The Temps

After reading Sunday's story about the Temptations Review coming to the Macy's Music Festival next weekend, John Heinrich, who played football for Central Vocational High School (the building is now Cincionnati State), wonders what ever happened to Withrow High's Otis Williams? If you know, post it below. Here's his question:

"In my senior year we played Withrow High School whose team, the
Tigers, featured a halfback named Otis Williams. He was not a large person,
but he was extremely fast and was blessed with a really good offensive line.
At the end of that season, he was named , by the Enquirer, to the All-City
team, first team.

At that same time, as it had for many years, Withrow High School, presented
its annual variety show called "The Withrow Minstrels". During that same
time I became aware of a R&B singing group called "The Charms". They had
several records which became big hits with the teenagers of the area. The
All-City halfback Otis Williams, was the lead singer of the Charms.

After I graduated, I entered the Marine Corps and the next year was
stationed in Washington, D.C. At some point in 1956, I was at a house party where 45's were the source for dance music. Looking through the stacks of records I found a 45 by the Charms, "Come Down From Your Ivory Tower". I thought that the group was
going to go "big time". But I could not have foreseen the demise of that
style of Rythym & Blues being so near at hand.

Then in the Sixties I heard the Temptations and found out that the man who
was the original "Temp" was an Otis Williams. I naturally thought he was the
singer who had been the lead singer of the Charms. Some years later I found
that I was mistaken.

When I returned to Cincinnati in 1994, I kept looking for references to Otis
in the entertainment sections of the various papers in the city. I have seen
nothing, no mention of him or the Charms at all.

I'm wondering if he is still alive, if he might still involved in
singing/making appearences. If he is still active, and you contact, be
assured he will not remember me, as the Tigers ran roughshod over us.We were
not a memorable team. I'm also curious about when Withrow High ceased
producing the "Minstrels".

I enjoyed you article as I have been a long time fan of the Temptations.