptations had been formed and we were at the Fox Theater and getting the same kind of adulation. It let me know that God in His infinite wisdom let me do what I am still able to do all these years later.
KE: You were the backbone of the group really from the beginning. During your heyday years, you were the unofficial disciplinarian who had to lead decisions about letting certain bandmates go. How difficult was it to keep together the group with all the different egos and personalities?
OW: It was a work of love mixed with business. We had five guys who were talented, but it goes beyond being talented. It is about being able to understand life and people placed in different situations. Being successful can be very tempting. Here you are making a lot of money. You are getting adulation from all walks of life, especially from the ladies. You can easily lose your perspective.
I have had to stand by the losing of David, Eddie, Paul, Melvyn, Dennis (Edwards) … the list is long. But you have to do what you have to do. God in heaven knows that I didn’t want to change out any of the guys. But like I always tell people, the one thing that is constant in life is change.
KE: So much incredible talent went through Motown Records during your time with the company. What was it like working there during those years under the legendary Berry Gordy?
OW: Wonderful. When I think about it, I become reflective. Detroit was always known for the Big Three: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. Then it was known for four, including Motown. We were brought together in that two-story family flat (the original office structure) for a special reason during the turbulent ‘60s. Berry didn’t even realize how big Motown was going to become. People have come from all over the world to see (the Hitsville Museum). We never would have imagined that it would have such an impact.
In the early days, Motown did something no other recording company has ever done. They had a division called ‘Artist Development.’ All that raw talent Berry had, they had to go to school to learn proper etiquette. It paid off. That is what made Motown aside from all the hits. (Musicians) were called to rehearsal that started at 10 or 11 in the morning and it would go on all the way til 5 or 6 in the evening. We were groomed to be in the business and not just take it based on hit records. We learned how to carry ourselves, how to hold a decent conversation, the whole ball of wax in how to be a professional.
KE: Berry is still alive at age 94. Do you ever talk to him or see him?
OW: I see him from time to time. He really took care of himself during those crazy days of Motown. He is a wonderful person. I love him immensely.
KE: On parts of your current tour, and in past years, you are sharing the bill with the Four Tops. You have always held a great deal of respect for that group, haven’t you?
OW: They remind me of the Four Freshmen (a white singing group in the 1950s and early ‘60s). Aside from them being great guys, the Four Tops were singing in four-part harmony that was intricate like the Four Freshmen did. The harmonies are such that they were really intense, (displaying a lot of) technical things about music. I have always acquitted them as our black Four Freshmen or Hi-Lo’s (another white group of that era). When (The Four Tops) came to Motown and stepped out of that, when they had them do commercial records and started having all those humongous hits, they took on another being. I loved the original Four Tops and miss that they are no longer here, but we still do dates together with the new group.
KE: Another group that you toured with some in the ’60s and the early ‘70s was The Supremes. How did you like that?
OW: Oh wow, we don’t have enough time to cover the memories of Florence (Ballard), Mary (Wilson) and Diana (Ross). We did one-nighters, I remember that. People were calling The Supremes and The Temps the ‘no-hit wonders’ for a while. We had a lot of singles that were released, but they didn’t do anything until (Holland-Dozier-Holland) came up with, ‘Where Did Our Love Go?’ for The Supremes. And then Smokey Robinson brought ‘The Way You Do the Things You Do’ to the Temps. Both of those songs were cut in 1964. The Supremes and Temps were rolling ever since.
KE: Smokey co-wrote and produced a few of your hits. What has your relationship been like with Smokey over the years?
OW: I love Smokey. He is like a brother to me. He has never changed, and if he has changed at all, it has been for the better. There are not enough accolades I can say about Smokey. As successful as he has become, he still has the common touch. He brought us the song ‘My Girl.’ We were told just a few days ago that ‘My Girl’ has had one billion streams. Who would have imagined that?
Before ‘My Girl,’ Smokey wrote ‘My Guy’ for Mary Wells. It was such a hit, he decided to do a song for us guys. People laughed at him at first. He recorded us and we released it in December 1964. In February of ’65 we were at the Apollo Theater and Berry called to congratulate us for selling more than a million (singles of ‘My Girl.’) The Beatles sent us a telegram of congratulations, which I still have. The Supremes sent us one, too, and so did Florence on her own.
KE: I never get tired of hearing “My Girl.” Do you ever get tired of playing it?
