Eddie Kendricks



horizontal bar

JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS

Eddie Kendricks



horizontal bar

Eddie Kendricks



WEB PAGES

Wikipedia -- Eddie KendricksWikipedia -- Eddie Kendricks
Disco Museum -- Eddi2 KendricksDisco Museum -- Eddie Kendricks
VH1 -- Eddie KendricksVH1 -- Eddie Kendricks


horizontal bar


Known for both his years with the Temptations and his major solo hits of the 1970s, Eddie Kendricks was among the many soul legends who did his part to put Motown Records on the map. The expressive vocalist (who often sang in a falsetto) grew up in Birmingham, AL, but it was Motown's original home of Detroit that made him a star. Kendricks was still living in Alabama in the late '50s, when he formed the Primes with Kell Osborne and Temptation-to-be Paul Williams. After moving from Alabama to Detroit, the Primes caught the attention of a Motor City group known as the Distants (whose members included Tempations-to-be Otis Williams, Elbridge Bryant, and Melvin Franklin). The Primes broke up after being together only a few years, and the Temptations (originally known as the Elgins) were formed when, in 1961, members of the Primes and the Distants came together. With a lineup that included former Primes Kendricks and Paul Williams and former Distants Otis Williams (who was unrelated to Paul), Melvin Franklin, and Elbridge Bryant, the Temptations signed with the little-known Motown subsidiary Miracle. The Temptations (who went through many personnel changes over the years) didn't become successful right away, but by the mid-'60s, they had become huge thanks to such smashes as "The Way You Do the Things You Do" and "My Girl."

The Temptations enjoyed one mega-hit after another in the mid-to-late '60s, and they were still tremendously popular when Kendricks left to pursue a solo a career in 1971 (the year he sang lead on their hit "Just My Imagination"). Many Temptations fans questioned the wisdom of Kendricks leaving such a successful group, but Kendricks proved to be quite viable as a solo act thanks to early-'70s singles like "Keep on Truckin'" (a number one R&B hit) and "Boogie Down" (which went to number two on the soul charts). Other noteworthy solo hits followed, including "Shoeshine Boy," "Get the Cream Off the Top," and "Happy" in 1975 and "He's a Friend" in 1976. Most of his solo albums came out on Motown, although Kendricks recorded Something More for Arista in 1979 and Love Keys for Atlantic in 1981. By that time, Kendricks' popularity had decreased considerably. The singer wasn't heard from that much in the 1980s, but he did participate in the Artists United Against Apartheid's Sun City project in 1985 and recorded with another former Temptation, David Ruffin, as a duo for RCA in 1988.

Sadly, the 1990s would see the premature deaths of no less than three former members of the Temptations. First, Ruffin died of a cocaine overdose in 1991, followed by the deaths of Kendricks in 1992 and Melvin Franklin (from a brain seizure) in 1995. (Tragedy was nothing new to Temptations members, for Paul Williams had committed suicide back in 1973). Kendricks was only 52 when he died of lung cancer in his native Birmingham on October 5, 1992. -- Alex Henderson of All Music Guide.
BACK TO THE TOP


horizontal bar



LINKSYEARTITLE
1971All By Myself
1972People . . . Hold On
1973Eddie Kendricks
1973Boogie Down!
1974For You
1975The Hit Man
1976He�s A Friend
1976Goin� Up In Smoke
1977Slick
1978Vintage �78
1979Something More
1981Love Keys
1983I�ve Got My Eyes On You
1991Live In Las Vegas 1991 (Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin, Dennis Edwards)
1998Eddie Kendricks: The Ultimate Collection


BACK TO THE TOP


horizontal bar



1971 All By Myself

01. Let's Go Back To Day One
02. This Used To Be The Home Of Johnnie Mae
03. I Did It All For You
04. It's So Hard For Me To Say Goodbye
05. Something's Burning
06. Can I
07. Didn't We



1972 People . . . Hold On

01. If You Let Me
02. Let Me Run Into Your Lonely Heart
03. Day By Day
04. Girl You Need A Change Of Mind
05. Someday We'll Have A Better World
06. My People Hold On
07. Date With The Rain
08. Eddie's Love
09. I'm On The Sideline
10. Just Memories


