Yeah, you’re right. Technically, charter member of the famed R&B quintet The Temptations is NOT a jazz singer. GET OVER IT!!! Would YOU turn down a chance to sit at the feet and learn from the last living member of the band that gave the world music for 50 years? I defy you to find any jazz musician who hasn’t been influenced by tunes like “My Girl,” “Get Ready,” “Ball Of Confusion” and “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” which reach beyond categories.
This year marks the half century mark of the beginning of the Temptations’ career, and Universal/Motown has put out a bucketload of commemorative cds and dvds (catch the band singing a few standards like”Autumn Leaves” on the Ed Sullivan show!) in tribute to the influential band.
In actuality, whether it be an R&B/pop band, or an orchestra like Duke Ellington, there are many similar key elements and factors that make a band and its music endure. Catching up with Otis, we zeroed in in the qualities of taste, loyalty and class which always seem to endure for an artist.
The team of Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin created the foundation of the Temptation sound. Though leading singers came and went, the long term friendship and association of these two men kept the band together through thick and thin.
HOW DID YOU INITIALLY MEET MELVIN FRANKLIN?
I was in search of a bass singer, and one day I was walking down Woodrow Wilson Street in Detroit, and it just so happened that Melvin was coming that way. I crossed over to the side that he was on, and then he crossed to the OTHER side. He thought I was a gang member! We criss-crossed for a couple of minutes, and then I finally stopped and explained to him that I was looking for a bass singer, and had heard of him. He was 16 and I was 17. That’s how we met.
WHAT WERE YOUR EARLY EXPOSURES TO MUSIC?
I used to love the great Rock and Roll Shows that would come to the Fox Theatre. They used to bring Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers, The Cadillacs, Jimmy Jones , The Nightcaps, The Cleftones. A lot of those big acts in the 50s, and I was about 13, 14, 15 years old. When I saw the reaction they were getting from what they were doing on stage, and the reaction of the 5000 people at the Fox Theatre, that’s what made me say, “I want to do that.”
WHEN DID YOU GUYS FEEL THAT THE TEMPTATIONS HAD MADE IT AS A SUCCESSFUL BAND?
Well, we’ve always kept the hunger of wanting to advance further, but we felt that we’d made great inroads when we got on the Ed Sullivan TV Show. Back at that time Ed Sullivan was the big to-do; if you were on that show, you must be doing something wonderful. When got on that show a couple times, I remember thinking, “Well, we must have arrived!”
THE FIRST CHANGE CAME WHEN LEAD SINGER DAVID RUFFIN LEFT TO START A SOLO CAREER, JUST AS YOU WERE GETTING POPULAR. WAS THAT A DISCOURAGING TIME?
No, at the time we had to do what we had to do. David wanted to try things on his own, and we were still thinking “group,” so we had to make the necessary changes. While David wanted to do his solo thing, Melvin and I wanted to continue with the group, as we were becoming quite successful, so continuing was a necessity for us.
AS SINGERS LIKE RUFFIN AND EDDIE KENDRICKS LEFT THE BAND, DID YOU EVER FEEL LIKE THE BAND WAS GOING TO FOLD?
No, once we got started, I’ve always felt like we had hit after hit, year after year, so we never got that feeling. The only thing that got me discouraged were all of the group changes. Other than that, we stayed pretty positive.
WHAT WAS THE IMPETUS FOR YOU AND MELVIN TO MAKE YOUR PROMISE TO EACH OTHER?
That was in Westbury, Long Island, 1969, when we were having some internal conflicts. Melvin and myself decided then that we would never let it go, and we continued on regardless of who was or who wasn’t going to be in the band. We were going to continue. Melvin and I never signed anything…it was just an internal agreement between ourselves.
WITH ALL OF THE VARIOUS BAND CHANGES, HOW DID YOU KEEP YOUR UNIQUE STYLE AND SOUND?
We’ve always managed to get guys that maintain the sound that we are noted for, because when we originally got together to sing, we just want to sing. We didn’t look for a specific sound, but that’s just something that developed .
We look for someone who was the best fit for our personalities, not the exact same sound. Someone who could sing and perform what we were known for at the time. That was main criteria.
WHAT WAS YOUR OPINION OF THE TV MINISERIES ABOUT THE BAND?
It’s true to form. I wouldn’t change anything, or it wouldn’t be honest. We only took a little small percentage of what they call in the business “ebb and flow,” but other than that I wouldn’t change a thing.
We were all southern guys. I’m from Texas, and Melvin was from Alabama. David from Mississippi and Paul and Eddie were from Alabama also. We all grew up with a very strong gospel influence from our grandparents and family upbringing. I still go to church from time to time, but most of the time I’m on the road, but I will go when I can.
DURING THE DIFFICULT TIMES, WHAT INFLUENCE DID YOUR FAITH HAVE?
My faith has always kept me positive. One thing that you realize is that life is going to be life, regardless if you’re “successful” or not. Certain things are just part of living, so we’ve understood that. Certain things happen, but you can’t ever lose faith and you just have to stay with the tunnel vision with what you’ve got to do to keep going forward. Life is life, you lose family members and group members, but in the instance of losing you have to continue on.
AS FAR AS YOUR MUSIC GOES, YOUR BAND WAS ONE OF THE FEW SOUL GROUPS TO FOCUS ON MAKE ENTIRE ALBUMS INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON SINGLES. WHAT WAS THE REASON BEHIND THAT?
Motown wanted us to make albums, because that’s the way that they make their money. Not just selling singles, but also selling whole albums. That was a pre-requisite there. Not only did the album make the company money, but so would the artist.
