The Temptations

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Also known as: Temptations, The Original Lead Singers of The Temptations, The Original Singers of the Temptations, The Tempations, The Templations, The Temptation, The Temptations Original Lead Singers

Few groups have shaped the sound of American soul music the way The Temptations have. Formed in Detroit in 1961 from members of two rival vocal groups, The Primes and The Distants, they became one of Motown's defining acts, racking up four Billboard Hot 100 number one singles and fourteen R&B chart toppers. Their run with producer Norman Whitfield, starting with 'Cloud Nine' in 1968, pushed them into psychedelic soul territory and helped reshape R&B as a whole. They were the first Motown act to win a Grammy, taking it for 'Cloud Nine' in 1969. The classic lineup rotated around iconic vocalists: David Ruffin led on 'My Girl' and 'Ain't Too Proud to Beg', while Dennis Edwards stepped in for the heavier, funkier Whitfield era. Songs like 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' and 'Just My Imagination' are now on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and the group itself was inducted in 1989. In 2023, Billboard ranked them number one on its list of the 100 Greatest R&B and Hip Hop Artists of All Time.