He spent a decade playing a Temptation on Broadway. Now Jawan Jackson is in the group

Detroit native Jawan Jackson has been anointed an official member of the Temptations.

After playing the Tempts’ Melvin Franklin in two hit Broadway shows, the deep-voiced singer will assume bass duties in the group, stepping into the spot once held by the late Franklin for decades.

Jackson will make his onstage debut Tuesday in Seattle alongside Otis Williams, Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks and Anthony Grant, launching a tour that will include autumn European dates. He replaces bass vocalist Willie Green, who joined the group in 2016.

Jackson has been immersed in the Temptations’ world since 2012, when he won the role of Franklin in Berry Gordy’s “Motown: The Musical.” From 2017 to 2021, he played the late bass singer in the Tempts musical “Ain’t Too Proud.”

“I got a lot of love for being Melvin,” said Jackson. “Now I get to be my actual self, bringing my own artistry to the Temptations. I’ll be carrying Melvin’s essence with me, of course, but I get to be Jawan.”

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