Died On This Date (February 23, 1995) Melvin Franklin / The Temptations
themusicsover Melvin Franklin (Born David English)
October 12, 1942 – February 23, 1995
Melvin Franklin was the longtime bass singer for influential Motown singing group, the Temptations. While he was still in high school, Franklin joined a local vocal group, the Distants, which soon morphed into the Elgins, then ultimately the Temptations, and signed with Motown in 1961. He stayed with the group until they officially disbanded in 1994. Franklin’s unmistakable bass vocals can be heard singing on such classic songs as “Ain’t To Proud To Beg,” “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” and “My Girl.” On February 23, 1995, 52-year-old Melvin Franklin died after lapsing into a coma from a brain seizure several days earlier.
What You Should Own
Eddie Kendricks was a co-founder of the Motown hit-making vocal group, the Temptations. It is his falsetto voice that can be heard on such classic songs as “Just My Imagination,” “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” and “Get Ready.” He also scored a #1 single as a solo artist with 1970’s “Keep On Truckin.'” Kendricks’ run with the Temptations was from 1960 until he went solo in 1971. The ’70s were hit and miss as far as his career went. After “Keep On Truckin,” he had a few minor hits. The ’80s found him reuniting with the Temptations a couple of times and finding a new audience thanks to some help from Hall & Oates who invited him to sing with them on a live album and a couple of television events including Live Aid. In 1991, the same year that fellow Temptation, 