1973 Eddie Kendricks

01. Only Room For Two
02. Darling Come Back Home
03. Each Day I Cry A Little
04. Can't Help What I Am
05. Keep On Truckin'
06. Any Day Now
07. Not On The Outside



horizontal bar

BACK TO THE TOP


1973 Boogie Down!

01. The Thin Man
02. Tell Her Love Has Felt The Need
03. Son Of Sagittarius
04. Boogie Down
05. Hooked On Your Love
06. Honey Brown
07. You Are The Melody Of My Life
08. Trust Your Heart
09. Girl Of My Dreams
10. Loving You The Second Time Around


1974 For You

01. Please Don't Go Away
02. One Tear
03. Shoeshine Boy
04. Deep And Quiet Love
05. Let Yourself Go
06. If
07. If You Think (you can)
08. Time In A Bottle


1975 The Hit Man

01. If Anyone Can
02. Happy
03. Get The Cream Off The Top
04. Body Talk
05. Fortune Teller
06. Skippin' Work Today
07. You Loved Me Then
08. I've Got To Be


horizontal bar

BACK TO THE TOP


1976 He's A Friend

01. He's A Friend
02. A Part Of Me
03. I Won't Take No
04. Never Gonna Leave You
05. Get It While It's Hot
06. Chains
07. The Sweeter You Treat Her
08. It's Not What You Got
09. On My Way Home
10. All Of My Love


1976 Goin' Up In Smoke



1977 Slick



1978 Vintage '78

01. How's Your Love Life Baby
02. The Best Of Strangers Now
03. Don't Underestimate The Power Of Love
04. Ain't No Smoke Without Fire
05. If It Takes All Night
06. One Of The Poorest People
07. Whip
08. Your Wish Is My Command
09. Maybe I'm A Fool To Love You
10. Love, Love, Love
11. Pleasure Man
12. I Just Want To Be The One In Your Life
13. Your Love Has Been So Good To Me
14. I Can't Let You Walk Away
15. Something More



horizontal bar

BACK TO THE TOP


1979 Something More



1981 Love Keys

01. Oh I Need Your Loving
02. I'm In Need Of Love
03. I Don't Need Nobody Else
04. The Old Home Town
05. Bernadette
06. You Can't Stop My Loving
07. Never Alone
08. Hot
09. Looking For Love
10. In Love We're One


1983 I've Got My Eyes On You



1991 Live In Las Vegas 1991 (Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin, Dennis Edwards)

01. Standing On The Top
02. Psychedelic Shack
03. Cloud Nine
04. Ball Of Confusion
05. A Song For You
06. Don't Look Any Further
07. Boogie Down
08. Keep On Truckin'
09. My Whole World Ended
10. I Wish It Would Rain
11. Get Ready
12. Ain't Too Proud To Beg
13. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
14. Don't Look Back
15. Girl, Why You Wanna Make Me Blue
16. Just My Imagination
17. My Girl
18. The Way You Do The Things You Do


horizontal bar

BACK TO THE TOP


1998 Eddie Kendricks: The Ultimate Collection

01. Keep On Truckin'
02. If You Let Me
03. Get The Cream Off The Top
04. Tell Her Love Has Felt The Need
05. Boogie Down
06. Goin' Up In Smoke
07. Shoeshine Boy
08. This Used To Be The Home Of Johnnie Mae
09. Date With The Rain
10. Darling Come Back Home
11. Girl You Need A Change Of Mind
12. He's A Friend
13. Intimate Friends
14. Skippin' Work Today
15. Get It While It's Hot
16. Can I


horizontal bar

BACK TO THE TOP


MAIN PAGE E-MAIL JANICE RHYTHM AND BLUES
GOLDEN VOICES OLD SCHOOL FUNK PAGE SILKY SOUL SINGERS
GREAT GROUPS JAZZ ROCK AND ROLL



Graphics by YSM

horizontal bar