At the top of their game, the Temptations--David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Otis Williams (no relation), and Melvin Franklin--could out-sing, out-dance, and out-dress any group in sight. When Ruffin was replaced by Dennis Edwards from the Contours, the Temptations went to a five lead singers-format that sealed their status as the ultimate soul vocal group. Their influence remains massive and profound.

They came together in Detroit in 1960, their resumes dotted with doo-wop, gospel, and solo efforts. Ruffin's '64 arrival coincided with the Temptations' first hits, the Smokey Robinson-penned "The Way You Do The Things You Do" and "My Girl." The grits 'n' gravy Ruffin and the gossamer-voiced Kendricks were the primary vocalists, equally adept at fast or slow tempos: "I'm Losin' You" and "I Wish It Would Rain" (Ruffin) and "Get Ready" and "You're My Everything" (Kendricks), respectively. After Ruffin went solo, producer Norman Whitfield put the Edwards-era Temptations in a psychedelic soul bag, and together with writing partner Barrett Strong crafted some exceptionally tough-minded message material: The dizzying, drug-oriented "Cloud 9" and the doomed, disintegrating family-scenario of "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" are bona fide pop masterworks.

Kendricks's splendidly retro falsetto showcase ("Just My Imagination") sent him flying solo. Paul Williams was also gone by '71 (he shot himself to death two years later), and the group went through a complex series of lineup changes. Shifting to Atlantic didn't help, but they returned to Motown and the charts--thanks to Rick James--with "Standing On The Top" ('82). Although the subsequent reunion tour collapsed, Ruffin and Kendricks's careers were revived by appearance on Hall & Oates's '85 live LP. Unfortunately, Ruffin would die from a cocaine overdose in 1991; lung cancer killed Kendricks the next year. Bassman Melvin Franklin died following a brain seizure in 1995. The Temptations were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame a year earlier.