Talk of staying power in the music industry and you’re talking the Temptations. “These old songs sound fresh almost 50 years later,” said Otis Williams, patriarch of a group that’s held itself together long enough to celebrate a golden anniversary last May. Like their gold records, they are still out there full force, giving back the Motown sound to their fans who made it all possible.
Throughout the comings and goings, the deaths and the dropouts since 1961, the list of accolades, like their output of hits, keeps growing. Picture these accomplishments on a musical resume: One of the “Top 50 Bands of all Time,” said Rolling Stone magazine in 2008, four Grammy Awards, members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 18 No. 1 singles and more.
| ONSTAGE |
| The Temptations and the Four Tops |
| » Where: Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna |
| » When: 8 p.m. Thursday |
| » Info: $38 house; $22 lawn; 1-877-WOLFTRAP; wolftrap.org |
Today, original member and leader, Williams presses on with his current batch of Temptations, touring and singing, often with the Four Tops, as will be the scenario Thursday at Wolf Trap.
“I have a stock answer when people ask me how long I’m going to be doing this,” Williams continued. “I say, ‘Well, I’m going to ride the hair off the horse; when I get off the horse, the horse will be bald.’ That’s how long I’m going to be doing this.”
Williams points out that the Temptations — while they do some engagements apart — in most cases tour with the Four Tops, citing a shared Motown history since 1983. And where shared time in the spotlight is concerned, he says, “We work it out and we have fun doing it; it’s a reunion between us.”
Seldom with a set program, Williams prefers to keep each show fresh from the one before at a particular venue.
“Of course, there are songs we can never take out,” the 70-year-old singer noted, “like ‘My Girl,’ ‘Can’t Get Next to You’ and ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.’ ”
Williams starts to laugh and tells the story of the time the group left “My Girl” out of a show.
“It was a long time ago, after the song had gone to No. 1 and was falling off the charts. We took it out of the lineup” he recalled. “Well, the people called us every name except the ‘Child o’ God.’ ”
For audiences lucky enough to see the group perform tonight, it’s a safe bet all will be swaying to the oldies.
