MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – One of the original members of Grammy Award-winning group “The Temptations” is set to receive a memorial in Mobile. The mural is to be displayed in the city’s Civil Rights & Cultural Heritage District.
The Temptations are best known for being one of the most successful Motown vocal groups of all time, and their legacy still lives on today, drawing millions of listeners every month. Original member Melvin Franklin was raised in Mobile by his grandmother until the age of 10. His granddaughter Nakira Jordan said it’s time for her grandfather to be immortalized in his hometown of Mobile.
“That’s where his roots started and that’s where he considered home. The first thing I knew was that I needed to start where home was for him,” Jordan said.
Memorial location chosen in historic neighborhood
Melvin’s family immediately knew the memorial should be a public work of art, and reached out to leaders in the Mobile art scene…