To celebrate The Temptations’ 60th anniversary and their new album, Temptations 60 (out now), the legendary group has presented part two of their three-chapter YouTube documentary series.
In the beginning of the video, Smokey Robinson lays out the stakes: “The Temptations are the most imitated group in the history of music. You guys came out, you were all tall and handsome and had all the great outfits and doing the steps and doing the stuff. Every group that came behind y’all tried to be The Temptations.”
Otis Williams responds to Smokey, saying, “I look back. It was just something that was meant to happen for the classic fire. Yeah. You know, there was five guys. Yes baby, smoking. I could feel the energy. We had a different kind of energy.”
Smokey adds some fascinating details that will be sure to entertain all Temptations fans. He says, “I was the first producer at Motown to start to work with them. And so I wrote a couple songs for them and the first song that they ever had out was a song that I had written for them called ‘I Wanna Love I Can See.’ And, um, nothing really happened with it.” Smokey adds that last fact with a chuckle, before recalling how Berry Gordy wrote songs for them, none of which hit. Smokey went back to the drawing board and eventually wrote “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” which turned out to be their first hit. so, and then Barry did some records on them. Nothing really happened. And so, uh, one day a melody came to me and I thought about the temptations because if I brought the temptations of that day in this room here, and that would be Otis and Melvin and Eddie and Paul and David, and I said, Hey man, sing, Ooh, Ooh.
To celebrate the release of the new album the Motown Museum, in partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, announced a virtual interview with 1989 Inductee and founder of The Temptations, Otis Williams.
This special event will be hosted by Rock Hall Vice President of Education and Visitor Engagement, Jason Hanley and includes long-time manager Shelly Berger and members of the Temptations as they celebrate their 60th anniversary and the release of their new album Temptations 60 on UMe. The new album, nearly all-original songs, features some of the group’s award-winning producers, including Smokey Robinson and Narada Michael Walden.
Fans can tune in to the Rock Hall’s YouTube Channel or Motown Museum’s YouTube Channel at 7p.m. ET on Friday, February 4. Following the broadcast, the interview will remain available on-demand for fans to view at their convenience.
The interview will premiere on SiriusXM Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Radio, channel 310, and on the SXM app on February 15 at 4p.m. ET.