Eddie Kendricks: The Soulful Tenor of Motown

Eddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter best known as a founding member of the legendary Motown group The Temptations. His distinctive, soaring falsetto defined some of the group's most enduring hits, contributing to their status as one of the best-selling groups of all time.

Early Career

Born in Union Springs, Alabama in 1939, Edward James Kendrick moved to Birmingham and later Detroit as a teenager. There, he and childhood friend Paul Williams formed a doo-wop group called The Cavaliers, which eventually evolved into The Primes. In 1961, this group merged with another to become The Elgins, who were quickly signed by Berry Gordy and renamed The Temptations.

Breakthrough

Kendricks's breakthrough as a lead vocalist came with the 1964 Smokey Robinson-penned hit The Way You Do The Things You Do. His airy, graceful falsetto became a signature sound for the Temptations, leading to him singing lead on classics like Get Ready (1966) and the chart-topping Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) in 1971. His tenure with the group solidified their place in music history and established him as a premier voice in soul music.

Key Tracks

The Way You Do The Things You Do - This 1964 single marked Eddie Kendricks's emergence as a major lead voice for The Temptations, launching a string of hits.

Get Ready - Written by Smokey Robinson, this 1966 track showcased Kendricks's energetic and charismatic falsetto lead.

Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) - Kendricks's tender, dreamlike vocal on this 1971 ballad helped it become one of The Temptations' final number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 before his departure.

Keep On Truckin' - His first solo number-one single in 1973, this disco-funk anthem became a defining track of the era and his most successful solo release.

Boogie Down - Another major solo success, this 1974 single reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, cementing his post-Temptations career.

Eddie Kendricks left The Temptations in 1971 to pursue a solo career, signing with the Tamla Motown label. He found immediate success in the burgeoning disco and funk scene, with Keep On Truckin' reaching number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts in 1973. He continued to release albums throughout the 1970s, including For You and He's a Friend. Kendricks occasionally reunited with The Temptations for special performances and was inducted with them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Fans of Eddie Kendricks's smooth soul and Motown roots should also explore the work of David Ruffin, his fellow Temptations lead singer with a powerful, raspy delivery. The sophisticated soul of Smokey Robinson shares a melodic and vocal purity with Kendricks's style. For the polished group harmony sound, listen to The Four Tops, another cornerstone of the Motown roster. The emotive solo work of Marvin Gaye also explores similar terrain of personal soul music.

Eddie Kendricks's music, from his timeless Temptations harmonies to his vibrant solo disco anthems, remains a staple on classic soul and Motown radio stations. His voice is an essential thread in the fabric of American popular music, celebrated for its elegance and emotional reach.

The music of Eddie Kendricks can be heard on radio stations featured on our website, where listeners can discover his influential catalog through dedicated soul and classic hits formats.