ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 16, 1997 TAG: 9704160035
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: A CUPPA JOE
SOURCE: JOE KENNEDY
The moment Sara Carter heard over the radio that the Temptations were coming to the Salem Civic Center, she decided to buy tickets for her family.
She didn't even ask her children, Emily, 16, and Eddie, nearly 14, if they wanted to go.
"I never thought twice about it," she said.
Her only regret was that her husband, Randy, a manager with Norfolk Southern Corp., had to leave on a business trip an hour before the show.
More than 3,500 people turned out Sunday night to go back to the 1960s and '70s, when the Temptations were Motown's biggest male group. But four of the Temptations from the heyday have died, leaving only Otis Williams, the least extroverted of the founders, surrounded by singers far younger.
Would they be able to handle the incomparable songs of the era, from "My Girl" to "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"? Would they dispel the ghosts of Eddie Kendricks and his wailing falsetto, David Ruffin and his nervous tenor, Melvin Franklin and his awesome bass?
Gordon Simmons was hoping so. He's 42, a Patrick Henry High School graduate and a laborer in the Norfolk Southern car shop.
"I missed them the last time they were here," he said.
When Motown was at its peak, its appeal transcended age, race and income. With matchless material from its writers and arrangers, The Temptations, the Supremes, the Four Tops, Stevie Wonder and other singers showed that joy and sorrow affect everyone, particularly when backed by a strong beat.
Would these Temptations be as good?
It took little time to find out. First, a Roanoke group called The Works played for 30 minutes, and then a large number of horn players assumed their seats. Then, as the band blared and ancient film clips flickered high on the wall to the left of stage, the quintet entered - in orange suits and black shirts - and went right into "The Way You Do the Things You Do."
They spun, high-stepped and did the Temptations' walk.
"Vintage," Bill Mangus, 52, a Realtor from Roanoke, called it.
With 37 years in the business, Otis Williams makes the rest of them legit. Heavier than he used to be - during one point he actually sat down on stage- he introduced songs, joked around and made everyone feel better just by being there. (The Temptations of old were tightly controlled, never ad-libbing or otherwise revealing anything about themselves).
That kept irony in its place. Oldies music is full of irony. Its innocence and nerve make it the compromise choice in many a family, but sadness accompanies the loss of so many of its stars.
Tune into an oldies station and count the number of legends who have passed - including former Temptations David Ruffin, of a drug overdose; Paul Williams, a suicide; Eddie Kendricks, of lung cancer; and Melvin Franklin, of heart failure.
Then turn up the volume and try not to dwell on it.
Sunday's concert showed that the four- and five-part harmonies of the Temptations' new lineup - Williams, Ron Tyson, Theo Peoples, Harry McGilberry and Terry Weeks - create the same excitement as the originals did.
"It was great," said Joyce Simmons, Gordon's Simmons wife.
"I don't go to enough of these things," Bill Mangus said. "We really did enjoy it."
"The Temptations met all my expectations," Sara Carter said.
What about the kids?
"Both of them said, 'We weren't sure we were going to like this' ... and both said, 'I hope they come back.'''
Proof, if any were needed, that this music will never die.
What's your story? Call me at 981-3256, send e-mail to joek@roanoke.com or write to P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010.
LENGTH: Medium: 71 linesby CNB