One of the most popular R&B vocal groups in the music's history, The Temptations, first came together when two previous groups dissolved. The surviving members of these two groups joined forces. One of these two groups was called The Primes. Edward James Kendrick, born December 17, 1939, in Alabama, was a boyhood friend of Paul Williams. Together they formed a harmony group in Birmingham called The Cavaliers. They moved north to Detroit where they gigged as The Primes. When this group finally broke up, they got together with three former members of another group called The Distance.
This new five-man group was signed by a new label in Detroit called Motown. They did some backup harmony for other singers. But as The Temptations moved closer to the mic, they grew in popularity. Eddie Kendricks, as he was now known, was the group's lead tenor and principal vocal arranger.
The name of Eddie Kendricks was soon to become as well known as the group itself. Eddie Kendricks enjoyed a decade of hits with the Temptations. By 1971, he had had enough of intergroup politics and walked away, soon after he cut his last single with The Temptations, “Just My Imagination.”
Eddie Kendricks’ first solo album was called All By Myself. It was released in April of 1971 and reached number six on the R&B charts. But it was Eddie Kendricks’ second album that produced a song that became an underground R&B classic. The album was called People Hold On. “Girl, You Need a Change of Mind” is still considered a Motown deep cut, but it has been and remains one of the most requested of Eddie Kendricks’ solo performances on record. It wasn't a major hit when it was first released in 1972, but it quickly became a classic of the growing dance movement.
As Eddie pleads with his young female Women’s Rights friends for some romantic attention between bouts of protest and bra-burning, he insists that “This man is an emancipator, not a discriminator.” Meanwhile, the rhythm builds and builds until it finally breaks down. You always hear the dancers on the floor scream when you reach this part of the song.
Other memorable performances by Eddie Kendricks as a solo artist include the hits “Keep on Truckin’” and “Boogie Down.” He died at the age of 52 on October 5, 1992.
Listen, above.
Recommended tracks
"You’re My Everything" (with the Temptations)
"I’m Gonna Make You Love Me" (with the Temptations & Supremes)
"Can I"
"Keep on Truckin’" (uncut album version)
"Girl You Need a Change of Mind"
Deep cut
"Smiling Faces Sometimes" (original version by Temptations)