OW: No I don’t. A lot of times I play it and think how it came to reality. One day Smokey saw us play at a nightclub in Detroit called ’20 Grand.’ Smokey was marveling over the show. He said our choreography was fantastic. He said, ‘I’ve got a song for you.’ Us being young and cocky, we said, ‘Bring it on, we’ll sing anything.’ We went to the Apollo Theater and rehearsed it and went back to Detroit and recorded it. Little did we know it was going to be outstanding. Any time the late, great Tony Bennett covers your song, that takes on a whole ‘nuther kind of life.
KE: “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” was such a hit. It grossed $84 million in sales during its Broadway run. It received 12 Tony nominations, including one for best musical, and won a Tony for best choreography. What did you think about it when you watched it?
OW: I was sitting there crying like everybody else. People were singing right along with the music. It touches a whole lot of emotions. I would never have imagined to have a Broadway hit. It started with my book in 1988 and then a television miniseries in 1998 and ’99. From that, here comes the Broadway play that has been very successful and is getting ready to go back out on the road later this month. I am going to Chicago and Detroit and various places to support it. My, what God has blessed me with.
KE: In 2006, you were presented with an honorary doctorate degree from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Ala., making you ‘Dr. Williams.’ What did that mean to you?
OW: At the ceremony, a big guy with a deep voice said, ‘Now they have to refer to you as Dr. Otis Williams.’ I said, ‘Oh, OK. I’m going to tell that to all my friends’ (laughs). But I don’t want to come off as presumptuous. It is a great honor that has been bestowed upon me.
KE: You have been the last living member of the original Temps for nearly 30 years. All of the other members died young. You have had a total of 27 members of the band over the years. You are the one constant.
OW: We are in such a fickle business that it is a wonder I was able to withstand 10 years, not to mention 60. I can’t put in words the significance of what I have been through. My two grandmothers told me, ’Never forget where you came from.’ I used to have to go to church. I was an altar boy. So I had that kind of training. I thank God for me still being with a lot of wonderful people who have helped me maintain the realities of life. With the kind of accolades I have had, it is easy to lose your perspective. You only get one chance at life. My chance has been a glorious one.
KE: Earlier this year, the city of Detroit honored you by naming one of its streets “Otis C. Williams Street.” What kind of a feeling was that?
OW: The first home I ever bought is on that street. I hadn’t been to my old neighborhood for a while so I went by to see if (the current owners) have kept my house up. I went down the street and saw it and said, ‘Oh yeah, they did keep it up.’ it was quite an honor.
KE: You, Ron and Terry have been together for some time now, and Tony and Jawan have been with you for a couple of years. Jawan played Melvin in “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” How do you feel about the current configuration of the group?
OW: On the real side, it is one thing to have the talent. It is a whole ‘nuther thing to be a good person and still keep the common thread. Tony Grant and Jawan Jackson are wonderful guys. I have told Jawan, ‘You make a great Melvin. You would have made him proud.’ He sings very well. He has the right attitude. He is a spiritual man like all of us are.
KE: You must be still having fun. You said recently about your career, “I’m going to ride the hair off the horse. When I get off the horse, it’s going to be bald.” Does that mean you are intending to continue to perform with the band for several more years?
OW: I listen to my body. That’s what I adhere to. For all the action we do on stage, you have to have some kind of good thing about your body. I try and take good care of myself. I am going to ride it until I can’t ride it anymore.
KE: What kind of show can the fans at Chinook Winds expect on the 21st?
OW: We are going to be The Temptations. We will even add a little sense of humor to the show. We will do as many hits as we can. I look at the list of hits we have, no way we can get to them all in an hour and a half. But I like to think we will leave the people satisfied.
The Temptations’ No. 1 singles
My Girl 1964
I Can’t Get Next to You 1969
Just My Imagination 1970
Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone 1972
No. 1 songs, R&B charts:
The Way You Do the Things You Do 1963
My Girl 1964
Get Ready 1965
Ain’t Too Proud to Beg 1965
Beauty is Only Skin Deep 1966
I Know I’m Losing You 1966
I Wish It Would Rain 1967
I Could Never Love Another 1967
Runaway Child, Running Wild 1969
I Can’t Get Next to You 1969
Just My Imagination 1970
Masterpiece 1972
Let Your Hair Down 1973
Happy People 1974
Shakey Ground 1975
(The Temptations stayed relevant enough that they had 12 songs reach the top 20 of the R&B charts in the ‘80s.)
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