Paul Williams (singer)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul Williams

Paul Williams (born July 2, 1939 in Birmingham , † August 17, 1973 in Detroit ) was the singer of the vocal quintet The Temptations . He was a founding member of the Motown group and was one of the band's most successful times. In 1971 he got out of the Temptations.

life and work

Paul Williams was born in Birmingham, Alabama , where he grew up. At school he met his friend and later band member Eddie Kendricks . As a teenager, Williams and Kendricks performed with Kel Osbourne and Willie Waller under the name The Cavaliers as singers.

In 1957 Williams, Kendrick and Osbourne decided to embark on a professional singing career. With their manager Milton Jenkins, the three moved to Detroit , where they initially performed under the name The Primes . Although they did not record any albums under that name, they were successful and even formed a female offshoot group, The Primettes , which later became The Supremes .

After Osbourne left the band in 1960, they joined the band of Otis Williams , Melvin Franklin and Elbridge Bryant , who performed under the name The Elgins . In 1961 a contract was signed with Motown and the band was renamed The Temptations .

Although the band now had a recording deal, it was not until 1964 that the band had a Billboard Top 20 title with "The Way You Do the Things You Do". Other successes soon followed, such as "My Girl", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" and "(I Know) I'm Losing You."

During the band's early years, Williams acted as lead singer and choreographer . Williams later became the lead singer on "Just Another Lonely Night" (1965), "No More Water in the Well" (1967), a cover version of "Hey Girl" (1969) and his signature track, "Don't Look Back "(1965).

In the spring of 1969, he and Brown opened a fashion boutique in Detroit, which, however, was not a commercial success. Due to illness and increasing alcohol consumption, he was sometimes no longer able to perform. The Monitors ' Richard Street has been hired to take on Williams' part in performances. After he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver in 1971 , Williams left the band. In order to support Williams financially, he was hired by the group as a choreographer and consultant.

He committed suicide on August 17, 1973. He was found lying lifeless on the street, not far from Motown Recording Studios (Detroit) , Motown headquarters. The official cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Williams left a wife and six children.

Posthumously, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Temptations in 1989 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Temptations at allmusic.com . www.allmusic.com. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
  2. ↑ The Primes at allmusic.com . www.allmusic.com. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
  3. ↑ Jason Ankeny: Artist Biography - The Temptations . In: All Music Guide . Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2009.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Williams, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American tenor singer
DATE OF BIRTH July 2, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH Birmingham , Alabama, United States
DATE OF DEATH 17th August 1973
Place of death Detroit , Michigan, United States