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| Melvin Franklin | |
|---|---|
| Name | Melvin Franklin |
| Background | solo_singer |
| Birth name | David Melvin English |
| Birth date | March 12, 1942 |
| Birth place | Montgomery, Alabama, United States |
| Death date | February 23, 1995 |
| Death place | Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1955–1995 |
| Associated acts | The Temptations |
Melvin Franklin was an American bass singer best known as the long-serving bass vocalist for the Motown vocal group The Temptations. He performed on landmark recordings and appeared on television programs, concert tours, and film projects, contributing to the sound of 1960s and 1970s soul and rhythm and blues. Franklin's deep vocal tone and stage persona became a defining element of the group's image during the heyday of Motown Records.
Franklin was born David Melvin English in Montgomery, Alabama, and moved during childhood to Detroit, Michigan, where his family joined many African American migrants participating in the Great Migration. While attending Detroit public schools he sang in local church choirs and neighborhood groups influenced by performers from the Grand Ole Opry, the Apollo Theater, and Detroit's own Motown scene. He studied briefly at Pershing High School and was associated with local ensembles that performed at venues such as the Fox Theatre and the Masonic Temple. Early influences included vocalists from groups like The Miracles, The Four Tops, Sam Cooke, James Brown, and soloists represented by labels such as Chess Records and Atlantic Records.
Franklin joined The Temptations in the early 1960s, becoming part of a lineup that recorded for Motown Records under the production leadership of figures such as Smokey Robinson, Norman Whitfield, Berry Gordy, and Holland–Dozier–Holland. As the bass singer he featured on charting singles released on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard R&B charts, contributing to hits that were promoted on television programs including The Ed Sullivan Show, American Bandstand, and Soul Train. He toured extensively with The Temptations on bills with artists like Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, The Supremes, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder, and performed at venues including Madison Square Garden, Wembley Stadium, and the Apollo Theater. Lineup changes in The Temptations saw Franklin work alongside members such as Otis Williams, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Damon Harris, and Dennis Edwards during eras that included collaborations with producers Frank Wilson and arrangers connected to the Detroit soul movement.
Franklin's bass voice anchored arrangements characteristic of the Motown sound, grounding lead lines and spoken interludes in recordings arranged by musicians and conductors from the Funk Brothers collective and orchestrated by arrangers like Paul Riser and David Van De Pitte. His vocal approach echoed traditions from gospel ensembles at churches such as Greater Grace Temple and secular R&B practices exemplified by groups like The Drifters and The Coasters. Franklin contributed signature moments on singles and albums released during the eras of ["classic" Temptations] and the group's later psychedelic soul period, often singing bass responses, character parts, and comic spoken sections that complemented leads by Ruffin, Kendricks, and Edwards. His stage persona—often towering in stature and reliant on timing and choreography devised with fellow Temptations members and choreographers who worked across Motown acts—helped define the group's visual presentation on tours and televised specials.
Outside of primary Temptations work Franklin participated in various Motown-related projects, studio sessions, and benefit concerts alongside artists such as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Temptations Review, and visiting performers booked by Gordy family promotions. He appeared in ensemble film and television appearances that connected him to projects featuring Diana Ross & the Supremes, Martha Reeves, and other contemporaries. Franklin also took part in recording sessions that included background vocal work for labelmates associated with Hitsville U.S.A. and sometimes collaborated informally with songwriters and producers who worked throughout the Detroit music scene.
Franklin resided in the Greater Los Angeles area and maintained ties to Detroit where he had grown up. He married and had children; his family life intersected with touring schedules for The Temptations and with community engagements that included appearances at civic events, benefits, and charity performances affiliated with organizations in Michigan and California. He was known among colleagues for his jovial demeanor, affinity for sports broadcasts such as NFL and NBA games, and friendships with fellow Motown artists including members of The Temptations ensemble and contemporaries like Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye.
Franklin experienced longstanding health problems, including complications related to diabetes, which affected his mobility and necessitated medical care during periods of reduced touring. He underwent hospitalization in the 1990s and faced challenges consistent with chronic disease management documented among entertainers who toured extensively. Franklin died in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1995; his passing occurred amid continuing public recognition from peers such as Otis Williams and institutions associated with Motown Records and Detroit's music legacy.
Franklin's contributions to soul, R&B, and popular music have been acknowledged through ensemble induction and recognition for The Temptations in institutions such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in retrospectives at museums and festivals celebrating Motown history. His bass vocals remain cited in analyses of classic singles and albums alongside producers like Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield, and his recorded performances continue to be licensed for compilations and documentary projects highlighting the Detroit sound, the history of African American music, and the evolution of vocal group performance in the twentieth century. Many contemporary vocalists and groups reference the Temptations era in pedagogical contexts at programs affiliated with Berklee College of Music, Juilliard School, and university departments that study popular music.
Category:1942 births Category:1995 deaths Category:American soul singers Category:Members of The Temptations