History Music / TheTemptations

->[[DarthWiki/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife Tropes! Hunh! What are they good for? Absolutely nothin'!]]

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* '''Eddie Kendrick (Eddie Kendricks)''': high tenor (1969-71, 1982; d. 1992)

** Ron Tyson's voice has changed as he's aged and he now regularly sings in high tenor, rather than in falsetto, during live performances.

** David Ruffin was fired in part because of his cocaine addiction, which plagued his solo career and culminated in his death from an overdose.

Initially, they had several low charting singles before Al Bryant was fired for [[GrievousBottleyHarm attacking Paul]] and replaced by [[invoked]][[FaceOfTheBand David Ruffin]]....

The Temptations are one of the most iconic RAndB groups of all time, as well as Creator/{{Motown}}'s premier male vocal group in the 1960s, known for their distinct harmonies, choreography, and flashy wardrobe.

* SpotlightStealingSquad: David Ruffin hogged the limelight as his ego grew, eventually leading to his dismissal from the group. He'd later start sneaking into performances and snatching the microphone away from Dennis Edwards, to the delight of audiences, and security had to be tightened to put a stop to it.

* TheConstant: Since 1995, and as of 2018, Otis Williams is the only original member left.

** After David Ruffin's departure, Paul Williams took over singing Classic 5-era ballads and brought him back into the spotlight after Ruffin's tenure as lead singer. This tradition continued after Williams' departure, with the group's baritone handling classic ballads while the lead singer handles older, up-tempo numbers.

** Melvin, who fought through physical problems to continue performing until he no longer could.

* AintTooProudToBeg: The TropeNamer.

** In his last months as a member, Paul increasingly struggled to perform due to his illness (he suffered from Sickle Cell Disease) and alcoholism, with his eventual replacement Richard Street lip-synching from backstage.

** In his last months as a member, Paul increasingly struggled to perform due to his illness(he suffered from Sickle Cell Disease) and alcoholism, with his eventual replacement Richard Street lip-synching from backstage.

* Barrington "Bo" Henderson: baritone (1998-03)

* ''Anthony "Tony" Grant: tenor (2021-present)''

* Jawan M. Jackson: bass (2022-present)

* Larry Braggs: baritone (2016-19)

* ''Mario Corbino'' : baritone (2020-present)
* George Curtis "G.C." Cameron: baritone (2003-07)

* ''Willie Green'': bass (2016-present)

* Theo Peoples: baritone (1992-98)

* ''Terry Weeks'': tenor (1997-present)
* Bruce Williamson: baritone (2007-15; d. 2020)

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Richard Street first joined the Temptations as Paul Williams' soundalike, performing Paul's vocals offstage while Paul lip-synced and danced onstage. Once Paul had to quit due to his health and alcohol issues becoming too much for the group to bear, Richard neatly stepped into Paul's role.

** ''Cloud Nine'', in addition to being their first with Dennis Edwards, ushered in the group's Psychedelic Soul period that lasted until the mid 1970s.

All things seemed well on the surface, but problems began brewing behind the scenes. Ruffin started vying for a bigger push (including changing the name to "David Ruffin and The Temptations") and was plagued by drug use and erratic behavior, culminating in his firing in 1968 to be replaced by Dennis Edwards. Kendricks was also in conflict with Otis and Franklin over the direction of the band, as well as contractual issues, which resulted him leaving in 1971, with Paul leaving soon after due to health issues, dying in 1973 due to an apparent suicide.

[[TearJerker Sadly though, many of the members have passed on]], and by the mid '90s, only Otis was still living from the classic lineup; he and the estate of Melvin Franklin now own the group's name.

All things seemed well on the surface, but problems began brewing behind the scenes. Ruffin started vying for a bigger push (including changing the name to "David Ruffin and The Temptations") and was plagued by drug use and erratic behavior, culminating in his firing in 1968 to be replaced by Dennis Edwards. Kendricks was also in conflict with Otis and Franklin over the direction of the band, as well as contractual issues, which resulted him leaving in 1971, with Paul leaving not long after due to health issues, dying in 1973 due to an apparent suicide.

