The Temptations return to Bethlehem’s Wind Creek Event Center for a performance on April 25, coinciding with newest member Jawan M. Jackson‘s 38th birthday.

The quintet, again sharing the bill with fellow soul/R&B vocal group the Four Tops, last played the Wind Creek Boulevard venue in April 2024. The Temptations and Four Tops racked up dozens of hit singles on Berry Gordy’s Motown label in the 1960s and 1970s.

Jackson joined The Temptations in June 2022. He originated the role of late Temptations bass singer Melvin “Blue” Franklin in “Motown: The Musical” and “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations,” debuting on Broadway in 2013 and 2019, respectively.

A long history

The Temptations, formed in Detroit in 1961, also features Otis Williams, the lone surviving original member who shows no signs of slowing down. Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks and Tony Grant round out the current lineup.

Sixty years ago, The Temptations’ “My Girl” topped Billboard’s Hot 100, as did “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” and psychedelic funk/soul tracks “I Can‘t Get Next to You” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” Jackson most enjoys performing the latter two hits.

The Temptations, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, scored other hits such as “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “Get Ready” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.”

Born in Detroit and living in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood, Jackson — who grew up in the church — wanted to pursue singing since he was a young child.

A “gospel kid at heart,” his influences include Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Daryl Coley and Smokie Norful, plus R&B artists such as Brandy, Barry White, Usher and Tank. Jackson’s grandmother introduced him to Motown, with Jackson coming to love Marvin Gaye’s tone.

Jackson’s grandmother also introduced him to Gaye’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” performed at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game, when he was a little kid.

“I remember her telling me, ‘If you could sing like him, you’re gonna make it.’”

Not a music major

Prior to pursuing acting and singing, Jackson majored in biology at Eastern Michigan University. A self-described “stickler on the arts,” he helped create a program for high school students wanting to pursue acting and the arts.

Jackson, who once aspired to train dolphins and whales at Sea World, interned with Walt Disney World, worked at Detroit radio station WGPR 107.5 and served as a teaching artist.

The entertainer landed his first professional acting gig as an extra in the 2012 film “Sparkle.” Jackson’s goal was to meet Houston, who passed away six months prior to the film’s release.

“She was so encouraging,” he said. “She gave me so much, jewels and nuggets. One that sticks out: ‘Never change and never let this industry change you.’”

Family and friends, Jackson said, keep him grounded as he navigates his career.

“I can turn it on, turn it off when I need to,” said Jackson, a board of directors member for Rosie O’Donnell’s Rosie’s Theatre Kids. “I’m not defined by my gifts, all the accolades.”

Before Temptations

Jackson, as a member of the “Ain’t Too Proud” principal cast, earned a Grammy nod in the Best Musical Theater Album category.

Upon scoring the Temptations jukebox musical, he became better acquainted with Williams, who he met during his “Motown” run.

A few months after “Ain’t Too Proud” closed, Jackson accepted an invitation to perform with The Temptations. Later that year, he was asked to stay on as a full-time member.

While Jackson has yet to record new Temptations material— “I keep asking Otis, ‘Hey, can I at least get a single?’” — he’s keeping his fingers crossed. Looking ahead, he hopes to appear in TV and film projects, a play and also produce.

Future goals

Jackson plans to release a children’s book, with a working title of “Two Homes, One Love,” around November. His-3-three-old son Brayden, whose parents live on opposite coasts and has Williams as his godfather, inspired the project.

In conjunction with the book, Jackson — who with Aaron Marcellus recorded a 2024 cover of Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everyday People” — plans to release a new single. An EP featuring styles such as such as R&B, jazz and Broadway will follow.

Thus far, Jackson’s career highlights include performing on his mother‘s birthday at London’s O2 Arena in October 2022 and, the biggest, performing at the 2013 Tony Awards.

“The little 12-year-old boy had finally made it. I call it OTGWWIMI: only through God’s will, will I make it. When I made it in 2013, it was the best moment of my life.”

In terms of inherited wisdom Jackson has picked up, “Otis always says, ’I don’t care how much talent you have. It’s nothing if you don’t have a heart and you’re not a good person.’”

Furthermore, Jackson said, Williams treats fans kindly, even when tired or having bad days.

“Otis shows me how to be a constant. How he carries himself is indicative of how he wants the group to be perceived. We all take our cues from him. Everything starts at the head.”