The Temptations went to number one with “My Girl” in January 1965. Two more singles and two albums followed during the course of the year. In March, Gordy Records released “It’s Growing”, written by Pete Moore of the Miracles and produced by Smokey Robinson, with David Ruffin singing lead vocal. That was followed in June by another Pete Moore song, co-written with Robinson, entitled “Since I Lost My Baby”. Both singles entered the charts, with “It’s Growing” reaching number eighteen on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and number three on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and “Since I Lost My Baby” peaking at number seventeen on the Hot 100 Singles Chart and number four on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart. The final single of the year was September’s “My Baby”, another Miracles creation co-written by Robinson, Rogers and Moore and featuring Ruffin once again on lead vocal. The song charted at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and number four on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart. This last single shows the Temptations moving away from the slower or mid-tempo romantic ballads and aiming for a punchier dance tempo.
The growing popularity of the group is highlighted by the success of the two 1965 albums, “The Temptations Sing Smokey” and “The Temptin’ Temptations”, both of which reached number one on the Billboard Soul & R&B Albums Chart. The second of these features a number of songs written by Ivy Jo Hunter and Norman Whitfield, both of whom were playing an increasingly important role at Motown.
The Temptations had four singles and two albums released on the Gordy label during 1966. The first single was issued in February, a Smokey Robinson composition entitled “Get Ready”, which went to number one on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart but only reached number twenty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. It was, however, popular in the UK, where it peaked at number ten on the Official UK Pop Singles Chart and later earned the group a silver disc from the BPI.
For the follow-up, the group switched to a Norman Whitfield/ Eddie Holland song “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, produced by Whitfield, which was less popular in the UK but peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and again topped the Billboard R&B Singles Chart (for eight non-consecutive weeks), later earning the group a gold disc.
The switch to Whitfield seemed to work and was continued by Berry Gordy for the group’s third single of the year, “Beauty is Only Skin Deep”, released in August. The original session recordings for the track had been supervised by Whitfield back in 1964, so now he worked with Eddie Holland to add lyrics. They came up with an interesting meditation on what beauty is all about, and the Temptations sang it in a very untypical quirky style. The group were possibly not too hopeful that the song would sell, but novelty can sometimes work. The single went to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and number one on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, making it four in a row for the group, and they picked up another gold disc into the bargain.
It was back on familiar territory for the year’s final single, “(I Know) I’m Losing You”, a Soul ballad co-written by Cornelius Grant, Eddie Holland and Norman Whitfield, who also produced the track. Grant had become live show arranger for the group in 1964 and was happy working alongside Whitfield. The single maintained the standard set by the group’s earlier releases in 1966 by peaking at number one on the billboard R&B Singles Chart and reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, whilst later earning gold certification from the RIAA.
In June, Gordy Records had released the group’s fourth studio album, “Gett Ready”, which contains twelve songs, the majority of which were written or co-written by Smokey Robinson, who also produced the album. The group’s switch to Norman Whitfield later in the year is reflected by the inclusion of three co-written by their new producer. The album sold well, reaching number twelve on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart and number one on the Billboard Soul & R&B Albums Chart.
Finally, in November 1966, Gordy released the Temptations’ “Greatest Hits”, with Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield sharing production duties. It is a fine collection, which shows the variety provided by the switching of the lead vocals to different members of the group. The album reached number five on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, spending a total of one hundred and twenty weeks on the chart. It also went to number one on the Billboard Soul & R&B Albums Chart and later earned double platinum certification from the RIAA. It is a landmark album for the group and for Motown.
After a slow start, the group were gathering cross-over momentum and achieving enviable levels of consistency amongst fans of R&B.
