Eddie Kendricks
(Edward James Kendrick 17 Dec 1939 - 5 Oct 1992) was one of the lead
singers with The Temptations between 1960-71 and was lead on one of their
biggest singles "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)". His best
known solo single is probably his #1 Hot 100 and R&B, Frank Wilson
written and produced, hit "Keep On Truckin'" from 1973.
Today would have been his 83rd birthday had he not died from lung cancer on Oct 1992 aged 52.
Kendricks was born in Union Springs, AL, in 1939 moving to Birmingham
were he met Paul Williams in the church choir. With two more friends, Kell Osborne and Jerome Averette, they formed a doo-wop group called
The Cavaliers in 1955. In 1957 they moved to Cleveland, OH, where they
met their manager Milton Jenkins and then moved to Detroit, MI,
renaming themselves The Primes. When Osborne moved to California the
group disbanded.
Kendricks and Paul Williams joined forces with The Distants, whose
members included Elbridge 'Al' Bryant, Otis Williams and Melvin 'Blue'
Franklin becoming The Elgins and then The Temptations and signed to
Motown.
The Temptations became one of Motown's most successful male groups
but Kendricks wasn't happy towards the end of the 60s with the change
in musical direction of Norman Whitfield to more psychedelic funk and
left in Nov 1970 following David Ruffin's earlier departure in Oct
1968. His last Temptations recording was their 1971 #1 hit "Just My
Imagination (Running Away with Me)", which by the time it was #1 he
had signed a solo contract with Tamla and was recording his debut solo
album aptly titled "All By Myself". It is said that The Temptations
1971 hit, "Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)", after his departure
was a jibe towards Kendricks and also David Ruffin who'd left two
tears earlier.
His first six singles were minor R&B hits with "Girl You Need A
Change Of Mind" becoming a cult single before his #1 hit with "Keep On
Truckin'" in 1973 which made him the only member of the Temptations to
register a number one hit in the U.S. as a solo artist. He followed it
with "Boogie Down" which also reached #1 Hot 100 and #2
R&B.
In 1978, having released nine albums on Tamla and with the hits
beginning to slow down, he moved to Arista in 1978 where he released a
further two albums between 1978-79 and then one for Atlantic in
1981.
A strange release came in 1983 on Ms. Dixie with a promo single "When I'm Close To You" stating that it was from a forthcoming album of the same name which
didn't materialise although the song features on "I've Got My Eyes On You" so perhaps the title was changed. This album was followed with
a live album by Hall & Oates which featured Kendricks, now
reverting to his birth name Kendrick, and Ruffin which was then
followed with a duet album with David Ruffin in 1987 which appears to
be his final recording.
The song "Intimate Friends" from his Atlantic album "Love Keys" has been sampled by both Alicia Keys ("Unbreakable" on "Unplugged" 2005) and Erykah Badu ("Fall in Love (Your Funeral)" on "New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh" 2010) who also sampled "My People" from his "People ... Hold On" on "My People" on "New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War)" 2007.
Kendrick and David Ruffin teamed up with another former Temptation Dennis Edwards and planned to tour together as Ruffin/Kendrick/Edwards but that plan was cut short by Kendrick being diagnosed with lung cancer in 1991 and then the death of Ruffin from an accidental drug overdose in June 1991 aged 50.
Album Discography
Tamla
1971 - All by Myself
1972 - People ... Hold On
1973 - Eddie Kendricks
1974 - Boogie Down!
1974 - For You
1975 - The Hit Man
1976 - He's a Friend
1976 - Goin' Up in Smoke
1977 - Slick
Arista
1978 - Vintage '78
1979 - Something More
Atlantic
1981 - Love Keys
Ms. Dixie
1983 - I've Got My Eyes on You
RCA
1985 - Live at the Apollo
1988 - Ruffin & Kendrick
The playlist below kicks off with half a dozen Temptations songs no which he can be clearly heard on lead vocals before cherry picking tracks chronologically from his fourteen available albums.
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