The Temptations, the legendary, Grammy Award ® -winning group, led by founding member, Otis Williams are kicking off their summer and fall concert seasons this month with fan favorites such as, “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” and more.
Hitting the road with original Temptations member, Otis Williams will be longtime lead vocalists, Ron Tyson, and Terry Weeks, and new to the group, Grammy-nominated vocalist Anthony “Tony” Grant, and new member, Jawan M. Jackson, from the original cast of the Tony Award-Winning Broadway musical, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. Jackson played the starring role as beloved, original Temptation, Melvin Franklin.
Jawan M. Jackson will be making his debut with The Temptations this month as the bass vocalist. Born and raised in the heart of Motown, Jawan M. Jackson is a native of Detroit. Jackson made his professional debut starring in Broadway’s Motown: The Musical. In Broadway’s Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, he originated the leading role of Melvin Franklin and earned a Grammy® nomination for the musical’s cast album.
He has also appeared in several feature films, television movies, and specials. A graduate of Eastern Michigan University, Jackson began his career as a radio personality for Detroit’s top radio stations. Jackson is also thrilled to be part of the Board of Directors for Rosie’s Theatre Kids.
Anthony Grant, a Grammy-nominated vocalist joined the legendary Temptations earlier this year as a lead vocalist. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in North Carolina, Grant achieved his initial fame in the music industry as the lead vocalist for Az Yet (LaFace Records). He has also performed with a range of artists, including Brian McKnight, Dr. Dre, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, and Harry Connick Jr. He has also starred in several Tyler Perry theater productions and television series.
Ron Tyson, first tenor and a lead vocalist for the Temptations, has been a member of the group for 39 years, beginning in February 1983. Born in Philadelphia, PA, and raised in Monroe, NC, Ron was a big Temptations fan growing up and idolized Eddie Kendricks and his style. He feels blessed to be a member of the group and has often referred to his Temptations career as one of the greatest things to happen to him. Ron’s first appearance as a member of The Temptations was on the “Motown 25, Today, Yesterday, Forever” network television special in 1983.
Terry Weeks, a lead vocalist for the Temptations, has been with the group for 25 years, since 1997. Terry grew up in Bessemer, AL near Birmingham listening to gospel, bluegrass, and country music. Weeks spent eight years in the Air Force, from 1982 to 1990, serving in Korea and the U.S. at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, KS, and Gunter Air Force Station in Montgomery, AL. He would often sing locally around the Montgomery base, and performed in Tops in Blue, an Air Force ensemble, made up of active-duty members, that toured globally performing for airmen and their families.
Dr. Otis Williams said, “With the launch of our new album and our 60th-anniversary celebration continuing throughout the year, I am thrilled to have such talented vocalists as Tony Grant, and now Jawan Jackson, join our lineup. Just as The Temptations’ music has been passed between generations, it’s exciting for me, Ron, and Terry to share the stage with new generations of vocalists. We have an exciting concert tour planned for the summer and fall, and we look forward to seeing fans at our shows here and abroad.”
Jawan Jackson and Anthony Grant commented, “It’s amazing to be a part of a group with such a rich history and legacy and performing alongside Motown legend, Otis Williams as well as phenomenal vocalists Ron Tyson and Terry Weeks, all of whom we respect so much, is an honor.”
The Temptations are scheduled to headline concerts around the country this summer and then abroad this fall in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. For concert details, see the link HERE.
To promote their new 60th Anniversary album, Temptations 60, available now via stream and as a CD edition, see the link HERE. The Temptations will be performing the single from the new album, “Is It Gonna Be Yes or No,” written and produced by the legendary Smokey Robinson, during their concerts.
The Temptations, often referred to as American music royalty, are world-renowned superstars of entertainment, revered for their phenomenal catalog of music and prolific career. They are one of the most iconic, bestselling brands in the entertainment world today. While the group has evolved over the years, Dr. Otis Williams has continued to lead the group and carry the torch forward for the next generation of Temptations fans.
Ranked #1 in Billboard magazine’s most recent list of the “Greatest R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of All Time,” The Temptations also appear in the magazine’s 125th Anniversary list of the “125 Greatest of All Time Artists.” In addition, Rolling Stone magazine named the group among the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.” In September of 2020, the editors of Rolling Stone magazine commented that The Temptations are “Indisputably the greatest black vocal group of the Modern Era…,” and listed the group’s Anthology album among the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” The Anthology album has appeared in all three of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums lists.
The group is celebrating its 60th Anniversary through 2022. To mark this milestone, The Temptations released a brand-new album, Temptations 60, executive produced by founding member, Otis Williams. The new album consists of nearly all-original songs that are both modern and classic in feel and sound. In addition to tracks produced by group members, the album brings the iconic group together again with some of its beloved producers, including the legendary Smokey Robinson and Narada Michael Walden.
The Temptations are currently touring the U.S. and will also headline concerts this fall in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
The Temptations have been the subject of a smash-hit Broadway musical, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, based on Otis Williams’ journey, which opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on March 21st, 2019. The musical received 12 Tony nominations, including Best Musical, and won the Tony Award® for Best Choreography at the 73rd Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 10, 2019. Now on tour, the Musical is scheduled to open in theaters in more than 50 cities across the U.S. during the next several years. For details, see HERE.
Their Emmy® Award-Winning Television mini-series, The Temptations, which first aired to rave reviews in 1998, is still on air or streaming every day somewhere in the world. Williams’ critically acclaimed autobiography, Temptations, was released as an audiobook edition for the first time in 2020, with a new introduction by Williams.
Throughout the group’s evolution, they have released countless gold, platinum, and multi-platinum chart hits, many of which are considered American masterpieces. They have 16 No. 1 R&B chart albums, 44 Top 10 R&B chart hits, including, 14 No. 1 R&B singles, plus four No. 1 Hot 100 singles.
The Temptations heritage, influence, and contributions to, not only American culture and African American communities but also to the global music landscape are monumental. The Temptations presence in the world today has never been more vivid, and their popularity is ever-increasing.
