Published Thursday, February 20, 2003
try to balance old with new
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is part of a series on groups inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Museum, Sharon.
By Joe PinchotHerald Staff Writer
Otis Williams calls it the "blessed curse."
The Temptations have a list of hits longer than Williams' very long arms, but there's no way the group could sing them all in one concert.
"We're always getting people that say, 'Do this,' 'Do that,' and we only have 75 minutes," Williams said. "We do the best we can."
Not purely a nostalgia act, the Motown quintet, which sings tonight in Youngstown, adds new material to its shows.
"We record and that's another thing that complicates things," he said. "Not only do we not want to stay in the past, even though our fans would love to hear those early hits, but we have to stay in the present because we're recording now. Naturally, when you record, the recording companies want you to promote the fresh product. We're caught between a rock and a hard place at times."
The group was recognized for its newer work when "Lady" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Traditional R&B Vocal Performance category. The Grammy Award winners will be announced Sunday.
Williams, of Los Angeles, said the group looks for new material that allows it to "make great sounds."
"We always stay with the thing that we know works best for us," said Williams, who was born Otis Miles in Texarkana, Texas. "We always come up with good songs. We don't get too gimmicky. We don't try and step out of character, make ourselves look foolish, like trying to come out to be hip-hop. That's not us. We try to stay with what our fans know."
Coming out of Detroit, the Temptations signed with Motown in the early '60s, and scored their first hit, "The Way You Do the Things You Do," in 1964, but hit their stride the next year with "My Girl."
Hits like "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," "I'm Losing You," "Get Ready," "Cloud 9," "Psychedelic Shack," "Just My Imagination" and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" kept the group on the charts every year until 1977, even after lead singers Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin left for solo careers.
The early '80s saw the Temptations on the charts again, and Ruffin and Kendricks returning for the first of a series of reunions.
Of the five men who made the group's reputation -- Williams, Kendricks, Ruffin, Paul Williams and Melvin Franklin -- only Williams survives.
"I don't dwell on that," he said. "That can be a negative if I pondered on it too long. I try to stay in the here and now and stay positive. Naturally, I miss them and we made wonderful history together. Not to sound cryptic, but we're all born to leave here at some point in time."
Those who have joined Williams are very aware of the group's history.
"It's an absolute honor for me to represent what these guys started 41 years ago," said Terry Weeks, a six-year member. "I look forward to every day, and I represent these guys with pride."
Weeks was born the year before the Temptations' first hit, and was introduced to the group's music by his older brothers and sisters.
"I used to sneak and listen to their records." he said. "I was influenced by them because they were listening to not only the Temptations, but Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder. Every group and every solo act from that era just, for some reason, struck a chord and stayed with me all of these years."
A chance encounter with Williams led to his eventually joining the group.
"1990, I met Otis Williams on a street corner in Hollywood," Weeks explained. "I asked him if he had a moment. I sang to him on the street. He called me a few days later and we conversed. He said, 'Hey, look, I want you to join my production company.' I was like, 'You gotta be kidding, right?' I was just out visiting. At that time, I was in the Air Force and wasn't really sure if I wanted to pursue music. After that encounter with Otis, it kind of made up my mind."
Weeks, a Birmingham, Ala., native who lives in Las Vegas, worked as a writer and producer for the group.
"Then, the vacancy came about," he said. "They were actually overseas in London, and he (Williams) said, 'The job's yours if you want it.' I was like, 'Oh my god, I can't believe it.' It was just strange because it fell in my lap. It wasn't something I asked for. I've loved it ever since that day."
Williams said he has no plans to retire.
"You have to love it first because it's such a rigorous lifestyle, demanding and sometimes commanding, and all of those kinds of things," he said. "You have to love it, and I still do."
The Temptations and fellow Motown greats the Four Tops sing at 7:30 p.m. at Powers Auditorium. Tickets and information: (330) 744-0264, at the box office and www.youngstownsymphony.com
The groups also sing at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Tullio Arena, Erie. Information: (814) 453-7117 and www.erieciviccenter.com Tickets: (814) 452-4857, (330) 747-1212, at Kaufmann's or Iggle Entertainment, both Hermitage, and www.ticketmaster.com
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at
jpinchot@sharonherald.com