DETROIT
(Motown) - You may not know Joe Williams, but he's the brother of
deceased Temptation member Paul Williams; he is spearheading a drive to
get the world to remember his older sibling's legacy with the infamous
Motown group.
Williams has created the organization Williams
to Williams LLC, which is dedicated to the memories of Paul Williams,
and donated proceeds from all planned events will be submitted to
Sickle Cell research; the genetic disease that older brother Paul was
inflicted with.
Williams says that the name 'Williams to
Williams LLC' is the joining of two families, Paul's immediate family
[widowed wife & children] and his siblings.
Paul
Williams was the heart & soul of the
Temptations drive to the top
of the R&B and Pop charts in the mid 60's and early 70's. Paul had
to quite the
Temptations due to an illness, and was found dead in his
car August 17, 1973, from a gunshot wound to the head, not far from
Motown Records studio. Paul's influence in the early years of the
Temptations was magnetic. "I brought the lead vocals to the Temptations
... Paul and myself" said Eddie Kendricks in an earlier interview
before he died of lung cancer October 5, 1992.
Joe Williams is
working with a number of sponsors, and organizations to create fund
raising events to aacquirethe mammoth home of the
Detroit Lions, Ford
Field in Detroit. The reason for the numerous fund raisers is the
planning of a larger conference entitled "Paul Williams: The
Unforgotten Temptation"; the conference will address the history, and
legacy of his brother Paul.
A number of invited special guests
that knew Paul personally will be invited to the conference, which may
also include Kel Osborn of the Primes. Osborn, along with Kendricks,
and Williams started their career in Birmingham, Alabama, and
eventually made their way to Detroit. Osborn left the group. Kendricks
and Williams melted into the
Detroit scene and met the group called
Otis Williams and the Distance. Both groups joined to become the
Temptations.
The first of numerous fund raising campaigns will
happen Sunday, February 26, 2005 at Club Network on Broadway in Detroit
Michigan. Motown's alumni, and other stars of
Detroit will be invited
to support the gala. Motown's alum can call Darren Gooden to RSVP at
(313) 273-1496, and all information pertaining to the fund raiser can
be obtained at the same number.
The exact date is unknown for
the larger conference, but organizers say that sometime near the end of
spring is the planned time period for the event.
