DETROIT -- The Temptations have lit up stages all over the world since the 1960s.
And although the legendary Motown group was formed in Detroit more than six decades ago, it will be performing in its first halftime show in Detroit when the Detroit Lions take on the Dallas Cowboys on "Thursday Night Football" at Ford Field.
Otis Williams, the lone living original member of The Temptations, is telling fans to "Get Ready" for an unforgettable experience just like the title of the smash single.
"We're going to make sure our game is tight," Williams told ESPN. "Because this is home and we want to make sure we're on point. We don't take it lightly; we want to make the best impression."
The Lions organization is also encouraging everyone to wear all-white, a trademark color of the group, which has achieved world renown with hits like "My Girl," "Just My Imagination," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and countless others.
Fans, members of the Lions coaching staff and their families are excited about the performance, Lions assistant head/wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery said.
"I love it," Montgomery said. "The only thing is it's starting to cost me more and more tickets because all of my family members now, once they hear who's performing ... Now, we're tapping into Motown, of course now, uncles, aunts, everybody's lined up.
"I told them, 'I don't have any halftime passes, you come to see the game.' But we're really excited."
ESPN's Lions reporter Eric Woodyard caught up with Williams for an exclusive interview, in which the 84-year-old revealed his long history supporting the Lions, The Temptations' halftime performance, and, yes, that time Motown label mate Marvin Gaye tried out for the team in the 1970s, and much more.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What was it like to receive the call from the Lions to perform at halftime this year?
Williams: Oh, wonderful. I'm a Detroiter at heart, even though we moved to L.A., because [Motown Records founder] Berry Gordy moved there, but I love Detroit and I've always been with the Lions and I'm so glad to see and hear that they're winning because for a long time when I lived here, it was almost, almost but the Lions are making us feel very good about the possibilities of them going all the way.
When did your fandom start with the Lions organization and what are some memories you have with the organization that fans might not of know throughout the years?
Williams: Well, you know, by and large, we've always been on the go. Meaning [The Temptations], but I've always watched the Lions, and then I remember when [legendary soul singer] Marvin Gaye wanted to play football and play with the Lions, and it didn't work out for Marvin.
READ MORE: How Marvin Gaye's NFL tryout changed his career
[Former Lions defensive back Lem Barney] said, "Otis man, we ain't gonna let Marvin come in here and do something that we've been doing ever since we were boys and he's going to come in here and make us look bad." So, I said, "Really?" He said, "Yeah, man, we had to put a little touch-up on him right quick." And I said, "Wow, I didn't know that," but Marvin tried out for the Lions back during the '70s.
What was your reaction to Marvin trying out for the Lions?
Williams: Well, I was surprised, because I've always known Marvin to be a songwriter, a singer, but Marvin had other aspirations, and I guess he wanted to try it out and I was surprised that he tried out and they gave him a little shout. But it didn't work out, you know. And so Marvin said later for this, I guess, and stayed on with singing.
Did you play sports growing up or did you always sing?
Williams: I was always singing. When I came to Detroit and I went to the Fox Theatre, I saw Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers and the Royal Jokers, who were there from Detroit and a lot of wonderful acts. And when I saw what happened at the Fox Theatre -- that's when I said, "I want to do that." And I was about 15 or 16 years old. And from that point on, it's been all the way up to why I am the age that I am today.
How was the Lions fandom through their early years of struggle?
Williams: Well, we always supported them, but, it got to the point of, "OK, let's see what the Lions are going to do this year." And like Thanksgiving is the time when they were always on. And we were kind of let down, because we thought they would go all the way, but they never got to the point where they are now. See, the Lions are threatening now, so they look more promising now than they did back when I was growing up, but we always supported them, but they never did get to the apex of what we wanted them to be.
The Temptations are wearing white for the halftime performance. What does white mean to the group and when did that originate?
Williams: Well, it means quite a bit. We've been wearing white for quite some time. That's part of our makeup to being The Temptations, so that's a special privilege now to do it before the Lions and us appearing in there during halftime. So, that's a great honor, and we just love to support the Lions in white. Like I said, we've been wearing white and various other colors, but white has been one of our dominant colors for us, as our uniform is concerned.
For fans who have never seen The Temptations, what can they expect in the performance?
Williams: Well, they can expect to see us being who we have been known to be for these many years, so to go out there and do our best because we know we have a whole lot of eyes looking at us. It'll just be a little short amount of time. But we want to make sure that what we are known for, is what they see when they see us. So we will be The Temptations, and we don't take it for granted. We want to be inspirational to kids.
You were also one of the producers of "The Temptations" film, which featured the famous line, "Ain't nobody coming to see you, Otis," from David Ruffin. How does that make you feel now that everybody is coming to see you, being the last original member?
Williams: Well, I talked with the brother that played me [Charles Malik Whitfield]. I said, "Hey, man, who wrote that line?" He said, "Otis, man, that the scene was going so good and it just came up. It was so dynamic that the producers and the director said, "No, no, no, let's keep that in." He said it was just a happenstance. So now when I'm on stage, I have a lot of people saying, "We came to see you, Otis," and it's been like a noted thing to say. But that came about just through [actor] Leon Robinson, doing his job so well, because see, when I got the word that we were gonna do The Temptations' life story, I wanted Leon to play me.
So, The Temptations had to go over to Paris to do a show. And when I came back, I said, "Leon, how'd it go?" He said, "Otis, it went fine," but he said, "I'm going to play David Ruffin." I said, "Oh man, really? What happened?"
[Executive film producer] Suzanne de Passe told me, "Otis, when we had the cast meeting, Leon came in, he bought tight pants and had his hair fixed like we wore back in the '60s." So, when he came in, he was so impressive that Suzanne de Passe said, "No, you play David Ruffin." I said, "Well, long as you in it, man. I'm happy about that," but that's how they evolved. But, he was shooting the scene so well and just went, "Ain't nobody coming to see Otis." And they didn't want to cut it out. And now it's the in thing to say because even when The Temptations are on stage, now, people say, "We came to see you, Otis," so I love it, you know, it just was a wonderful experience.
