(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents The Temptations and The Four Tops on Sunday, May 12 at 7:00pm. These two iconic Motown groups will perform their tops hits including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” “Ain't Too Proud to Beg,” “Baby, I Need Your Loving,” and many more. Tickets range from $45-$95.
The Temptations - For more than 50 years, The Temptations have prospered, propelling popular music with a series of hits and sold-out performances throughout the world. The history of The Temptations is the history of contemporary American pop. An essential component of the original Motown machine, that amazing engine invented by Berry Gordy, The Temps began their musical life in Detroit in the early 60s. It wasn’t until 1964 however, that the Smokey Robinson written-and-produced “The Way You Do the things You Do” turned the guys into stars.
The classic lineup was Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, and David Ruffin. Beyond the fabulous singing, The Temps became known for smooth stepping and flawless presentations. The Temptations Walk became a staple of American style—flair, flash, and class—and millions of fans saw their Temptations as cultural heroes.
No matter the change in personnel, The Temptations remained true to The Temptations tradition. They survived the whims of fashion, whether disco or techno, and stuck to their guns. “Great singing,” says founding member Otis Williams, “will always prevail.”
The Four Tops - The quartet, originally called the Four Aims, made their first single for Chess in 1956, and spent seven years on the road and in nightclubs, singing pop, blues, Broadway, but mostly jazz—four-part harmony jazz. When Motown’s Berry Gordy Jr. found out they had hustled a national Tonight Showappearance, he signed them without an audition to be the marquee act for the company’s Workshop Jazz label. That proved short-lived, and Stubbs’ powerhouse baritone lead and the exquisite harmonies of Fakir, Benson, and Payton started making one smash after another with the writing-producing trio Holland-Dozier-Holland.
After H-D-H split from Motown, producer Frank Wilson supervised the R&B Top 10 hits “It’s All In The Game” and “Still Water (Love)” at the start of the 70s. The Tops also teamed with Motown’s top girl group, the Supremes, post-Diana Ross. Billing themselves The Magnificent Seven for a series of albums, they hit with a cover of “River Deep - Mountain High.”
In 1990, with 24 Top 40 pop hits to their credit, the Four Tops were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Though they would no longer have hits on record, the group continued to be a hit in concert, touring incessantly, a towering testament to the enduring legacy of the Motown Sound they helped shape and define.
STATE THEATRE NEW JERSEY is located at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
