The Temptations & The Four Tops

THE TEMPTATIONS are notable for their success with Motown Records during the 60’s and 70’s and have sold 10’s of millions of albums, making them one of the most successful groups in music history!

For over 40 years The Temptations have prospered, with an avalanche of smash hits, and sold-out performances throughout the world! “The crowds are bigger, the sales are sizzling,” says one industry report. “The outpouring of affection for this super-group has never been greater”.

Beyond their unique blend of voices and flashy wardrobe, The Temptations became known for their sharp choreography known as “The Temptation Walk” which became a staple of American style, flair, flash and class and one of the defining legacies of Motown Records.  Millions of fans saw the Temptations as cultural heroes.  The group had thirty seven, Top 40 hits to their credit, including fifteen Top 10 hits, fifteen No 1 singles and seventeen No 1 albums spanning from the mid-1960’s to the late 80’s in addition to a quartet which soared to No. 1 on the R &B charts.   The song titles alone summon memories beyond measure to include;  “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” “I Wish It Would Rain,”  “I Can’t Get Next To You”, “Get Ready”, “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” “Ball of Confusion”, “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone.” “Beauty is Only Skin Deep”, “Cloud Nine,” “Psychedelic Shack”, “Runaway Child”, “Since I Lost My Baby”, “Treat Her Like a Lady” to name a few….

In the 90’s there was another Temptation explosion. It began with their appearance on Motown 25 in 1983 and continued in 1998 with the CBS Temptations Miniseries that chronicled the group’s history; a ratings triumph over two nights in prime time that was awarded an Emmy soon after. The Temptations latest CD triumph “Get Ready” was released in 2006.  It was one of the largest selling CD’s ever!  For always, the Temptations are sunshine on a cloudy day.

The Temptations were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

THE FOUR TOPS were among a number of groups, who established the Motown Sound heard around the world during the 1960’s.  Their first Motown hit, ‘Baby I Need Your Loving’ in 1964, made them stars and their sixties track record on the label is indispensable to any retrospective of the decade. Their no. 1 hit songs include; ‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)’, and “It’s The Same Old Song” . Their commercial peak was highlighted by a romantic trilogy; the no. 1 hit “Reach Out I’ll Be There”, “Standing In The Shadows Of Love” and “Bernadette”. Other top hits included; “Baby I Need Your Loving”,  “Ask The Lonely”, “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over)”, “Something About You”, “You Keep Running Away”, “7-Rooms Of Gloom”, “Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got), and “When She Was My Girl”, making them one of the few groups to have hits in three consecutive decades.

In 1990, with 24 Top 40 pop hits to their credit, the Four Tops were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.