Collegiate Times

Musical legends The Temptations and The Four Tops will be performing at Virginia Tech this week. These vocal powerhouses whose careers have spanned over five decades will be at Burruss Auditorium on Thursday, Sept. 9.   

Rising to fame in the early 1960s and helping define a genre, the two groups have seen chart-topping songs, numerous awards and have set their legacies in musical history. Although they have had a revolving door of members and have dabbled in various genres over their half-century careers, The Temptations will probably be best remembered for songs like “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.”

Known for their precise choreography, immaculate outfits and distinct vocal skill, The Temptations have produced classics that have been sampled by other musicians from a range of genres including rock, pop and reggae.

Like The Temptations, The Four Tops started in Detroit, Michigan, and have been making music since the 1950s. However, unlike The Temptations, The Four Tops featured the same four members from their inception until Lawrence Payton’s death in 1997. Their hits include, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There” among others.  They, too, have consistently put out music since the group formed in high school.

Both The Temptations and The Four Tops have had Billboard No. 1 singles, multiple Grammy Award wins, and have been inducted to both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Also, both groups are listed by Rolling

Stone under the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time at numbers 67 and 79, respectively. The two groups only have one of their original members, Otis Williams in The Temptations, and Abdul Fakir in The Four Tops.

The Temptations and The Four Tops began performing in the era of the Supremes, Marvin Gaye and the Miracles, cementing their legacies as Motown staples.  Furthermore, both groups have not only been performing since the 1960s, they have been producing hits in their 50-plus years in the industry. The two groups have been touring the country and will be on the East Coast in September.

The show is being hosted by Virginia Tech Union Lively Arts in its 2010-11 season, which highlights performances in different areas of the performing arts. Performances will include the Moscow Ballet, Second City Improv group, comedian Joan

Rivers and the off-Broadway musical “Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.”

Lively Arts aims to bring a variety of artistic performances to the Virginia Tech and New River Valley communities. The first of the series, however, will be the concert by Motown legends The Temptations and the Four Tops

Samantha Holden, director of the Lively Arts and a senior psychology major, said that the concert is a bargain considering the big name performers and is definitely a must-see.

“It’s a once in a lifetime experience,” Holden said.

A version of this article appeared in the Sep 7 issue of the Collegiate Times.