MOTOWN LEGENDS THE TEMPTATIONS TO APPEAR AT THE SCHNITZ
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Portland, Ore. …One of history's most beloved group of R&B performers, The Temptations, will perform at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Oct. 10 in a Special Event presentation by the Oregon Symphony. Also on the program will be Portland's famed blues singer, songwriter and harmonica player, Curtis Salgado. The Oregon Symphony orchestra will not perform. Media support is provided by KINKfm102 and Willamette Week.

The Temptations have enjoyed a four-decade legacy with hits like "My Girl," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," "Treat Her Like a Lady" and "Stay." Their current albums, "Phoenix Rising" and 2001 Grammy winner "Ear Resistible," are international best sellers. According to Rolling Stone: "The Temptations are more polished, more exciting, more emotionally alive and musically thrilling than at any time in their exalted history. Even during the heyday of Motown '60s, the fellows never sang with such fire."

The current Temptations lineup includes founder and leader of the group Otis Williams (tenor), Ron Tyson (tenor), Terry Weeks (tenor and baritone), Barrington Henderson (baritone), Harry McGilberry, Jr. (bass) and Musical Director Al McKenzie. The Temptations will announce the program from the stage.

Salgado will perform during the first half of the concert. "Rockin' soul" singer Salgado was the voice for blues guitarists Robert Cray and Carlos Santana as well as the front man for Roomful of Blues and the inspiration for John Belushi's Blues Brothers character, Jake. Southland Blues calls Salgado's music "an eclectic blend of styles, classic R&B and funk, rockabilly and, of course, Memphis soul."

The Temptations' performance is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets range from $25 to $87.50 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony's Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.

The Temptations

Memories of The Temptations stretch back a long and winding road. To earn the devotion of the millions who love them still, they started out in those Motown bus tours called The Motor Town Revues. They criss-crossed the country and the crowds became larger, drawn like a magnet to the impossibly sweet tenor or Eddie Kendricks, the honeyed soul shout of David Ruffin, the beautiful baritone of Paul Williams, the heart of the group, Melvin Franklin, and the engine that made it all run, Otis Williams.

As the hits came rushing out of Detroit and onto the charts, the pace accelerated. The lights grew brighter, the crowds more frenzied as the group sang "The Way You Do the Things You Do," "My Girl," "Get Ready," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," "Beauty's Only Skin Deep," "I Know (I'm Losing You)," "You're My Everything," "Cloud Nine," "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" and "I Can't Get Next to You."

The group's personnel changed with time and tides. Dennis Edwards replaced David Ruffin and led the group through the early '70s with a long string of hits, including "Psychedelic Shack," "Runaway Child, Running Wild," "Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down," and "Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite the World)." Setting another trademark, a long string of hits featured multiple trade-off leads; some like "Superstar" featured a lead turn by each group member. "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," "Cloud Nine," "I Can't Get Next to You" and "Ball of Confusion" are among the smashes with lead trades.

Eddie Kendricks crystallized for all time the essence of the first tenor voice on "Just My Imagination," and then departed the group. He was replaced in succession by Damon Harris, Glenn Leonard and ultimately Ron Tyson.

What they are seeing these days is a group Otis Williams calls "more of what the first group of men were like than any other lineup. This group has the talent, determination and brotherhood that will take us forward, give our fans what they come to hear and keeps us on our toes, doing that Temptations Walk into the year 2000."

Indeed the lineup of Otis Williams, first/second tenor; Ron Tyson, first tenor; Barrington Henderson, baritone; Terry Weeks, first/second tenor and baritone, and Harry McGilberry bass, hold the circle of time in their hands and heart as they hold the microphones in the name of one of the most beloved groups of men ever to step up into history's footsteps, The Temptations.

Curtis Salgado

Curtis Salgado's illustrious music career spans 23 years. He has played a major role in the evolution of the modern blues scene. He was the inspiration for John Belushi's creation of The Blues Brothers. He coined the phrase "Master of the Telecaster" for Albert Collins, and he sang lead vocals and played harmonica with the Robert Cray band. He was frontman for the national blues act, Roomful of Blues.

Singer/songwriter/harmonica player Curtis Salgado was born in Everett, Wash., in 1954, and moved to Eugene, Ore., at the age of 1 with his family where he lived for the next 24 years listening to blues and jazz. His father, a jazz enthusiast and an aspiring classical singer, helped develop Curtis' musical abilities at an early age. In his early teens Salgado was inspired by Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf and was quickly leaning toward a blues orientation.

In 1972, Curtis formed his first band, Three Fingered Jack, which eventually turned into a band called The Nighthawks in 1974. The Nighthawks were prominent in the 1970s blues scene for several years. In 1976 Salgado joined The Robert Cray Band where he sang lead and played blues harp for six years.

In 1979, while John Belushi was in Eugene filming "Animal House," he was taken by surprise when he saw Salgado's show at a downtown Eugene nightclub. Salgado inspired Belushi to form his Blues Brothers act with Dan Ackroyd and Belushi dedicated the Blues Brothers album to Salgado. Belushi borrowed the songs, the between-songs rap, and even the sun glasses.

In 1982, before the Robert Cray Band rose to national fame, Salgado left the band and moved to Portland where he formed a new band, In Yo Face. In 1984 Salgado joined the Grammy Award-winning Boston band Roomful of Blues, where he continued to sing lead and play harmonica for two years.

In 1986, Curtis returned to Portland and formed The Stilettos with former John Lee Hooker bass player John Mazzocco. The band quickly dominated the local blues scene, and soon after began to establish a national audience by touring extensively as an opening act for such major bands as The Steve Miller Band, The Doobie Brothers and appearing at major blues festivals nationwide. Salgado also performed as a guest artist on stage with Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Bobby Blue Bland and Albert Collins, among others.

Curtis Salgado's soulful and riveting live shows continue to establish him as one of the country's most exciting performers. He makes his mark by delivering a hard driving stage performance with electrifying vocals and dynamic harmonica playing.

In 1991, Curtis Salgado released his first solo CD with his band, the Stilettos. The CD, which was self-titled, was critically and commercially acclaimed. This CD is further testimony to Salgado's superb songwriting abilities and showcases five of his own songs.

The 1995 release of Salgado's second album, "More Than You Can Chew," further establishes his reputation as one of the most innovative modern blues performers. His powerhouse fusion of blues, rock 'n' roll, funk, soul and gospel makes Salgado's music an inspirational model for a new blues sound.

During the spring of 1995, Curtis Salgado embarked on a national tour with Santana. Curtis was the featured lead singer and harmonica player during this tour. Salgado will continue to perform in concert in major cities throughout the United States with his own band.

Spring 1997, "Hit It and Quit It," as the long-awaited album is called, finally puts to disk a blues collaboration that dates back eight years, when Curtis and Terry Robb first started spending quiet weeknights in informal blues clubs around Portland, their home town.