"You coulda been anything that you wanted to, I can tell,
The way you do the things you do..."

It was once said that The Temptations were as influential to soul music as The Beatles were to rock and roll. It’s a hard claim to dispute as the group not only influenced countless other groups, but left a legacy of music that few have surpassed. With the exception of Stevie Wonder, they can boast the longest tenure ever on the Motown label, one that spans 40 years. There is good reason these guys have been christened “the emperors of soul,” although “ambassadors of soul” might be equally fitting.

The Temptations were the result of a merger between two doo-wop vocal acts, The Primes and The Distants, who joined forces, and the Motown label all the way back in 1961. After refining their distinctive sound, they released a number of lukewarmly received hits for the next three years, before fellow Motown artist Smokey gave them a wonderful gift in 1964, their first hit record, “The Way You Do the Things You Do.” Thanks to the pristine lead vocal track, performed by Eddie Kendricks, the song rose to #11 on the charts and The Temptations quickly became a household name.

The followed with a few other hits in 1964, including “I’ll Be In Trouble” and “Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue) before finally landing their first #1 record with the infectious romantic ballad, “My Girl,” another gift from good friend Smokey. This time, David Ruffin expertly handled the soulful lead vocal duties. More success followed with “It’s Growing” and the mournful ballad, “Since I lost My Baby” and the band balanced their recording time with a rigorous schedule of touring.

1966 provided another successful year for the Temptations, starting with the Top-30 hit, “I’m Ready” and leading to the groovy dance hit ‘Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” They ended the year with a tale of heartbreak called, “I’m Losing You” that worked its way into the Top-10 slot. The next year, their success continued with “All I Need” and “You’re My Everything.” It was clear to anyone paying attention that The Temptations were a pop force to be reckoned with.

After performing lead vocal duties on two consecutive hits in 1968, “I Wish It Would Rain” and “I Could Never Love Another,” singer David Ruffin decided to depart the band, wanting to pursue solo interest. He was replaced by a gospel-influenced powerhouse named Dennis Edwards who arrived just in time for The Temptations to re-invent themselves, becoming more socially conscious in their lyrics and laying down a funkier, moodier groove underneath. The first demonstration of this new style emerged with the #6 hit “Cloud Nine” a hard-rocking tale of inner-city strife.

1969 proved to be another banner year for the group, kicked off by a duet with The Supremes on the #2 hit,“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” followed immediately by a pair of socially conscious offerings, “Runaway Child, Runnin’ Wild” and the horn-laden “Don’t Let the Joneses Get You Down.” The decade ended on a high note, with another smash #1 hit, “I Can’t Get Next To You” to propel them into the 70s.

The psychedelic stylings of The Temptations remained in full force into the next decade, with more funk-driven Top-10 hits like “Psychedelic Shack” and “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today.” Two key members would also depart from the band at this point, Eddie Kendricks who belted out one more ballad before he left called “Just My Imagination, Runnin’ Away With Me),” and Paul Williams, who continued to contribute to the choreography duties. The band managed to cut their losses and replace these longtime members, ending the year with another Top-20 hit, “Superstar (Remember Who You Are).”

The band kicked the funk into overdrive in 1972, for the gritty, inner-city tale “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” with a heavy wah-wah guitar contrasting with lush orchestrations. Originally clocking in at 11-minutes, the sound was edited down to a more radio-friendly length of 6 minutes and the result was a smash #1 hit. Featuring an instrumental version of the tune on the B-side, the group earned international acclaim for this socially conscious offering, as well as a well-deserved Grammy Award. They followed up with a similar sounding Top-10 hit called “Masterpiece” in 1973.

Amazingly, more hits followed throughout the 70s, from the sweet ballad “Hey Girl (I Like Your Style) to the dance floor-friendly “Shakey Ground.” The band would briefly switch record labels at the end of the decade, but returned to Motown, alongside old cohorts Kendricks and Ruffin for the 1980 Reunion album. They would make a celebrated appearance on the television special Motown’s 25th Anniversary Special, alongside longtime friendly rivals, The Four Tops.

While The Temptations may not have contributed any further hits to the charts in the 80s, nobody could accuse them of staying out of the spotlight. They made frequent appearances on television, appearing on such sitcoms as Moonlighting (and recording on show star Bruce Willis’s version of “Under The Boardwalk) as well as 227. They marked the end of the decade with an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They also saw their beloved hit “My Girl” gain renewed popularity with a new generation when it served as the title song for a film of the same name starring Dan Ackroyd and Macauley Culkin.

Today, longtime member Otis Williams is the only surviving original member of the Temptations. But he tirelessly keeps the band alive and touring, as well as recording. In 1998, the band released a critically-acclaimed album called Phoenix Rising, an apt title for a band that continues to live on almost 50 years since their debut. And along the way, the contributions they made to pop music are not only undeniable, but simply staggering – influencing countless musicians in their wake and living up nobly to their reputation as the undisputed Emperors of Soul.