The Temptations & The Four Tops Join Forces, Begin Limited Broadway Engagement

Two legendary Motown bands are ready to rock the Great White Way. The Temptations and The Four Tops begin their (very) limited Broadway engagement on December 29. They’ll celebrate their 50-year career of classic hits at the Palace Theatre for seven performances through January 4.

The Temptations started in the early ‘60s in Detroit and rose to fame in 1964 with “The Way You Do The Things You Do.” They became the first Motown group to win a Grammy—for “Cloud Nine” in 1969. They won again in 1973 for “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and in 2001 for the album Ear-Resistable. Last year, they were honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Temptations singers currently consist of founding member Otis Williams, as well as Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, Joe Herndon and Bruce Williamson.

The Four Tops began as Four Aims in 1956 under Chess Records, singing everything from pop, to blues, to Broadway and jazz. The quartet’s “Baby I Need Your Loving” marked their first Motown hit in 1964; it was soon followed by such chart-toppers as “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” “It’s The Same Old Song” and “”Reach Out I’ll Be There.” They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and received the 2009 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Original member Abdul “Duke” Fakir is joined by Ronnie McNeir, Harold Bonhart and Lawrence Payton, Jr.