Motown music royalty
The Temptations, often referred to as American music royalty, are world-renowned superstars of entertainment, revered for their phenomenal catalog of music and prolific career. They are one of the most iconic, bestselling brands in the entertainment world today. While the group has evolved over the years, Dr. Otis Williams has continued to lead the group and carry the torch forward for the next generation of Temptations’ fans. The Temptations are headlining concerts around the country throughout 2024. Their concerts include fan favorites such as “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me),” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and more.
Ranked #1 in Billboard magazine’s recent list of the “Greatest R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of All Time,” The Temptations also appear in the magazine’s 125th-anniversary list of the “125 Greatest of All Time Artists.” In addition, Rolling Stone magazine named the group among the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.” In September 2020, the editors of Rolling Stone magazine commented that The Temptations are “Indisputably the greatest black vocal group of the modern era…,” and their Anthology album has appeared in all three of Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” lists.
The group celebrated their 60th anniversary in the 2021–22 season. To mark this milestone, The Temptations released a new album, Temptations 60, executive produced by founding member Otis Williams. The new album consists of nearly all-original songs that are both modern and classic in feel and sound.
The Temptations have been the subject of a smash-hit Broadway musical, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, based on Otis Williams’ personal journey, which opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on March 21, 2019. The musical received 12 Tony nominations, including Best Musical, and won the Tony Award for Best Choreography at the 73rd Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 10, 2019. Now on tour, the musical is scheduled to open in theaters in more than 50 cities across the U.S. during the next several years. Ain’t Too Proud opened in the U.K., in the West End of London, at the Prince Edward Theatre on April 20, 2023. Their Emmy Award-winning television mini-series, The Temptations, which first aired to rave reviews in 1998, is still on air or streaming every day somewhere in the world. Williams’ critically acclaimed autobiography, Temptations, was released as an audiobook edition for the first time in 2020, with a new introduction by Williams.
Throughout the group’s evolution, The Temptations have released more than 50 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum albums all combined, many of which are considered American masterpieces. The Temptations are the recipients of numerous awards and honors. They have received five Grammy Awards, including the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. The Temptations delivered Motown’s and their first-ever Grammy for their song “Cloud Nine.” “My Girl,” what many call their magnum opus, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, followed by “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” a year later in 1999. In 1989, The Temptations were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Blockbuster #1 chart hits “Just My Imagination,” “Papa was a Rollin’ Stone” and “My Girl” are among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” The Temptations have 16 No. 1 R&B chart albums, 44 Top-10 R&B chart hits—including 14 No. 1 R&B singles, plus four No. 1 Hot-100 singles.
The Temptations’ heritage, influence and contributions to, not only American culture and African American communities, but also to the global music landscape are monumental. The group’s presence in the world today has never been more vivid, and their popularity is ever-increasing.
Expect rock-concert sound levels