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Eddie Kendricks (Edward James Kendricks) (December 17, 1939, - October 5, 1992) was an African-American tenor singer. He is noted for being one of the lead singers of the Motown singing group The Temptations, and also for recording hit records as a solo artist.
Biography
Kendricks was born in Union Springs, Alabama; his family later moved to Birmingham, where he met and began singing with his best friend Paul Williams in 1955. Kendricks and Williams decided to move for better opportunities in their musical careers, first to Cleveland, Ohio, and then to Detroit, Michigan, where they formed The Primes with Kel Osbourne. In 1961, the Primes disbanded, and Kendricks and Williams joined forces with members of The Distants to became The Elgins, who signed to Motown that same year as The Temptations.
After an initial dry period, The Temptations quickly became Motown's most successful male vocal group of the 1960s. Among the Temptations songs Kendricks sang lead on (often in a falsetto voice) were "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (the group's first US Top 20 hit) "Get Ready," and "You're My Everything."
Kendricks remained in the group through the rest of the decade, but a number of issues began to push him away from it in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was uncomfortable with singing the psychedelic-styled records prodcer Norman Whitfield was now crafting for the group, his friend Paul Williams was often too ill to perform with the group, and he began an friendship with ex-Temptation David Ruffin, who convinced him to leave the group. Kendricks recorded one last hit single with the Temptations, 1971's "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me);" by the time the record reached #1 on the US pop charts, Eddie Kendricks had left the group for a solo career.
Kendricks successfully transitioned into his solo career, which launched hit records such as "Keep On Truckin'," "Boogie Down," "Shoeshine Boy," and "He's a Friend." He left Motown in 1978, moving first to Arista Records, and later to Atlantic Records. By this time, his popularity had waned, and he was also gradually losing his voice as a result of chain smoking. He and David Ruffin briefly re-joined the Temptations for a 1982 reunion tour. Ruffin and Kendrick (Kendricks dropped the "s" from his last name during the 1980s) recorded an album as a duo for RCA in 1988. In 1989, Kendrick, Ruffin, and their old Temptations bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There, Kendrick and Ruffin made plans with former Temptation Dennis Edwards to tour and record as "Ruffin/Kendrick/Edwards, Former Leads of The Temptations." The Ruffin/Kendrick/Edwards project was cut short in 1991, when Kendrick was diagnosed with lung cancer and David Ruffin died of a drug overdose.
Eddie Kendricks died on October 5, 1992 of lung cancer in Birmingham at the age of 51.
Discography
Albums
as Eddie Kendricks
- Motown releases
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- 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 releases
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- 1978: Vintage'78
- 1979: Something More
- Atlantic release
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as Ruffin and Kendrick
- RCA release
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- 1988: Ruffin And Kendrick
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