Temptations founder says group always has been greater than sum of its parts

By: Stacy M. Brown/ NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent To hear him tell his story, Otis Williams is just a southern boy from Texarkana, Texas, who, while growing up, loved the “Devil’s music.” His two grandmothers took care of him when his mother moved to Detroit in search of better employment and living conditions for the musically inclined troublemaker. Williams had recently become a teenager when he happened upon The Fox Theater in the Motor City, where his family group, The Cadillacs, performed. “Oh, how I wanted to have my own group,” he told NNPA Newswire in a discussion at the Imperial Theater on Broadway where a sold-out crowd sang, danced, laughed, cried, and cheered the fantastic musical, “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations.” As in the musical, Williams revealed an everlasting fondness for the Classic Five, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, and David Ruffin. There’s also the seldom mentioned Lamont, not a Temptation, but Williams’ son. “People often ask me, if I could bring back to life one member of The Temptations, which one would I choose,” Nik Walker, who portrays Williams in the musical, says during a spotlighted scene near the close of the electrifying performance. “Lamont. My son. That’s who,” he said. Even behind the dark shades and the baseball cap with the “Aint To Proud” logo, one could see Williams’ genuine expressions. “The music lives forever,” Williams deadpanned. “Life isn’t like a record that you can rewind.” With the tragic deaths of each of the original members, Williams at 80 remains in a familiar spot. Sixty years ago, his motivation centered on not only making The Temptations the biggest group in R&B history but protecting the brand. With the reopening of the Broadway show and a touring version hitting the road, Williams said he can now concentrate on getting back on the road with the latest incarnation of the supergroup. Williams reminds everyone that he’s been fortunate to have been with the “most singing-Esque brothers ever.” In all, the group has made 24 changes in its 60-year history and, as they […]

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