!!My Tropes, Talkin Bout my tropes!:

* BassoProfundo: Melvin is legendary for his resonant bass, which proved to be a key part of the group's sound, and is particularly highlight in his spotlight number, Ol' Man River.

Initially, they had several low charting singles before Al Bryant was fired for [[GrievousBottleyHarm attacking Paul]] and replaced by [[FaceOftheBand David Ruffin]]....

And soon after, they had their BreakthroughHit with "The Way You Do The Things You Do". They quickly had a string of hits written and produced by Smokey Robinson and then Norman Whitfield including "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", "Get Ready", "(I Know) I'm Losing You", and especially "My Girl". During this time, they distinguished themselves from other R&B acts through slick choreography and the use of their trademark four-headed microphone stand, which gave each member an individual microphone for better audio quality while also providing enough space to dance.

The Temptations are one of the most iconic R&B groups of all time, as well as Creator/{{Motown}}'s premier male vocal group in the 1960s, known for their distinct harmonies, choreography, and flashy wardrobe.

* RevisitingTheRoots: After two years of specializing in uptempo numbers influenced by PsychedelicRock, they released "Just My Imagination" in 1971, an elegant ballad more in line with their older work. It became one of their biggest hits.

And soon after, they had their BreakthroughHit with "The Way You Do The Things You Do". They quickly had a string of hits written and produced by Smokey Robinson and then Norman Whitfield including "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", "Get Ready", "(I Know) I'm Losing You", and especially "My Girl". All things seemed well on the surface, but problems began brewing behind the scenes. Ruffin started vying for a bigger push (including changing the name to "David Ruffin and The Temptations") and was plagued by drug use and erratic behavior, culminating in his firing in 1968 to be replaced by Dennis Edwards. Kendricks was also in conflict with Otis and Franklin over the direction of the band, as well as contractual issues, which resulted him leaving in 1971, with Paul leaving not long after due to health issues, dying in 1973 due to an apparent suicide.

The group was formed in 1960 as a merge of two vocal groups: The Primes (the male counterpart to the Primettes, later known as Music/TheSupremes, consisting of Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams; and The Elgins, consisting of Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, and [[ThePeteBest Elbridge "Al" Bryant]]. Shortly thereafter, they were signed to Motwon under the name "The Temptations".

And soon after, had their BreakthroughHit with "The Way You Do The Things You Do", and soon had a string of hits written and produced by Smokey Robinson and then Norman Whitfield including "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", "Get Ready", "(I Know) I'm Losing You", and especially "My Girl". All things seemed well, except problems started brewing behind the scenes. Ruffin started vying for a bigger push (including changing the name to "David Ruffin and The Temptations") and was plagued by drug use and erratic behavior, culminating in his firing in 1968, to be replaced by Dennis Edwards. Kendricks was also in conflict with Otis and Franklin over the direction of the band, as well as contractual issues, which resulted him leaving in 1971, with Paul leaving not long after due to health issues, dying in 1973 due to an apparent suicide.

In the years following, they would go through [[RevolvingDoorBand various lineup changes]], including a brief reunion with Kendricks and Ruffin in 1982, with varying degrees of success, but remained legends nonetheless, getting inducted onto the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, and receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010, and were the subject of a [[Series/TheTemptations miniseries]] in 1998 and a biographical JukeboxMusical, ''Ain't Too Proud: the Life and Times of The Temptations'', in 2018.

[[TearJerker Sadly though, many of the members have passed on]], and by the mid 90s, only Otis was still living from the classic lineup; he and the estate of Melvin Franklin now own the group's name.

And soon after, had their breakthrough hit with "The Way You Do The Things You Do", and soon had a string of hits written and produced by Smokey Robinson and then Norman Whitfield including "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", "Get Ready", "(I Know) I'm Losing You", and especially "My Girl". All things seemed well, except problems started brewing behind the scenes. Ruffin started vying for a bigger push (including changing the name to "David Ruffin and The Temptations") and was plagued by drug use and erratic behavior, culminating in his firing in 1968, to be replaced by Dennis Edwards. Kendricks was also in conflict with Otis and Franklin over the direction of the band, as well as contractual issues, which resulted him leaving in 1971, with Paul leaving not long after due to health issues, dying in 1973 due to an apparent suicide.