Motown Delivered From the Best of the Best

The Temptations Come to Town

By Diane Miller
Music Editor

You may have heard of a music group called the Temptations. You know, one of the most important pop music groups in history? When you start to dive into music groups that are still prominent in the modern world, even though they are far from being modern, that is when you know you are dealing with a powerful force of influence. Lucky for us, we have the chance to be presented with more than just a piece of history; we will get to see and hear music performed from the best of the best in the world.

HPR spoke to Otis Williams, the last remaining original member of The Temptations, about how the music of the Temptations has become a precedent for generations of music to follow.

HIGH PLAINS READER: I consider The Temptations to have defined the standard of singing perfect harmonies. Coming from myself, as a learning/developing back-up vocalist of Fargo, what can you tell me and our readers what it takes to accomplish such incredible blend?

OTIS WILLIAMS: Practice. We never rest on our morals; we never take anything for granted. Like anything else if you want to be good at it, you have to work at it. We even as of today still rehearse. Yesterday we called in everybody to Vegas two days early and we were down in the main room of the hotel rehearsing while we were getting ready to do this TV show. That is the key to being successful. That’s the key when trying to achieve whatever you trying to do.

HPR: The Temptations’ music is so powerful in its influence that it has carried on for decades. What can you say to expand on the success of the group and what keeps your music alive and strong?

OW: We work at trying to be constant professionals, but the songs, the reason the songs are still here 50+ years later are they are songs that anybody of any walk of life can identify with, have been touched by, have lived. When you have a song that is across the board with that kind of appeal, they can say “man that was me. I can remember that. I went through that. I felt that.” When you get that kind of denominator of a song, it touches everybody. That kind of a song takes on a life-form of its own because people can relate. That’s why Motown music is still so very relative today. Listening to some of the music of today, a lot of times it doesn’t even stand up to Motown. It doesn’t compare.

HPR: The Temptations will go down in music history forever. Thinking back to when you were a young musician just starting, did you ever imagine you would reach this level of success?

OW: Nooo. I would not be that facetious to say “Oh yeah, we’d be around 50 years later.” I don’t even believe Barry Gordy knew that Motown would become the iconic label that it is. Back then, we set out with a hunger, purpose, and a desire to achieve and be successful. We had no inclination that it become so iconic, so well loved universally. It is something that we are still in awe of because the music of Motown has been accepted still on a very grand scale.

HPR: To be an artist that was absolutely huge in the sixties and still be performing to this day requires both physical and mental strength. What have you discovered to be the secret that keeps you going?

OW: First and foremost you got to love it. It’s a blessing to get into a position where you are able to do what you love and set a standard. We don’t rest on our morals. We still have the eye of the tiger. We act like we’ve never had any kind of success. We still work at it. We act like we are hungry enough to chew the leg of an iron stove. That is the kind of fervor we have, making sure the Temptations game is tight.

HPR: Are you promoting any new albums you may have release recently on this tour?

OW: Universal just released the Temptations on Ed Sullivan, which is a wonderful CD. It is all the many times the Tempts were on the Ed Sullivan Show.

HPR: What can the Fargo audience expect to see and at your upcoming show on October 16th?

OW: They’ll be able to definitely see what the Temps are known for – the songs, the choreography, and the flashy suits. We are going to be to Temptations thing.
Motown Delivered From the Best of the Best – The Temptations

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IF YOU GO

WHAT: The Temptations
WHEN: Sat. Oct. 15 (Bismarck); Sun. Oct. 16 (Fargo)
WHERE: Bismark: Belle Mehus Auditorium; Fargo: Fargo Theatre
INFO: Buy Tickets at http://tiny.cc/TiX or visit http://www.thetemptations.com/