I would like to use the Temptations in this scenario. I’m a big fan of the original classic five Temptations lineup of David Ruffin, Eddie Kendrick, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams. What if the Temptations were songwriters and musicians, much like say the Beatles, and all those great songs like My Guy, The Way You Do The Things You Do, Cloud Nine, and Papa Was A Rolling Stone were penned by say, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks, and it would look something like this: Ruffin-Kendricks on the 45 or the LP
Songwriting royalties are a massive part of a band or group’s income. That is if they can write their tunes. How the Temptations make money with their record sales and touring. This is why being on the road for them and many other artists was so grueling, because it was a giant part of their income stream pretty much to this day.
Smokey Robinson and Ronald White wrote My Girl for The Temptations
My Girl was the Temptations first big hit, released in 1965; the song was written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White of the Miracles, and the session was produced by Smokey Robinson. If, say, Ruffin-Kendricks wrote the song as a partnership much like Lennon-McCartney. They would have received both performance royalties as the artist and publishing royalties as the songwriters, and if anyone else recorded My Girl, they are getting paid once again. Get this: My Girl has been recorded by approximately 150 other artists.
What If The Temptation played their own Instruments
The Temptations are playing most of their instruments seriously, saving money on production costs; granted, their orchestrations with violin and other instruments that they would not have played, but let’s put Ruffin on the bass guitar. Kendricks on the rhythm guitar, Paul Williams on the lead guitar, Melvin Franklin on lead guitar or rhythm, and Otis Williams on the drums. Yes, they are giving up the famous Temptations dance steps for instruments. Rock on!
Just the royalties for My Girl alone over the years would have surpassed upwards of $5,000,000 just for that tune. If the Temptations were able to, under good management, control their publishing rights. They could have easily negotiated a better publishing deal.
Jr. Walker and The All Star was an actual band
This scenario in place, their music would have sounded different, sure, but this would be the sound you would be used to, and they would have had more control of the production side as well. Only a few Motown groups were actually bands. Jr. Walker and The All Stars come to mind, but still no songwriting, mainly relying on the Motown songwriting machines of Holland-Dozier-Holland and others.
I’m a fan of the Temptations regardless, but it poses the question: what if? David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrick, who were indeed the voices. much like John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Beatles and Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.
