The Temptations to Bring Motown to Beverly Hills: Alright, so there might not be many original members left in Motown legends the Temptations. But hey, founding member Otis Williams is still in there, and Rob Tyson has been in since the ‘80s. Whatever, this is the Temptations that we have now and it’s more than good enough for us.
It’s been a year since the compilation Temptations 60 album was released, and a press release noted at the time, “The Temptations were among the first African American musical artists to crossover into mainstream America and appear on popular, national mainstream television programs. In 1968, and 1969, respectively, Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Temptations starred in primetime network television specials TCB (Taking Care of Business) and G.I.T. (Getting It Together) on Broadway. Never before had two contemporary African American groups headlined their own #1 nationally rated television specials, all produced by Motown, an African American owned company.”
“The TCB special was named the #1 rated variety show in 1968 and received an Emmy nomination. The original cast soundtrack album, TCB, reached #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart. At the time, this was an unparalleled accomplishment for African American entertainers. The Temptations helped change the face of primetime television and fueled the growth in the performing arts and entertainment world for African Americans artists forever. The Temptations presence across multi-media platforms has never been more vivid, and their popularity is ever-increasing. Most recently, adding to their dozens of sampled tracks, their hit ‘Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,’ was used as the foundation of the Migos smash hit, ‘Avalanche’.”
The Temptations to Bring Motown to Beverly Hills: The event takes place at 8 p.m. on Friday, January 13 at the Saban Theatre.
Editor’s note: The disclaimer below refers to advertising posts and does not apply to this or any other editorial stories. LA Weekly editorial does not and will not sell content.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.
Leave a comment