The Temptations

Year:
1989
Inducted by:
Daryl Hall & John Oates
Category:
Performers

David Ruffin
Dennis Edwards
Eddie Kendricks
Melvin Franklin
Otis Williams
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 Temptations

00:04:54
The Temptations Acceptance Speech

00:05:02
"Ain't to Proud to Beg"

00:01:39
"Get Ready"

00:01:44
"My Girl"

00:03:10

Hall of Fame Essay

1989

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.