The Temptations receive 2025 UCLA Spring Sing George and Ira Gershwin Award
The Los Angeles Tennis Center is pictured. On May 16, the Student Alumni Association will host Spring Sing at the LA Tennis Center once again. The 80th edition of the campus performance will recognize student artistry and the musical legacy of The Temptations. (Nicolas Greamo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Leydi Cris Cobo Cordon
May 9, 2025 7:20 p.m.
This post was updated May 11 at 10:57 p.m.
The Student Alumni Association announced The Temptations as the Spring Sing 2025 George and Ira Gershwin Award recipients.
Taking place at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on May 16, the annual musical tradition will honor the Motown group’s legacy and include performances from 12 student acts as well as its comedy troupe host Company after being held in a virtual format last year following the Palestine solidarity encampments. With over 60 years together, The Temptations are best known for critically acclaimed releases such as “My Girl,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg.” The group is remembered for its legacy with acclaimed performers who came into the spotlight amid the civil unrest and racial tensions of the 1960s, a time when R&B artists and Black performers were seldom acknowledged in the mainstream.
[Related: And the beat goes on: Inside Spring Sing 2024’s virtual performances]
The five-member band originally formed as a combination of two preexisting Detroit-based vocal groups – The Primes and The Distants. Its original lineup was composed of Elbridge Bryant, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and Otis Williams, who is the only living founding member. The four-time Grammy Award-winners’ accolades also include inductions into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 1989, 1999 and 2013, respectively. Broadway fanatics may also recognize the 1992 NAACP Image Hall of Fame Award-winners as the inspiration behind the hit musical “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations,” which received 12 Tony nominations in 2019.
[Related: Dave Grohl named 2024 UCLA Spring Sing George and Ira Gershwin Award winner]
Established in 1988, the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement is named in honor of the Gershwin brothers for their contributions to the American songwriting landscape and for adapting their prior work to form UCLA’s fight song, “Strike Up the Band for UCLA,” in 1936. Past recipients include Hans Zimmer, Linkin Park and Ziggy Marley. Now in its 80th installment, Spring Sing will return to the LATC on Friday. Tickets can be obtained through the Central Ticket Office, ranging from $10 for students to $25 for general admission.