We were fortunate enough to have Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield as strong writers. They would try to come up with a concept for the album. Obviously, the first concept was to make sure that EVERY song that we’d record was very good. So, we always went into the studio with the idea of starting with great material, and try to make the best album that could be made.
YOU WERE ONE OF THE FIRST SOUL BANDS TO GO BEYOND THE “I LOVE YOU” THEMES TO SUBJECTS MORE CONTROVERSIAL, SUCH AS POLITICS, RUNAWAY CHILDREN AND ABSENTEE FATHERS.
Yeah, we were pretty daring and challenging to the point to where we wanted to not only sing love songs, but talk about life and political aspects. One thing we would never try to do is to tell a person one of four things, or you would lose your fan base. We were taught never to tell someone how to spend their money, politics, religion, or who they are in love with. That was taboo. We didn’t want to get too far out, but we still wanted to let everyone to know that there were a lot of trials and tribulations in the world and that we were trying to express that.
IT’S AMAZING HOW “BALL OF CONFUSION” COULD BE SPEAKING TO THE PRESENT SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCENE!
Ball of Confusion. That was our 1969 hit, and it still relevant today. When we sing it today, I think, “Man, that record is over 30 years old, and here it is still sounding apropos to what’s happening here today. Norman Whitfield was ahead of his time with the line, “Politicians say ‘More taxes will solve everything.”
NOT TO MENTION “PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE” STRIKING A CHORD THEN AND NOW.
We had the pulse of the people with “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” because that was an actuality. Just about everybody, and I’m trying to say it with the right kind of justification, because obviously not every father is a rolling stone, but I’ve talked to a lot of guys who would tell me, “Yeah, man, that was my old man.” Even my old man was a rolling stone, so we were telling the truth.
And “Runaway Child,” it’s still happening today. Lots of kids still running away from home. We were just singing about life, and how people react to it.
YOUR FAME HAS BROUGHT YOU TO SOME INTERESTING VENUES. POSSIBLY YOUR MOST FAMOUS WAS YOUR SINGING AT THE FAMOUS ALI/FRAZIER BOXING MATCH IN 1975.
We were there in the “Thrilla In Manila” when Ali and Frazier fought. It was a heckuva gathering. We were in something like a shed, cause it was a tentlike shed that they fought in. It was HOT there, but It was a pleasure to be there to see Ali and Frazier fight.
Before Ali fought, one of his handlers asked us to come backstage to the dressing room, because Ali wanted us to come back there. We did a little a cappela version of “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” while he was getting his hand wrapped. After the fight was over, I talked with him, and he thanked us for coming in, because he had been a little bit nervous.
YOU WERE ALSO THERE AT THE VERY BEGINNING WHEN MICHAEL JACKSON BECAME A HOUSEHOLD NAME
Michael came up along with us together, when he was still with the Jackson Five. We did a lot of shows together. The Jacksons are very near and dear to my heart, as we grew up in Motown together. Michael and I would sit together in his trailer and talk about the Motown days. One time, we were in Chicago with Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition, with the Jackson 5 and The Temps. Well, the crowd started rushing the stage so that they had to haul us all out in a big U-Haul truck. I’ll never forget that it was so dark in the truck that Michael was concerned about me, and kept asking, “Where’s Otis? Where’s Otis?” and when he finally found me, I’ll never forget the warm look that he gave me, as it had so much love and concern.
BACK IN THE EARLY DAYS OF YOUR CAREER IN THE 60s AND 70s, IT SEEMED THAT THERE WERE FEWER MUSICAL BOUNDARIES. PEOPLE LISTENED TO JAZZ, SOUL, COUNTRY AND ROCK WITHOUT GIVING IT A SECOND THOUGHT. HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE THE MUSICAL ENVIRONMENT OF NOW TO WHEN YOU FIRST HIT THE SCENE.
Well, you know, music has changed so much since the time we first started out to where it is right now. We always focused on just making good music. I listen to the stuff that’s on the radio now, and feel that the LCC must’ve relaxed their views. I hear them singing about everything and anything on the radio and television. Back when we started, you couldn’t even say the word “damn.” No, they say everything, and it shows that our morality has really dropped. They can get on the radio with all kind of profanity, and call themselves “beepin’” but kids understand what it is when something is being beeped. You might as well not have it beeped. We know what’s being said. So, I’m not impressed with today’s music. There are a few artists that come along to make some great songs that will last, and that’s the kind of era where we are from. A great song should be a testimony 50-60 years down the line, which is why The Temptations and Motown is still being celebrated. The songs that we made have and still are standing the test of time. We were taught that anytime the mind can remember a song even after it’s off the radio, and it’s still there subconsciously there, that’s the mark of a good song. When you find yourself humming a song after it’s done, that’s a good sign.
DOES YOUR NEWEST BAND APPRECIATE THE TEMPTATION LEGACY?
They guys that are in the band now are all well aware of the history of The Tempts. I have Terry and Ali who were in the Air Force, Joe was in Vietnam. He told us that that’s what kept him going, listening to The Tempt’s music while fighting in the jungle. I’ve been fortunate enough to have guys in the band who knew what we were about.
I still love it. I can’t complain. It would be like me complaining with a loaf of bread underneath my arm!
Like the great bands of Basie, Ellington and Herman, The Temptations were able to develop a unique sound that connected with their generation. Even more importantly, they were able to change with the times, define the times, and eventually transcend the times with music that was made to last. It’s qualities like this that make them “beyond category,” and into the class of one of their songs, “Superstar.”