List of the Temptations band members
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This page is a chronology of the Motown singing group the Temptations. It lists the members of the group during all phases of the group's history. While the Temptations have frequently changed their lineup, the group has always employed a person for each of the following roles:
- main lead singer (e.g., David Ruffin)
- secondary lead and baritone singer (e.g., Paul Williams)
- first tenor lead singer (e.g., Eddie Kendricks)
- bass lead singer (e.g., Melvin Franklin)
- background second tenor and baritone w/ occasional lead (since 1961 Otis Williams has always held and continues to hold this role)
During their live performances, the 1st tenor who almost exclusively performs in falsetto and secondary leads have always been as predominant on stage as the group's official main lead/front man. Also, the 1st tenor position is always considered equal to the main lead position on studio recordings as well; the secondary lead was elevated to almost the same status in the studio from 1968 to 1972 and from 1993 onward.
The background/occasional lead role was originally that of another secondary lead singer before 1961.
The group has performed as a quintet throughout its history, with six exceptions:
- The Cavaliers' lineup (1955–57, four members)
- The Primes' lineup (1958–60, first four then three members)
- April–May 1971 (four members)
- The 1982 reunion lineup (seven members)
- The later half of 1995, following the departure of Ray Davis (four members, no bass)
- October 2019 to June 2020 following the departure of Larry Braggs (four members)
Since 1976, the name "the Temptations" has been a registered trademark owned by Otis Williams and (the estate of) Melvin Franklin.<ref>Ex-Temptations Singer Dennis Edwards Loses His Court Battle To Use 'Temptations' Name Template:Webarchive, a January 1999 Jet magazine article via findarticles.com</ref><ref>Williams, Otis and Romanowski, Patricia (1988, updated 2002). Pg. 181.</ref>
The Cavaliers
| 1955–1957 |
|
|---|
The Primes
| 1957–1958 |
|
|---|---|
| 1958–1960 |
|
Otis Williams & the Siberians, also the El Domingoes
| 1955–1957 |
|
|---|---|
| 1957–1960 |
|
The Distants
| 1959 |
|
|---|---|
| 1959–1960 |
|
The Elgins
| 1960–1961 |
|
|---|
The Temptations
- Members of the classic lineup are in bold.
| 1960–1963 |
|
|---|---|
| 1964–1968 |
|
| 1968–1971 |
|
| 1971 |
|
| 1971 |
|
| 1971 |
|
| 1971–1975 |
|
| 1975–1977 1980–1982 1982–1983 |
|
| 1977–1980 |
|
| 1982 |
|
| 1983–1984 1987–1989 |
|
| 1984–1987 1989–1992 |
|
| 1992–1994 |
|
| 1995 |
|
| 1996–1997 |
|
| 1997–1998 |
|
| 1998–2003 |
|
| 2003 |
|
| 2003–2007 |
|
| 2007–2015 |
|
| 2016–2019 |
|
| 2019–2020 |
|
| 2020–2021 |
|
| 2021–2022 |
|
| 2022–present |
|
Timeline
<timeline> ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:65 bottom:90 top:6 right:0 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1960 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:lead1 value:red legend:Primary_lead id:lead2 value:orange legend:Secondary_lead id:tenor value:yellow legend:Tenor id:baritone value:green legend:Baritone id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:lines value:black legend:Studio_release id:bars value:gray(0.95)
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom BackgroundColors = bars:bars ScaleMajor = increment:7 start:1960 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1960
