From Motown to our town

They were flooded out by Hurricane Irene for concerts in North Carolina and Massachusetts this past weekend, and they’re arriving in Wichita just as the city is bracing to set the all-time record for the number of 100-degree days in one summer.

But after nearly half a century on the road and in the hearts of music lovers worldwide, the Temptations — the slick, smooth, precisely choreographed Motown quintet once dubbed the “Sultans of Style” — have weathered worse.

That includes replacement of members for reasons ranging from personality clashes to alcohol and drug abuse to lawsuits, and even early deaths of key soloists like David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and Melvin Franklin. Since the group’s founding in 1963 by legendary Motown entrepreneur Berry Gordy, there have been 22 individual Temptations.

Otis Williams, a native Texan raised in Detroit who will turn 70 on Oct. 30, is the only living original member. Joining this baritone/second tenor onstage at 7:30 tonight at the Orpheum are Ron Tyson (since 1983), Terry Weeks (1997), Joe Herndon (2003) and the newest member, Bruce Williamson (2007).

Providing a large brass presence to beef up the Tempts’ touring band will be 10 local horn players recruited by Friends University jazz professor Lisa Hittle. They are Don Shimkus, Seth Binford, Jason Whitmore, Randy Roach, Matt Blauer, Jeff Luttrell, Jeff Gordon, Daryl Batchelor, Lee Rucker and Hittle.

Tickets, priced from $33 to $45, are expected to sell out, says Adam Hartke, the Orpheum’s operations and promotions manager.

The group last performed in Wichita about three years ago. From fan comments and concert reviews online, they are still steppin’ large as they tour the country, making eight to 10 stops per month. They are booked through May of 2012.

The Temptations are actually the serendipitous merging of two Detroit groups, the Primes and the Distants, and originally were dubbed The Elgins. It wasn’t until Gordy worked his Motown magic to introduce the five to sophisticated choreography by Cholly Atkins (who created The Temptation Strut, a model for other groups), distinct harmonies and sharp tailored suits that they became the class act that set a new and, significantly, cross-over standard.

Their musical touch, shaped by Smokey Robinson as writer and producer, was a cohesive blend of black gospel and R&B and white pop. They evolved through “psychedelic soul” in the late 1960s, funk in the mid-1970s and even dabbled in disco in the late ’70s. But they never abandoned their gospel-rooted pop traditions while keeping up with new musical movements. Today they are considered adult contemporary R&B.

Among their legacy are indelible songs like “Just My Imagination,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do” and, of course, their signature song, “My Girl,” voted by music historians as one of the 500 most influential songs in history.

The group has produced 49 albums, won three Grammys, had four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs (and 15 No. 1 R&B hits) and sold millions upon millions of albums. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.

If You Go

THE TEMPTATIONS

What: Concert of Motown and R&B hits from 1960s to today by the quintet, including original surviving member Otis Williams

Where: Orpheum Theatre, 200 N. Broadway

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Tickets: $33 to $45, available through Select-a-Seat at 316-755-7328 or selectaseat.com, at Dillons Superstores and plant employee clubs.

This story was originally published September 1, 2011 at 2:41 PM with the headline "From Motown to our town."