DETROIT---The Temptations--one of the most successful, iconic musical groups in recording history and Motown’s very own--will sing the national anthem prior to the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four championship game at Ford Field, Monday, April 6 in Detroit, Michigan.
The Temptations’ performance marks the first time that a vocal group will sing the national anthem at the NCAA Men’s Final Four championship game. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Motown’s historic beginning in Detroit, which includes one of its first superstar groups—The Temptations. Today, the label is part of the Universal Music Group, with its classic recorded music catalog managed by Universal Music Enterprises.
The Temptations were a fixture of the booming Motown era in the 1960s and the 1970s, crooning and jamming to chart-topping hits “My Girl,” “Ain’t To Proud to Beg,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” “I Can’t Get Next to You,” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” Selling more than 35 million records in their legendary career, the Grammy® Award-winning singers display a wide range of material that centers on soul, R&B and rock and roll, and are known for their sharp choreography and smooth harmony. As influencers on many top recording artists, the Temptations were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
“It’s truly an honor to have The Temptations sing the national anthem at the 2009 NCAA Final Four championship game in Detroit, the city of their roots,” said Greg Shaheen, NCAA senior vice president for basketball and business strategies. “This is a special treat for our fans, our student-athletes and everyone who traveled to Detroit for this year’s NCAA championship game and for those who tune into CBS College Sports Network’s exclusive national pregame broadcast.”
CBS College Sports Network’s National Championship Pre-game Show airs from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET, and coverage will include The Temptations’ rendition of the national anthem scheduled around 8:52 p.m., ET. The NCAA Men’s Final Four championship game is scheduled to air on CBS Sports at 9:00 p.m., ET on Monday. CBS College Sports Network is available in 50 million homes, during the Network’s coverage of the NCAA tournament.
About the NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletics opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions — AT&T, Coca-Cola and Pontiac — and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners — Enterprise, The Hartford, Hershey’s, Lowe’s, Sheraton and State Farm.
About Universal Music Enterprises
Universal Music Enterprises is a division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading global music publishing operation.
Universal Music Group's record labels include Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records South, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalog is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division; and Helter Skelter, its live music agency.
Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.
For more information on the NCAA and the Men’s Final Four, go to www.ncaa.com/finalfour.
NCAA and Final Four are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.