The temptations have one of the most complex stories you will ever find in the music industry. I am going to explain the temptations from the early 1960's to 2004 ... So Get ready to read quite a bit, Then after expaling them as a group, I am going to explain thme 1 by 1 ... ENJOY!

One night while at a singing compition The Siberians and Primes and primettes were arguing, Then the siberians had to go up, They had GREAT voices BUT, no moves, Then the Primes and primettess go up, They got the moves the got the voices. I suppose you are wondering what this has to do with the story? Keep reading ... It'll all come together soon enough . anyways Turns out the president and VP of MOTOWN RECORDS Berry gordy and Smokey robinson were in the crowd, Otis williams and Melvin franklin (Of the siberians) followed Berry to the restroom, Were then then sang the song "PECOS BILL" for him, He gave them a card and told them to stop by Motown somtime. Sometime following this The primes and primettes broke up, And Eddie kendricks andPaul williams ended up merging with the siberians. So we have a new lineup Eddie Kendricks, Paul williams, Otis williams(no relation), Melvin franklin, and Elbridge "AL" bryant (these will be the original temptations ... but shhh they don't know yet). They all went over to MOTOWN, When they got there the secretary told them that siberians was taken Choose a new name, So the sat outside for awhile and came up with THE TEMPTATIONS, When they got inside the sung "OH MOTHER OF MINE" for berry gordy. When they were done Otis said "DID YOU LIKE IT" to which Berry respnded "NO" The tempts looked disapointed, Then Berry says "I LOVED IT YOUR SIGNED" ... This was in 1961 ... TIME TO FAST FORWARD >>>

it is January 1, 1964 the temptations have had no hit songs YET. They are at a MOTOWN office party for new years. Motown artist all over, Jimmy Ruffin (he sang what becomes of the broken hearted", his little brother david, Diana ross and the supremes, Smokey robinson and the miracles, And more! ... The tempts Take the stage, and start singing "AULD LANG SYNE", After they go to there dressing room, And elbridge gets mad at paul and hits him with a beer bottle (DESPITE what the temptations movie said paul suffered injuries from that) ... So They fired him. They went back out on stage and sung "YOU MAKE ME WANNA SHOUT" ... and had Jimmy ruffin come up and Sing a line with them ... after he was done he called up his brother, "MY LIL BROTHER DAVID RUFFIN, GET UP HERE" ... david gets on stage Jimmy gets down, And the group is quite the music is still going ... and david is gettiong ready ... Then the crowed hears that ruff, soulful voice that was DAVID RUFFIN ... "Yooooouuuu Know yooouuu make meeeeeeeeeee, Wanna shout" OTis and melvin couldn't belive it ... this AWSOME voice coming from the 6'3 skinny frame of this man .... THEY HAD TO HAVE HIM ... So they signed him to the group ... later that year they put out a song called the way you do the things you do ... It hit #11 on the charts ... They finally had a top 20! ... next ... David takes the lead

Dec 1964, Smokey robinson takes a whack at writing a song for the tempts ... he has a perfect song ... But he says DAVID HAS TO SING IT ... This song was made for his voice ... So they record it and release it on DEC 23, 1964 ... It hold #1 on the charts for almost 3 months ... This song became there  signiture song ... You are probally wondering so tell us what it was!!! .... Fine I will .. The name if this hit song? No other the "MY GIRL". The first song David sung lead on and the tempts first #1 ... But the hits will keep on coming. 

David is having problems, He is missing rehearsels and even a concert ... he has fallen into drugs, and his ego has got the best of him, But on stage he is as good as ever, giving the tempts even more hits such as: "I WISH IT WOULD RAIN", "I KNOW I'M LOSING YOU", "AIN'T TO PROUD TO BEG",and plenty more ... When they are preforming at the COPACABANA, David "friend" who goes by Flyn (JUST FLYN), Tells the temptations manager Shelly berger that unlesss they go on as DAVID RUFFIN & THE TEMPTATIONS, that david isn't gonna do the sohw ... What could they do they had no chocie ... So they went on as david and the tempts ... Firing him the next day ... david stood outside the HITSVILLE (Motown) Sadened by the fact he was out, he made his presance know. If you haveseen the movie you know what I mean ... If not I will tell you what he said, "You ungrateful son of a bitches! I made you, The tempts without daivd ruffin are some fake ass tempts, I made you! You some imatation tempts!" ... Thus ending that. They were the classic Lineup of the temptations ... or THE C5 (David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul williams, Otis williams, and Melvin franklin).

Dennis Edwards was the singer to replace David ... Again if you seen the movie you nkow what david said, If not here it comes. He runs into Dennis and the tempts ... well interupts a concert and steals the microphone from Dennis ... anyways he gets backstage and says "Otis I changed, I'm clean now" Otis says "David Go" Melvin says "O he's clean" Otis says "dennis is in the group now we don't need you" To which david responds "HE AIN'T ME, He ain't no david ruffin! there is only 1 david ruffin! Y'all need me!" And turn to shelly "tell em shell I changed" ... And then gets dragged out by security.

Finally david relized that he wasn't a tempt anymore, And in 1969 released a #1 solo song "my whole world ended", While the tempts had "Papa was a rollin stone", and "cloud 9" ... in 1971 the tempts had there last song that eddie would do, "JUST MY IMAGINATION", Paul's health was deteariating at this time, And he got 1 line in Just my imagination, But hewas still singing with the group, Even though he was technicly a solo artist ... In 1973 Paul reportedly shot himself I say reportedly because there is alot of suspision of foul play, and alot of stuff that don't add up, Like the fact he was right handed but shot himself with the gun in his left, Or the fact he shot the gun 2 times (He was shot in the head) you don't shoot 2 times ... and there is more but that is a differant subject .... Eddie has a solo hit with "KEEP ON TRUCKIN" and then David and eddie sing together in the 80's, on june 1 1991 david ruffin dies of a cocaine overdose, in 1992 Eddie died of lung cancer, 1995 melvin dies of complications while in the hospital, 200?(Either 2000 or 2003) the tempts get a grammy for LADY, Febuary 2004 Motown releases TEMPTATIONS LOVE SONG, just ion time for valentines day!