Eddie Kendricks, R&B Legend And Co-Founder Of The Motown Supergroup, The Temptations, Died On October 5, 1992, In Birmingham, Alabama, From Lung Cancer.
Eddie Kendricks Began Singing In Birmingham During The 1940's And 1950's, With His Best Friend, Paul Williams. The Two Formed A Doo-Wop Group Called The Cavaliers. After Eventually Moving To Detroit, MI, The Group's Name Was Changed To ThePrimes. The Primes Created A Female Spin-Off Group Called The Primettes (Later The Supremes).
Kendricks And Williams Eventually Joined Otis Williams' Group, The Distants, And Formed TheElgins. After Signing With Motown, TheElgins Became The Temptations. Kendricks Was One Of The Lead Singers Who Gave The Group Its Signature Sound, From 1960 -1971.
Known For His Distinctive Falsetto, Kendricks Sang Lead On Some Of The Tempts' Biggest Hits, Including: "Just My Imagination," "Get Ready," Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)," "Please Return Your Love To Me," "You've Got To Earn It" "I'll e In Trouble" And "The Way You Do The Things You Do," The Temptations First U.S. Top 20 Hit.
After Leaving The Temptations Kendricks Had Several Hits As A Solo Artist During The Early 1970's. "Keep On Truckin'," "He's A Friend," "Can I," "Boogie Down" And "Shoeshine Boy" Were Among Them.
He Reunited And Toured With The Temptations In The 1980's. Later, He And Former Tempts Lead Singer, David Ruffin, Joined Forces As Singing Duo. They Toured And Recorded An Album, Ruffin And Kendrick, In 1988. Kendricks Dropped The "S" From His Name During The 1980's.
In 1989, Kendricks, Along With Other Temptations Group Members, Were Inducted Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. VERY CANDID KENDRICKS INTERVIEW
EDDIE KENDRICKS "CAN I" A CAPELLA
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It."-- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
