1965 Temptations – Since I Lost My Baby
The Elgins changed their name to The Temptations in 1961. The group began recording singles with vocalists Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks taking turns singing lead vocals. Staff members began referring to the group as the “Hitless Temptations” after a long series of records failed to chart nationally. Smokey Robinson wrote the last single from their first album (The Way You Do the Things You Do) and the record finally put them on the charts when it reached #11 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart.
Smokey then took over producing the group and co-wrote and produced all the songs on their second album. He also wrote and produced the first single for their third album and My Girl became the group’s signature song. The recording was the group’s first single to feature David Ruffin on lead vocals.
The group’s first single in 1965 again came from their second album (perhaps because it also featured David on lead vocals). Since I Lost My Baby again reached the top twenty on the Hot 100, peaking at 17. It also reached #4 on the R&B chart.
Norman Whitfield had written one of the songs on the first Temptations album, and he began pestering Berry Gordy to let him again write the next single for the group. Berry promised that if the next Temptations single written by Smokey did not reach the top twenty on the Hot 100, Norman would get his chance.
Get Ready only reached #29 on the Hot 100 in 1966 (although it did reach the top of the R&B chart), and as promised, Norman got to co-write and produce their next single. Ain’t Too Proud To Beg reached #13 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart and Norman became the group’s producer into the middle of the seventies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Temptations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Temptations_discography#Singles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Since_I_Lost_My_Baby
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