LineData =
layer:back color:lines at:03/20/1964 at:03/22/1965 at:11/01/1965 at:06/15/1966 at:07/17/1967 at:11/27/1967 at:04/29/1968 at:11/08/1968 at:02/17/1969 at:09/23/1969 at:03/06/1970 at:10/30/1970 at:04/22/1971 at:01/11/1972 at:07/27/1972 at:02/21/1973 at:12/07/1973 at:01/16/1975 at:11/04/1975 at:03/10/1976 at:09/16/1976 at:01/01/1978 at:11/01/1978 at:03/01/1980 at:09/14/1980 at:06/01/1981 at:04/07/1982 at:02/18/1983 at:08/01/1983 at:10/15/1984 at:06/01/1985 at:06/17/1986 at:09/11/1987 at:01/01/1989 at:01/01/1991 at:09/26/1995 at:08/18/1998 at:05/16/2000 at:06/01/2001 at:06/08/2004 at:01/31/2006 at:10/23/2007 at:05/04/2010 at:05/04/2018 at:01/28/2022
BarData =
bar:Otis text:"O._Williams" bar:Paul text:"P._Williams" bar:Dennis text:"Edwards" bar:Louis text:"Price" bar:Ali text:"Woodson" bar:Bo text:"Henderson" bar:Cameron text:"Cameron" bar:Bruce text:"Williamson" bar:Larry text:"Braggs" bar:Mario text:"Corbino" bar:Tony text:"Grant" bar:Elbridge text:"Bryant" bar:David text:"Ruffin" bar:Richard text:"Street" bar:Theo text:"Peoples" bar:Terry text:"Weeks" bar:Eddie text:"Kendricks" bar:Ricky text:"Owens" bar:Damon text:"Harris" bar:Glenn text:"Leonard" bar:Ron text:"Tyson" bar:Melvin text:"Franklin" bar:Ray text:"Davis" bar:Harry text:"McGilberry" bar:Joe text:"Herndon" bar:Willie text:"Greene" bar:Jawan text:"Jackson"
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Otis from:01/01/1960 till:end color:baritone bar:Paul from:01/01/1960 till:01/01/1965 color:lead1 bar:David from:01/01/1965 till:06/27/1968 color:lead1 bar:Dennis from:06/28/1968 till:01/01/1977 color:lead1 bar:Louis from:01/01/1977 till:01/01/1980 color:lead1 bar:Dennis from:01/01/1980 till:01/01/1984 color:lead1 bar:David from:04/01/1982 till:12/26/1982 color:lead1 bar:Ali from:01/01/1984 till:01/01/1987 color:lead1 bar:Dennis from:01/01/1987 till:11/01/1988 color:lead1 bar:Ali from:11/01/1988 till:01/01/1997 color:lead1 bar:Bo from:01/01/1998 till:06/01/2003 color:lead1 bar:Cameron from:06/01/2003 till:06/01/2007 color:lead1 bar:Bruce from:06/01/2007 till:12/01/2015 color:lead1 bar:Larry from:01/01/2016 till:10/01/2019 color:lead1 bar:Mario from:06/19/2020 till:10/01/2021 color:lead1 bar:Tony from:12/10/2021 till:end color:lead1 bar:Elbridge from:01/01/1960 till:12/01/1963 color:lead2 bar:David from:01/01/1964 till:01/01/1965 color:lead2 bar:Paul from:01/01/1965 till:05/01/1971 color:lead2 bar:Richard from:05/01/1971 till:12/01/1992 color:lead2 bar:Theo from:12/18/1992 till:01/01/1997 color:lead2 bar:Theo from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/1998 color:lead1 bar:Terry from:01/01/1997 till:end color:lead2 bar:Terry from:10/01/2019 till:06/19/2020 color:lead1 width:3 bar:Terry from:10/01/2021 till:12/10/2021 color:lead1 width:3 bar:Eddie from:01/01/1960 till:11/01/1970 color:tenor bar:Ricky from:11/01/1970 till:04/01/1971 color:tenor bar:Damon from:05/01/1971 till:01/01/1975 color:tenor bar:Glenn from:01/01/1975 till:03/01/1983 color:tenor bar:Eddie from:04/01/1982 till:12/26/1982 color:tenor bar:Ron from:03/01/1983 till:end color:tenor bar:Melvin from:01/01/1960 till:02/23/1995 color:bass bar:Ray from:02/23/1995 till:09/01/1995 color:bass bar:Harry from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/2004 color:bass bar:Joe from:01/01/2004 till:12/01/2015 color:bass bar:Willie from:01/01/2016 till:05/27/2022 color:bass bar:Jawan from:06/06/2022 till:end color:bass
</timeline>