MELVIN FRANKLIN, OF THE TEMPTATIONS, DIES AT 52
Eric LeBlanc-CISTI
d. 1995-0223, LOS ANGELES, CA
Melvin Franklin, an original member of the singing group the Temptations,
died on Thursday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA. He was 52.
The cause was heart failure, the hospital said, adding that Mr. Franklin was
hospitalized a week ago.
The Temptations' hit recordings included "The Way You Do the Things You Do:,
"My Girl", "It's Growing", "Since I Lost My Baby", "Don't Look Back", "Get
Ready", "All I Need", "You're My Everyithing", "Just My Imagination" and
"Papa Was a Rolling Stone". The group formed in Detroit in 1962, included
Otis Williams, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, and Eldridge Bryant. Otis
Williams is the only one alive today.
I would like to thank David Silberberg for sending me the original obit
notice. I just saw them last summer. Melvin had a record of slipping in &
out of the group, the last time being in August 1990. On a good night,
he would do lead of their awesome version of "OLD MAN RIVER". Today,
of all the great bass singers in groupdom, only a few are still alive,
including : Steve Gibson (of THE 5 RED CAPS), Will "Dub" Jones (of THE CADETS/
THE JACKS), Bill Pinkney (of THE DRIFTERS), Jimmy Hayes (of THE PERSUASIONS),
Tommy Evans (of THE CAROLS/THE DRIFTERS), Orlundus Wilson (of THE GOLDEN GATE
QUARTET), and Isaac "Dickie" Freeman (of THE FAIRFIELD FOUR).
eRIC