Motown Sounds Coming to MGM National Harbor

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- Soulful singing legends The Temptations and The Four Tops will bring their timeless classics to The Theater at MGM National Harbor Saturday, May 13, MGM announced Monday.

For more than 50 years, the Temptations' smash hits led to sold-out performances throughout the world. The group quickly became an essential component of the original Motown machine in the early '60s, but, MGM points out, it wasn't until 1964 when the Smokey Robinson written-and-produced song "The Way You Do The Things You Do" turned the guys into stars. An avalanche of hit songs followed including "My Girl," "Since I Lost My Baby," "Get Ready," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and "I Wish It Would Rain."

Tickets for The Temptations range from $55 to $125, including applicable service charges, and are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at mgmnationalharbor.com or ticketmaster.com. For more show and ticket information, visit mgmnationalharbor.com or call (844) 346-4664.

The Temptations also became well-known for their smooth stepping chorography and flawless presentations. Throughout their career the group has reinvented themselves through their changing tone, dress, music style and roster of members over the last six decades.

The group currently consists of the legendary Otis Williams; Ron Tyson, a Philadelphia-born tenor; Terry Weeks, a baritone born in Alabama; Larry Braggs, two-time GRAMMY-nominated tenor and Willie Greene Jr., a bass vocalist born in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Four Tops quartet, originally called the Four Aims, had their first single in 1956, and spent seven years on the road singing pop, blues, Broadway, but mostly four-part harmony jazz. When Motown's Berry Gordy Jr. discovered the group's national "Tonight Show" appearance, he signed them without an audition to be the marquee act for the company's Workshop Jazz label, MGM said. That proved short-lived, and Stubbs' powerhouse baritone lead and the harmonies of Fakir, Benson and Payton started making one smash hit after another.

The band's first Motown hit, "Baby I Need Your Loving" in 1964, rose the group to stardom. Their songs, soulful and bittersweet, were across-the-board successes. "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," a No. 1 R&B and pop smash in 1965, is one of Motown's longest-running chart toppers. The group's commercial peak was highlighted by a romantic trilogy: The No. 1 "Reach Out I'll Be There," "Standing In The Shadows Of Love" (No. 2 R&B/No. 6 pop) and "Bernadette" (No. 3 R&B/No. 4 pop).

In 1990, with 24 Top 40 pop hits to their credit, The Four Tops were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The group continued to be a hit in concert, touring incessantly, a testament to the enduring legacy of the Motown Sound they helped shape and define. Following Payton's death in 1997, the group briefly worked as a trio until Theo Peoples, a former member of The Temptations, was recruited to restore the group to a quartet. When Stubbs subsequently grew ill, Peoples became the lead singer and former Motown artist-producer Ronnie McNeir was enlisted to fill Payton's spot. In 2005, when Benson died, Payton's son Roquel replaced him.

Here's a look at some of the other concerts coming up at MGM National Harbor:

• Thursday, Jan. 12: Kings of Leon
• Thursday, Feb. 2: Band of Brothers
• Saturday, Feb. 4: The Last Waltz 40 Tour: The 40th Anniversary of The Last Waltz
• Sunday, Feb. 12: Sebastian Maniscalco
• Saturday, Feb. 18: Earth,Wind & Fire
• Friday, March 3: Panic! at the Disco
• Saturday, March 4: Joe Bonamassa
• Sunday, March 5: ZZ Top
• Thursday, March 9: Il Volo
• Sunday, March 12: Sting
• Friday, March 17; Sunday, March 19; Monday, March 20; Thursday, March 23, Saturday, March 25, Sunday, March 26: Cher
• April 29, 30: Billy Crystal
• Friday, May 5, Saturday, May 6: Ricky Martin
• May 7: Move Live with Julianne and Derek Hough
• Aug. 31, Sept. 2, Sept. 3, Sept. 7, Sept. 9, Sept. 10: Cher

PHOTO of The Theater at MGM National Harbor courtesy of MGM