What is Otis Williams's Net Worth?
Otis Williams is an American baritone singer, songwriter, and record producer who has a net worth of $8 million. Otis Williams is best known for being the founder and last surviving member of the American vocal group The Temptations, famous for classic songs such as "My Girl." In the ever-changing cast of characters that made up The Temptations, Otis remained a constant member and retained the rights to the group's name.
Early Years
Otis Miles Jr., professionally known as Otis Williams, was born on October 30, 1941, in Texarkana, Texas, the son of Otis Miles Sr. and Hazel Williams. Not long after his birth, his parents split up. A couple of years later, his mother remarried and relocated to Detroit, Michigan, with her husband. Otis was left in Texas in the care of his grandmothers. When he was ten years old, Otis's mother and stepfather brought him to Detroit to live with them.
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The Birth of The Temptations
In 1958, Otis Williams founded a musical group he called Otis Williams and the Siberians. The group included members Elbridge Bryant, James Crawford, Vernard Plain, and Arthur Walton. They eventually changed their name to The El Domingoes and later to The Distants. In 1959, their song "Come On" became locally popular, and they were soon signed by Warwick Records.
The Distants released their song "Alright" in 1960 before changing their name to Otis Williams and The Distants. The following year, after an audition, the group was offered a recording contract by the Motown Record Corporation, and their name was changed to The Elgins. Once they learned another group was already using the name, they opted to be called The Temptations. The group now consisted of Otis, Elbridge, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, and Paul Williams. They quickly became popular with audiences due to their choreography, dress style, and distinct harmonies. Their first song to hit the charts was "You're My Dream Come True," which reached number 22 on the rhythm & blues chart in 1962. The rest of their music wasn't overly successful with audiences until their 1964 single "The Way You Do the Things You Do" became their first top-20 hit.
The group's first album, "Meet the Temptations," was released in 1964. Their song "My Girl" climbed to the number-one spot on the pop charts the following year.
The Temptations released two studio albums in 1965; "The Temptations Sing Smokey" and "The Temptin' Temptations." Four more studio albums followed; "Getting' Ready" in 1966, "The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul," and "The Temptations in a Mellow Mood" in 1967, and "The Temptations Wish It Would Rain" in 1968. By the end of the 60s, they had become international celebrities. Members of the group came and went, some struggling with cocaine addiction, others with alcohol or depression.
In 1972, the group's song "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" became another number one hit on the pop charts and reached number five on the rhythm & blues charts. The following year, the song won the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Group.
The Temptations left Motown to sign with Atlantic Records in 1976 but returned to Motown in 1980. In 1982, their Reunion Tour – which included all seven members of the group: Otis Williams, Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin, Melvin Franklin, Dennis Edwards, Glenn Leonard, and Richard Street – amounted to one disaster after another. A heavy smoker, Eddie had begun to lose the power of his voice while David was using drugs and was often too impaired to perform. Both men were let go from the group at the close of the tour.
In 1984, Otis and the newest Temptation – Ali-Ollie Woodson – co-wrote the song "Treat Her Like a Lady," which reached number two on the R&B charts. In 1986, the group had another Top 10 hit with the single "Lady Soul."
In 1998, The Temptations performed at the Super Bowl XXXII halftime show. Three years later, their album "Ear-Resistible" won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. Between 1964 and 2022, The Temptations released 45 albums.
(Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
Accolades
The Temptations saw 14 of their singles reach the number one spot on the rhythm & blues music charts. They became the first Motown act to win a Grammy Award – for their song "Cloud Nine" in 1969. In 2013, the group was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 1989, The Temptations were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Three of their songs are named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll; "My Girl" from 1971, "Just My Imagination" also from 1971, and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" from 1972.
American music magazine Rolling Stone ranked The Temptations as number 68 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time, while American music and entertainment magazine Billboard ranked them as number one on its list of the 100 Greatest Rhythm & Blues/Hip-Hop Artists Of All Time.
In 1999, The Temptations were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
Life Story & Lawsuits
In 1988, Otis Williams wrote his autobiography "Temptations" with the assistance of author Patricia Romanowski. Ten years later, Hallmark Entertainment produced "The Temptations," a four-hour television miniseries based on the book. American actor Charles Malik Whitfield portrayed Otis. The miniseries went on to be nominated for five Emmy Awards. Before long, a lawsuit citing defamation and other charges was brought against Otis, Motown vice president Suzanne de Passe, Hallmark Entertainment, and NBC by Otis's ex-wife Josephine, Melvin Franklin's mother (Melvin had died after a brain seizure in 1995), American songwriter Johnnie Mae Matthews and the family of David Ruffin (who had died from a cocaine overdose in 1991). The court's decision favored the defendants and remained the same after it was appealed in 2001.
A jukebox musical based on the autobiography titled "Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations" opened at the Berkeley Repertory Theater in 2017, with actor Derrick Baskin playing Otis. In 2019, the show opened at Broadway's Imperial Theater and, in 2023, at the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End.
Personal Life
Otis Williams married Josephine Rogers in 1961, and they welcomed their son Otis Lamont Miles that same year. Otis and Josephine were divorced in 1964. Their son died at the age of 24 when he fell off a Detroit building in a terrible work accident.
Otis married Ike and Tina Turner's housekeeper – Ann Cain – in 1967. They were divorced in 1973. In 1983, he married Arleata Carter.
