Special Edition - Summer 2023 Luxury x Entertainment: Celebrating Black Music Month | Page 73

A couple of the Distance group members parted ways and the Motown move brought in Eddie Kendrick and Paul Williams . Melvin Franklin , Elbridge Bryant and of course Otis were still onboard . The group maintained five members , as it does to this day . They were five southern brothers who could sing gospel and could give artist Sam Cook a run for his money .

Berry Gordy , loved this new group , and in March of 1961 , they received his formal invitation to join the Motown record label . New to Motown , the group took on the new name of The Temptations , which went on the new music contract of which Otis Williams still has to this day . By 1964 Elbridge Bryant was replaced to join The

Temptations by David Ruffin , who became the groups lead singer .