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The Temptations

Group

The Temptations

Motown soul vocal group

From
Detroit, United States
Since
1960–present
Rating
★ 5 (2 votes)
Releases
208
  • soul
  • funk
  • motown
  • psychedelic soul
  • contemporary r&b
  • pop soul
  • pop
  • r&b

About

The Temptations are an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as the Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 10 hit single "Cloud Nine" in October 1968, pioneered psychedelic soul, and was significant in the evolution of R&B and soul music. The group members were known for their choreography, distinct harmonies, and dress style. Having sold tens of millions of albums, the Temptations are among the most successful groups in popular music.

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Featuring five male vocalists and dancers (save for brief periods with fewer or more members), the group's founding members came from two rival Detroit vocal groups: Otis Williams, Elbridge "Al" Bryant, and Melvin Franklin of (Otis Williams &) the Distants, and Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams of the Primes. In 1964, Bryant was replaced by David Ruffin, who was the lead vocalist on a number of the group's biggest hits, including "My Girl" (1964), "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (1966), and "I Wish It Would Rain" (1967). Ruffin was replaced in 1968 by Dennis Edwards, with whom the group continued to record hit records such as "Cloud Nine" (1968), "I Can't Get Next to You" (1969), and "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" (1970). Kendricks and Paul Williams both left the group in 1971, with subsequent members including Richard Street, Damon Harris, Glenn Leonard, Ron Tyson, and Ali-Ollie Woodson, the last of whom was the lead singer on late-period hit "Treat Her Like a Lady" in 1984 and the theme song for the children's movement program Kids in Motion in 1987.
Over the course of their career, the Temptations released four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and fourteen R&B number-one singles. The group was the first Motown act to win a Grammy Award – for "Cloud Nine" in 1969 – and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, received in 2013. They won four Grammy Awards in total. The Temptations – specifically Edwards, Franklin, Kendricks, Ruffin, Otis Williams and Paul Williams – were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Three Temptations songs, "My Girl", "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" (1971), and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (1972), are included among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The Temptations were ranked No. 68 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" in 2010. In 2023, the group were ranked No. 1 by Billboard magazine on its list of the "100 Greatest R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of All Time".
As of 2026, the Temptations continue to perform with Otis Williams in the lineup, who is the group's last surviving original member. Williams owns the rights to the Temptations name.

From The Temptations on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Members

Discography

Albums 48
Singles 36
Live 22
Compilations 92

Showing 60 of 92. See them all on MusicBrainz

Other 10

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Reference

Instrumental supporting musician

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Also known as

Temptations · The Original Lead Singers of The Temptations · The Original Lead Singers of the Temptations · The Original Singers of the Temptations · The Tempations · The Templations · The Temptation · The Temptations Original Lead Singers

Tags

  • rhythm & blues
  • american
  • rnb
  • soul and reggae

Identifiers

ISNI
0000000115041997

Data from MusicBrainz, saved 6 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.