
The Temptations
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Year:
1989
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Inducted by:
Daryl Hall & John Oates
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Category:
Performers
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David Ruffin
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Dennis Edwards
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Eddie Kendricks
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Melvin Franklin
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Otis Williams
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Paul Williams
Introduction
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.

Hall & Oates Induct the Temptations
Hall & Oates Induct the Temptations at the 1989 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony-
Hall & Oates Induct the Temptations00:04:54
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The Temptations Acceptance Speech00:05:02
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"Ain't to Proud to Beg"00:01:39
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"Get Ready"00:01:44
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"My Girl"00:03:10
Hall of Fame Essay
1989
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.


They proved themselves the masters of every vocal style
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Gallery
Photography: Kevin Mazur, WireImage; Nanette Bedway