Keepin' The Spirit Alive

Keeping The Spirit Alive

Eddie Kendricks

No matter what sort of criterion is used for evaluation- or by whom- Motown stalwart Eddie Kendricks qualifies as a bonafide star. But the singer takes fame and all that it entails in his stride. Show business constitutes a big part of his life, but he is definitely not wrapped up in such superficialities and star trappings as an unreal public image, inflated ego, materialistic overindulgence, being seen at the "right places," and so on. "Basic" might be the best word to describe him, a discovery one makes about 10 minutes into the interview.

Entertainers being, after all, a "product" of a sort, it is easy to understand how a performer could begin to feel like an object after a period of time, a thing rather than a real person. Kendricks is aware of this dangerous situation which has warped the minds of more than a few of his peers- particularly those who for one reason or another saw their careers take a nose dive.

How does he cope with the situation? "I deal with it," he explains, "by having my mind set on things I want to do outside of show business, other things that I can do. I love performing, but I don't have to feel completely obligated to show business. I don't put all my eggs in one basket. When and if the business gets to be too much, then I'll pull up and get out of it."

It's not that Kendricks has developed ill feelings for his chosen profession. It's just that like so many other entertainers (who are surprisingly open about it these days) he has been taken advantage of by unscrupulous types who were supposedly working in his behalf. He explains: "There are many rip-offs in this business. You don't know who to trust, but you've got to trust everybody. That sounds strange but it's true. Nine out of ten artists get ripped off. Ten out of ten. As soon as you get some money 'they' pull some strings on you, to kill your spirit." He mentioned no names, believing the word "they" served his purpose.

Fed up with what had been going down, Kendricks recently formed KMNH Productions which is involved in numerous business ventures, many directly related to his career. KMNH may also be handling Eddie's own bookings in the future. Instead of working with "educated" people with ripoff tendencies, he now trains virtually all the people who work for him- and the results, he says, have been more than satisfactory.

One of Kendricks' most recent endeavors outside of the music business was buying into Bahama World Airlines with business partners Attorney Milton Henry, David Harris and Zach Garrett-40% into it, to be exact. Says Kendricks, "This is a major investment on our part. We feel our company will be playing a significant role in transatlantic world travel." His past business ventures include a record company and a restaurant, both in Detroit.

Kendricks parted company with Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Dennis Edwards and the late Paul Williams- the Temptations- in '71 to pursue a solo career, three years after the departure of David Ruffin from the group. As tenor with the Temptations, the most famous and most imitated black male vocal group of all time, Kendricks contributed to such R&B classics as "My Girl," "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," "I'm Losing You," "I Wish It Would Rain," "I Can't Get Next To You" and well over a dozen top selling albums. He sang lead on "Get Ready," "The Way You Do the Things You Do," "Why You Wanna Make Me Blue?," "Just My Imagination" and such early Temps songs as "I'll Be In Trouble," "Dream Come True" and "Paradise." To this day he believes- their fabulous success notwithstanding- that the Temptations should have been even bigger than they were (and are).

For Eddie it all began n the late '50s n his home state of Alabama when two groups decided to join forces to form one "super" group. So the Primes (which included Kendricks and Paul Williams in its ranks) merged with the Distants (with Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Richard Street and former Temptation Elbridge Bryant). In the very early '60s (Eddie can't recall the exact year) the new group, now using the name Primes, journeyed to Detroit where a fledgling record company called Motown saw great potential in the act and quickly brought out contracts for signing.

Around that time Motown was enjoying hits with the Miracles ("Shop Around"), Mary Wells ("Bye Bye Baby") and the Marvelettes ("Please Mr. Postman") among a few others, including Marv Johnson and Eddie Holland. After changing their name from the Primes to the Temptations, the group skyrocketed to the top and, to use a worn cliché, the rest is history.

But all things must change. Eddie Kendricks' first album as a solo artist, All By Myself, was well-received, as were his six subsequent offerings, People Hold On, Eddie Kendricks (his biggest), Boogie Down, For You, The Hit Man and He's a Friend. Two of his singles, "Keep on Truckin' " and "Boogie Down," were million sellers. Other Kendricks hits included "Can I?," "If You Let Me," " It 's So Hard For Me to Say Goodbye," "Girl You Need a Change of Mind," "Eddie's Love," "Shoeshine Boy," "Tell Her Love Has Felt the Need," "Let Me Run Into Your Lonely Heart," "Son of Sagittarius," "Get the Cream Off the Top," "Happy," "He's a Friend" and "Get It While It's Hot." Eddie is unique in that everything he has recorded has been a success.

A large number of Eddie's hits were produced and written by the Leonard Caston-Frank Wilson team. But his just-released album was produced by Norman Harris and recorded at Sigma Sound studios in Philadelphia as was its mmediate predecessor, He's a Friend. The title of the new Lp is Goin' Up In Smoke, a heavily disco-flavored set loaded with ' potential hit singles that is climbing the charts fast.

Kendricks is basically pleased with the way his career has gone thus far. "There were some unexpected obstacles I had to deal with," Kendricks sighs, "but I'm still here." And his Temptation years? "I think of it as a good experience in all kinds of ways. I will always keep pleasant memories."

Speaking of the Temptations, that much-publicized and talked about Pine Knob reunion between the Temptations past and present never took place, of course- mostly because of poor communication. Reportedly nothing was ever confirmed with David Ruffin.and Kendricks himself had only spoken informally to Otis Williams about Detroit shows, which were to kick off a tour that was to have been dedicated to the memory of Paul Williams. Another setback was the fact that Dennis Edwards quit the group around the time the concert was booked, although he returned in a day or so. Latest talk is that Edwards will remain until a replacement is found.

Kendricks, who is into any kind of quality music that has a positive message, has no plans of leaving Detroit. He likes it here, and in reference to the Los Angeles area (where so many others have relocated) he says simply, "There's nothing out there for me."