About this Event

The Temptations, often referred to as American Music Royalty, are celebrating their 60th Anniversary. To mark this milestone, they have released a brand-new album, Temptations 60, with nearly all-original songs. Plus, they are touring across the United States in 2022 and abroad this fall.

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 influence they had on mainstream and global artists, such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and others, is undeniable.

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, 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 Temptations have been awarded five Grammys®—including the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award— and they have an additional nine Grammy® nominations. They garnered Motown’s first Grammy® in 1969 for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental, for their song “Cloud Nine.” 

Immortalized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, The Temptations were considered trailblazers in the 1960s, leading the way not only for themselves but also for other R&B artists, and successfully reaching mainstream audiences in the United States and abroad during their meteoric rise to fame. In 1965, the group’s bestselling single “My Girl” hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, and in 2018, the hit was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. They were among the first African American musical artists to crossover into mainstream America and appear on popular, national television programs, such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Hollywood Palace. At the time, this was an unparalleled accomplishment for African American entertainers.

The group’s 60-year history spans the 20th and 21st centuries, and their music transcends generations. The Temptations’ story is a road map through American history. What began in Detroit, when a remarkable combination of soulful voices united, was the genesis of an epic journey that introduced multiple superstars to the world and produced some of the greatest music of our era.

Dr. Otis Williams
Dr. Otis Williams is the founding, and only surviving, member of the original group that formed The Temptations. Williams is well known for his fortitude, for fueling the Temptations’ enormous and ever-increasing popularity, and for inspiring a new generation of musical artists.

He became interested in music as a teenager and put together a number of musical groups in his youth before he, along with his friends Elbridge “Al” Bryant and Melvin Franklin, were signed to Motown in March 1961 as The Temptations. During The Temptations’ rise in fame, the group’s lineup changes were so frequent, stressful, and troublesome that Williams and Franklin promised each other they would never quit the group. Franklin would remain in the group until 1994, when he became physically incapable of continuing. He died on February 23, 1995, leaving Williams, then 53, as the last surviving original member of The Temptations.

In 1988, Williams’s critically acclaimed autobiography, Temptations, written with The New York Times bestselling author Patricia Romanowski, was published nationally. The book went on to become the source for both the Emmy ®-winning 1998 television miniseries The Temptations and the 2019 smash hit Broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, with Tony Award®-winning choreography and Grammy®-winning music.  

While the group has evolved over the years, Williams has continued to lead the group and carry the torch forward for the next generation of Temptations’ fans. The cultural significance of Williams’s overall life achievements, along with the success and longevity of his musical career, have made him an icon of entertainment. 

Supporting Act
Sandra Basset will open this performance at 7:30 p.m. with The Temptations taking the stage at 8:30 p.m.

Sandra Bassett is an engaging, entertaining, and gifted singer with a powerful vocal range and smooth delivery. Originally from Detroit, and now based in Phoenix, Bassett embraces the musical history of her birthplace and enjoys performing in many styles, including jazz, R&B, Motown, and blues.

Bassett is a unique and versatile musician in any setting and is an accomplished piano and organ player, in addition to also playing the alto saxophone. Her album Just for You, featuring beloved jazz and R&B standards, was released independently in 2018 and promoted heavily with live appearances in the United States and Japan. 

Performing many dates yearly as a solo artist, duo, trio and with her bands, the Motown Experience and September Soul, Bassett is comfortable in many formats as a headliner, supporting artist, or package performer. 

Bassett is also an accomplished workshop leader and lecturer, having lectured on jazz at the Musical Instrument Museum, Tempe Center for the Arts, and many other venues in the Valley. Bassett is currently the president and CEO of West Valley Arts Council in Surprise.