Otis Williams
This Otis Williams is not to be confused with the lead singer of Otis Williams and the Charms. |
Otis Williams (second from right), with the Temptations in 1967. |
Otis Williams (born
Otis Miles, Jr. on
October 30,
1939, in
Texarkana, Texas) is an
American second
tenor/
baritone singer and a
soul and
R&B songwriter and
record producer. Williams is the leader of
The Temptations, a group he founded in late
1960 as
The Elgins and in which he continues to perform as the sole surviving original member.
Otis Miles, Jr. was the son of Haze Louise Williams and Otis Miles, Sr., and was primarily raised by his grandmothers in the town of
Texarkana, Texas. At age 12, his mother moved him to
Detroit, Michigan to live with her and his new stepfather Edgar, and he began using his mother's last name at this time.
Williams became interested in music as a
teenager, and put together a number of singing groups, among them
Otis Williams & the Siberians,
The El Domingoes, and
The Distants. The Distants had a local hit, co-written by Williams and manager/producer Johnnie Mae Matthews, called "Come On", with lead vocals by
Richard Street. Future Distants recordings were not as successful, and after an offer from
Berry Gordy of
Motown Records, Williams and his friends
Elbridge "Al" Bryant and
Melvin Franklin quit The Distants. Williams, Bryant, Franklin and former Primes
Eddie Kendricks and
Paul Williams (no relation to Otis) formed
The Elgins, who signed to Motown in March
1961 as
The Temptations.
The Temptations eventually became the most successful act in black music over the course of its nearly five-decade existence, over which time notable singers such as
David Ruffin,
Dennis Edwards, former Distant Richard Street,
Damon Harris,
Ron Tyson,
Ali-Ollie Woodson,
Theo Peoples,
Ray Davis, and
G.C. Cameron have all been members. In fact, the group's lineup changes were so frequent, stressful, and troublesome that Williams and Melvin Franklin promised each other they would never quit the group. Franklin remained in the group until he was physically incapable of doing so in
1994, and Williams is still in the group to this day. With Franklin's death on
February 23,
1995 at the age of 53, Otis Williams is the last surviving original member of the Temptations quintet.
Williams is the co-author, with Patricia Romanowski, of
Temptations, a
1988 book which served as both his
autobiography/
memoirs and a history of his group. In
1998,
Temptations was later adapted into a
NBC television miniseries,
The Temptations.Although he has served the longest tenure in The Temptations, Williams very rarely sings lead, focusing instead upon his role as the group's leader and organizer, and as the background "tenor in the middle".
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Otis Williams' official website
