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The Temptations

THE TEMPTATIONS

YEAR

1989

INDUCTED BY

Daryl Hall & John Oates

CATEGORY

Performers

The Temptations set the bar high for Motown vocal groups (and soul and R&B music in general) thanks to snappy stage moves and elegant harmonies.

Early hits such as “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” and “Get Ready” remain beloved classics, while later forays into funk and psychedelic music such as “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” were just as influential.

David Ruffin

David Ruffin

Dennis Edwards

Dennis Edwards

Eddie Kendricks

Eddie Kendricks

Melvin Franklin

Melvin Franklin

Otis Williams

Otis Williams

Paul Williams

Paul Williams

HALL OF FAME
ESSAY

By Michael Hill

The Temptations are the quintessential Motown vocal group.

With style to spare, drop-dead dance moves and voices that had been nurtured in the deep South and seasoned in the cities of the North, the Temptations captured in their work the pleasures of the street-corner serenade as well as the flash of the Sixties soul revue.

Whether rendering Smokey Robinson’s silky meditations on romance or executing the intricate vocal paces of Norman Whitfield’s gritty funk, their voices suggested the story of the singers’ lives.

Read More
Class of 1989
They proved themselves the masters of every vocal style
Jann Wenner
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