Sunshine on a cloudy day: OC professors perform with Temptations

They’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day. When it’s cold outside, they’ve got the month of May — I guess you’d say, what can make them feel this way?

I’m talking about Professors of Music Heath Jones and John Fletcher performing with the hit Motown band The Temptations.

The Temptations, formed in 1960, recorded number one hits like “My Girl,” “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” and “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” under the Motown label.

Though only one member of the original lineup, Otis Williams, remains in the band, the group still performs today.

Jones first played with The Temptations in 2000 at the Civic Center in Oklahoma City. He said the first performance served as somewhat of an audition.

“When they come back to town they like to hire the same people, and then when they come back, you’re the group for the Oklahoma City area or the Oklahoma area,” Jones said.

Jones eventually became close with the bandleader at the time and thereafter became The Temptation’s contractor in Oklahoma. The bandleader calls Jones any time the band has a gig, and Jones hires the horn section.

Several years later, Fletcher became involved with the performances through Jones’ connections.

Jones plays the tenor saxophone, but because of his role as contractor, he typically plays whatever is left once the other band members are booked. Fletcher always plays the trombone.

“It’s just a thrill for me to get to play with these groups and these artists, it’s just a lot of fun,” Fletcher said.

Sumner Brock plays baritone saxophone for the Oklahoma Christian University symphonic band. He said he enjoys having professors who perform with big name bands.

“It’s cool that they get to play with all these big names because Oklahoma Christian isn’t really that big on the map, so the fact that they’re playing with world class musicians is pretty cool,” Brock said.

Fletcher said performing in this capacity could be somewhat stressful, due to the nature of the rehearsals.

“It’s sight-reading of the music for those of us who are hired to do it,” Fletcher said. “You go in and have one rehearsal in the afternoon. The day of the show is the first opportunity to look at the music, and then you play the show that night. It’s kind of a high-pressure situation.”

Other Oklahoma Christian faculty and staff have benefited from the professors’ connections to such large names in Motown.

“Coach Dan Hays loves Motown and The Temptations, and I remember he was in the audience with Bill Pink,” Jones said. “Our eyes met and the look on his face, I’ll never forget it because he was like, ‘wait, you’re with The Temptations.’”

Pink, a former professor of education at Oklahoma Christian, and Hays, head coach of the men’s basketball team, attended The Temptations concert together. According to Jones and Fletcher, Hays now has several autographed Temptations items from the professors.

Pink also benefited from Jones and Fletcher’s connections. Jones said the band would often call a member of the audience on stage to sing, so he recommended Pink as the guest.

“Sometimes some people would volunteer and not be very good, but I knew Bill could really sing,” Jones said. “I had them call out Bill Pink … and man he was awesome. That was really cool.”

Jones and Fletcher each have their own favorite songs to perform when working with The Temptations. Jones, although he said “My Girl” is fun and high-energy, favors “Treat Her Like A Lady,” due to an experience he had on stage.

After spending the day in the hospital due to a kidney stone, Jones went on to a performance for The Temptations that evening.

“I was on morphine, and they had given me an IV of fluids, and they said ‘now when this kidney stone comes loose, you’re going to need to go to the bathroom really fast,’” Jones said.

During “Treat Her Like A Lady,” Jones said he knew he needed to get off the stage quickly.

“So, I’m on stage, and I’m on morphine, I’m OK, and then man, I’m telling you I have to go to the bathroom so bad,” Jones said. “I jumped off the front of the stage during ‘Treat Her Like A Lady,’ there’s a big long rest part, I make it to the bathroom, pass a kidney stone, and I’m back on stage before we start playing again.”

Fletcher said “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” is his favorite to perform because of the trombone part in the song.

According to Fletcher, one of his most memorable times performing with The Temptations was a couple of years ago at a special event.

“The Temptations were booked for some sort of private event, very secretive, we had no idea what this event was going to be,” Fletcher said. “And it turned out to be a wedding reception for this Aubrey McClendon’s [former Chesapeake Energy CEO] daughter.”

According to Fletcher, in the months before the event, McClendon had a giant structure built for the reception, complete with a rotating stage. McClendon hired a cover band to play at the reception before The Temptations came out.

“While that band is playing ‘My Girl’ the stage starts rotating around, and here are the actual Temptations that start singing ‘My Girl’ for this wedding, and everybody starts going berserk,” Fletcher said.

Immediately after the event, the structure was removed and the performance was never publicized.

“That was the most unique, fascinating performing experience that I’ve ever had,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher and Jones last performed with The Temptations in the fall of 2014, when the band performed a combined concert with the Four Tops.

The Four Tops are best known for their 1965 release “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch).”

Jones said although performing for both bands is fun, it can be difficult due to the length of the show, as the two headliners share a band.

“That’s a treat, that’s really hard on the musicians; it’s a pretty demanding, pretty fast show,” Jones said.

Besides performing with The Temptations and the Four Tops, Jones has performed with many other big names, including Natalie Cole, Jim Neighbors and Oklahoma native Kristin Chenoweth.

Jones and Fletcher have also performed together in Matt Stansberry & the Romance, led by Oklahoma Christian alumnus Matt Stansberry. Jones said he believes the band has a bright future.

Though performing at these gigs helps pay the rent, Fletcher and Jones both said they enjoy it so much that they would do it for free.

“I have said to Heath after more than one of these experiences, I get paid to do it, I would have paid him to let me have that experience and get to do that, that’s how much I enjoy it,” Fletcher said.

Jones also has a new jazz album dropping on Oct. 9. The 11 track album contains both instrumental and songs with vocals.

The release party for the album is taking place on Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. at the UCO Jazz Lab in Edmond. Students are welcome to attend.