Going deep: The Temptations and the Four Tops in Montgomery on Sunday

While it’ll be Jawan Jackson delivering that oh-so-deep voice Sunday for the Temptations, longtime fans will likely hear echoes of late Montgomery native bass singer Melvin “Blue” Franklin.

“I got a lot of love for being Melvin,” Jackson told the Detroit Free Press in 2022, just after being named an official member of the Temptations. Before that, Jackson starred as Franklin in two Broadway shows — "Motown: The Musical" and "Ain't Too Proud."

“Now I get to be my actual self, bringing my own artistry to the Temptations,” said Jackson, a Detroit native singer and actor.  “I’ll be carrying Melvin’s essence with me, of course, but I get to be Jawan.”

With rocking soul hits that stretch back into the ‘60s, two Motown Records greats the Temptations and the Four Tops will be at the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre starting at 7 p.m.

The Temptations had 37 Top 40 hits: 15 Top 10 hits, 15 No 1 singles and 17 No 1 albums, in addition to a quartet of songs that soared to No. 1 on the R &B charts. Among their biggest releases songs such as “My Girl,” “Get Ready,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” and “Just My Imagination.” The Temptations earned four Grammy Awards.  The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, and Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

The Four Tops had their first Motown hit, ‘Baby I Need Your Loving’ in 1964. Their no. 1 hit songs include ‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," and “It’s The Same Old Song.”  Their romantic trilogy included the no. 1 hit “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Standing In The Shadows Of Love,” and “Bernadette.” Other top hits are “Baby I Need Your Loving,”  “Ask The Lonely,” “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over),” “Something About You,” “You Keep Running Away,” “7-Rooms Of Gloom,” “Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got)," and “When She Was My Girl.” In 1990, the Four Tops were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

The two groups’ last joint concert in Montgomery was in 2019.

Ticket range from $56 to $112. You can purchase them online at mpac.org, or by calling the box office at 334-481-5100.

Growing up deep and blue

“You’ve got the deepest voice I’ve ever heard in my entire life,” Charlie Rose said to Franklin on “CBS Morning News” in 1986.

“Thank you very much,” Franklin replied. “It’s why I have a job.”

The world knew Franklin as a bass singer and co-founder of the Temptations. But way before that, he was born in Montgomery as David Melvin English to Rose B. “Mama Rose” English of Mobile on Oct. 12, 1942.

His single mother soon married Willard Franklin, and the couple would move to Detroit. Young David lived with his grandmother for the first 10 years of his life, before moving to be with his mother and stepfather to Detroit in 1953.

Once there, his musical side began to blossom, and so did his musical persona. He adopted his middle name and stepfather’s last name as a stage name — Melvin Franklin. He was also known as “Blue” to friends, since that was his favorite color.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Franklin fondly remembered getting kicked out of school because he was always singing in the hallways. As a teenager, Franklin’s talent caught the attention of a classmate at Northwestern High School, someone who would change the course of his life.

“I was impressed with Franklin when I heard him sing with a group called Voice Masters. He was 16 years old,” Otis Williams said in a video on the Temptations’ official YouTube channel. “To hear a 16-year-old young boy, with a bass sounding like an old man, I had to meet him.”

At that time, 17-year-old Williams was in need of a bass singer. He’d already met with Berry Gordy of Motown Records, and said signing deal was just ahead.

“I saw Melvin walking down Woodrow Wilson in Detroit,” Williams said. “He was on one side of the street, and I was on the other side. We criss-crossed until I had him to stop, I asked him to stop. I told him I wanted him to join my group.”

They became friends and bandmates through several groups. Williams and Franklin collaborated for the Siberians, the Distants and the Primes. Franklin would also sing with Williams in the Elgins in 1960.

The Temptations were formed in 1962. Along with Williams and Franklin, the original lineup included Eldridge Bryant, Eddie Kendricks of Birmingham and Paul Williams of Birmingham. That group kick started a career of hits, and would change to include dozens of others, including tenor David Ruffin.

Along with the music, their stage presence, dance moves and the famous “Temptation Walk” earned them regular TV appearances on shows such as Ed Sullivan and “American Bandstand” with Dick Clark.

“We’ve been very fortunate,” Franklin told Clark in 1980. “The people seem to enjoy what the Temptations represent.”

When Franklin was in his prime, outside of singing, he enjoyed a life on wheels. “I live at Flippers and at Venice Beach, roller skating,” Franklin told Clark.

“That’s how he got that deep voice,” Clark joked. “He fell on his head so many times…”

Though they're at about 80 show dates a year now, back then the Temptations were touring for about 200 nights a year. Franklin said that among the best times for him were the standing ovations when they’d finish a live show.

“That’s got to be like one of the nicest feelings in this life,” Franklin said.

The Temptations saw several lineup changes through the decades — between the singers and band members there were more than 30 — and Franklin always hated it when they’d lose a member.

“We’re together with each other more than with our families. More than with my wife,” Franklin said.

While it was magical, it wasn’t a painless journey for Franklin. Throughout most of his career, Franklin suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. In 1978, Franklin was shot twice in Los Angeles while trying to stop his car from being stolen. By the 1980s, he was diagnosed with diabetes. In 1995, Franklin suffered a series of seizures, and went into a coma before dying from heart failure at 52.

He was a father of five, and was married to his second wife Kimberly English. In a 1991 interview on Video Soul, Franklin said their marriage worked because he was "one person" at this stage in his life, instead of being Melvin Franklin the entertainer and David English at home. He said Kimberly accepted him for who he was.

"I'm what I am. I'm one of The Temptations," Franklin said.

Williams called Franklin his lifelong friend.

“I miss him,” Williams said. “I still love him, even though he’s no longer here.”

Brian McCollum of Detroit Free Press contributed to this story.

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Going deep: The Temptations and The Four Tops in Montgomery on Sunday