“My motivation to continue as a part of the group is the fact that it’s what I do,” he says. “It’s what I was meant to do. Of the billions of people in the world, there’s only such a small percentage of them that can honestly say that they are doing what they love. I’m so blessed that I still get to do this – it’s a job that I will have held for 56 years come next February. It’s a job I plan on keeping for as long as time will allow it. I thank God for the chance every day.”
The group’s now-legendary story has been shared through Williams’ own eyes over a handful of different mediums. A written memoir was released in the late ‘80s, and a four-part miniseries adaptation followed a decade later. The book has now been adapted into a Broadway musical, which is slated to launch in the first quarter of 2016. Even now, with the original memoir verging on 30-years-old, it’s an underdog story that paints a portrait of an ever-evolving America, an ever-evolving Detroit, and an ever-evolving musical sound.
“I was first approached about writing a book about the group in 1986,” says Williams. “There was a woman from Platinum Publishing that was sent down to check out The Temps. She had a beautiful blue dress on, and I told the security guard to let her come back stage so that I could talk to her. Little did I know that was her plan all along. I didn’t even know she worked for a publisher. She told me that she’d been doing her research, and that she thought our story would make good copy. I was like, ‘Copy? What is that?’ She brought me into this whole world of books, and two years later I had my own. You never know where life is going to take you next.”
Of course, the group’s path to super stardom wasn’t without its twists and turns. Several key members of The Temptations lost their lives under tragic circumstances – most notably founding member David Ruffin, who lost a long battle with addiction at the tender age of 50. Considering the group were particularly-prevalent at a time when the so-called summer of love brought drugs into common usage, Williams maintains that he has never been lured in by such things.
“Drug culture has always been a part of the music world,” he says. “Billie Holiday was on heroin, and that was in the ‘40s. It might have had a rise in the public eye through the ’60s, and all the information about it might be more accessible now through articles and YouTube and all that sort of thing, but it’s always been there. The way that I see it, it all comes down to the person. As for me, I saw the effect that those kind of things had on people that I knew. I saw what it did to them. The effects on them were residual on me. I made a point of rejecting it and saying it wasn’t for me. I like being in control.”
Before Broadway comes calling, Williams and the current formation of The Temptations will pop over to Australia for an exclusive appearance at The Bureau Festival. Although the group’s original lineup never made it here, The Temptations have still been visiting for over 20 years. Their maiden voyage – although laced with tragedy and loss – wound up being a complete triumph.
“The first tour The Temptations ever did of Australia began on a very bittersweet note,” Williams says. “I remember being at the airport, and I was calling back to the States to let my wife at the time know that I had made it over safely. She was in a state of shock when she called. She asked me, ‘Have you heard about Marvin?’ In the time it had taken us to fly over, the news had broken that Marvin Gaye had been killed by his father. It was an incredible tragedy, and we were all truly stunned at the news of our fallen brother. Those first Australian shows ended up being so much fun and such a joy – I think it’s because we were doing it for Marvin.”
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
