The Temptations and The Motown Sound

The Temptations and The Motown Sound:
Livestream Music History Program
 
Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 7:00 PM

Free Tickets HERE

Travel back in time and hear the classic Motown songs of The Temptations!

The Temptations are an American vocal group who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The band members are known for their choreography, distinct harmonies, and dress style. Having sold tens of millions of albums, the Temptations are among the most successful groups in popular music.

Featuring five male vocalists and dancers (save for brief periods with fewer or more members), the group formed in 1960 in Detroit, Michigan, under the name The Elgins. The founding members came from two rival Detroit vocal groups: Otis Williams, Elbridge “Al” Bryant, and Melvin Franklin of Otis Williams & the Distants, and Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams of the Primes. In 1964, Bryant was replaced by David Ruffin, who was the lead vocalist on a number of the group’s biggest hits, including “My Girl” (1964), “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” (1966), and “I Wish It Would Rain” (1967)[5]. Ruffin was replaced in 1968 by Dennis Edwards, with whom the group continued to record hit records such as “Cloud Nine” (1969) and “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)” (1970). The group’s lineup has changed frequently since the departures of Kendricks and Paul Williams from the act in 1971. Later members of the group have included singers such as Richard Street, Damon Harris, Ron Tyson, and Ali-Ollie Woodson, with whom the group scored a late-period hit in 1984 with “Treat Her Like a Lady”.

This is a musical history program where we will provide the historical context of various aspects of The Temptations and the Motown Sound, with emphasis on pop culture (as opposed to music theory) followed by a video recording of each of the selections.

The historical items will be provided via pictures and video so viewing the presentation is recommended, but you are also free to just listen to the music via audio only.

__________________________

Motown Records is an American record label founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in 1959. Its name, a blend of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered.

Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music as an African American-owned label that achieved crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels were the most successful proponents of the Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a mainstream pop appeal. During the 1960s, Motown achieved 79 records in the top-ten of the Billboard Hot 100 between 1960 and 1969.

Your host for this program is Robert Kelleman, the founder/director of the non-profit community organization Washington, DC History & Culture. Robert was born and raised in Detroit, earned an art history degree from the University of Michigan and spent the first two years of his career at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

__________________________

Zoom Connection:

This educational and entertaining program is open to all regardless of age, geographic location, etc. and since it is an online/virtual event via Zoom you can connect from anywhere in the world.

Zoom events have a limit on the number of people that can participate and therefore the event may “sell-out” once a certain number of registrations has been reached.

Zoom Connection Link Will Be Emailed:

Login info will emailed approximately 8-24 hours prior to the event.

If you haven’t received the Zoom connection an hour before the event feel free to contact us.

Zoom Connection Suggestions:

Connecting to Zoom a few minutes early is strongly recommended.

This is a visual presentation so the bigger device screen that you can use the better.

To join the event simply click the Zoom link that is emailed separately and follow the instructions.

If clicking the link doesn’t work you can try copying and pasting it instead.

Depending on the device Zoom may work better in some browsers/devices than others – if one doesn’t work try another.

If you are disconnected for any reason just reconnect.

When all else fails please read and follow the directions. : )

_________________________

This program is presented by the non-profit community organization Washington, DC History & Culture:

“bringing people together to experience the history and culture of Washington, DC.”