the temptations
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Temptations, Forever: Ain’t Too Proud Scores 12 Nominations for the 2019 Tony Awards
Nominations are in for the biggest night in Broadway and members of the Tony Awards committee really are coming to see Otis. (*wink*) On Tuesday, the 73rd annual Tony Awards dropped its list of contenders vying for that coveted statuette named for Antoinette Perry. The nominations announcement was brought to us by Gayle King (CBS…
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Broadway’s Ain’t Too Proud Is a Rousing, Joyful Nod to Black American Life and Legacy
I have had the good fortune to have seen many a Broadway play (also quite a few off-Broadway, for that matter). But only a very few over the years have stayed with me—a short list would include Fela! The Mountaintop. Choir Boy. The House That Will Not Stand. Denzel Washington in Julius Caesar. The new Broadway musical Ain’t…
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Is Otis Williams of The Temptations the Pettiest Man Alive? An Analysis
The Temptations is one of my all-time favorite singing groups. I’m especially a fan of the “Classic Five” lineup (I like to call it their “Death Lineup”—no pun intended) of David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin and Otis Williams. Dennis Edwards replacing David Ruffin and singing on their most iconic songs in the…
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Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky and Mike (aka RBRM) Is the Lemonade We Get From New Edition’s Lemons
The Temptations are one of my favorite groups of all time. But I have to caveat that: The version of the Temptations that features the “Death Lineup” (no pun intended, seriously) of David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin and Otis Williams is my favorite. Even though that lineup is my favorite, the lineup…
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Did Bobby Brown Make Don’t Be Cruel, or Did Don’t Be Cruel Make Bobby Brown?
I’m a Bobby Brown fan. I’m not sure I’m at stan levels, but I did shell out the money to buy the hardback copy of his autobiography (written with the assistance of Nick Chiles—it’s painfully obvious where Bobby either had help or didn’t write at all) and read it immediately in one sitting. While the…
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The Black Christmas Music Debate: If ‘Santa Baby’ Isn’t on Your List, Your List Is a Fraud
I love Christmas … but I really love Christmas music. I’m the kind of guy who will start listening to the Yuletide classics immediately after Halloween—and only if I wait that long. While I love the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “Christmas Time Is Here,” and I can appreciate Frank Sinatra’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,”…