Eddie's self-titled third solo album, released in May, 1973. It included his biggest hit: the #1 single, "Keep On Truckin'".
"Keep On Truckin'", a brilliantly produced and orchestrated dance tune, made Eddie a huge superstar in his own right when it shot to the #1 position on the R&B and pop charts in the fall of 1973, selling over three million copies that year. It would become without a doubt one of the biggest hits of the 1970s, and the first of four consecutive million-selling singles that Eddie recorded during this period. It had some of the same elements of "Change of Mind" from the previous LP, but by far had an even more exciting punch to it. One of the lyrics in the song even poked fun at his former group. "Truckin'" was the highlight of Eddie's third album, simply entitled EDDIE KENDRICKS, another gem from beginning to end that gained him crossover appeal, and earned him a Grammy nomination in 1974 for Best R&B Performance by a Male. Eddie, however, lost to his friend and labelmate Stevie Wonder. It didn't matter, though....as a solo performer, he had exceeded Motown's expectations, in spite of their initial lack of support for him as a soloist.
The following year brought more success for Eddie. Motown had finally decided that he was worthy of star treatment and put a little more effort into promoting his career. He was all over the radio, in magazines, constantly touring, and appeared as a guest on countless TV shows, everything from Soul Train (on which he had been a regular guest since '71) to Sesame Street. By now he had established a sound all his own, and it was working for him. Frank Wilson brought in a co-producer two years earlier, Chess Records alumni Leonard Caston, Jr. and along with songwriter Anita Poree (best known for her work on hits for '60s soul group Friends of Distinction), they all worked together to make magic for Eddie. They all had an excellent rapport, and crafted another phenomenal hit in the form of "Boogie Down" (#1 R&B, #2 Pop) which came from the album of the same name. BOOGIE DOWN, an excellent offering, is considered by some to be the very best of all of the Kendricks albums. Not only was his voice in top form, but BOOGIE DOWN had the complete package: catchy hooks, bangin' beats, tight lyrics, and hauntingly beautiful romantic ballads. Like much of Eddie's material, the songs on the LP were written especially for him, because the composers knew him well. Once again, he was recognized by the Grammys and nominated in the same category as he was the previous year for the "Boogie Down" single -- but just like the previous year, Eddie lost AGAIN to Stevie Wonder! Undaunted, he kept banging out the hits, such as the hyponotic party ode to astrology, "Son of Sagittarius" (R&B, #5), the bittersweet ballad "Tell Her Love Has Felt The Need" (R&B, #8), and numerous uptempo singles such as "One Tear" (R&B, #8), "Shoeshine Boy" (an R&B #1 in 1975 aimed at his juvenile fanbase), "Happy" (R&B, #8) and "Get The Cream Off the Top" (R&B, #7). (The latter tune, written and produced by brothers Eddie and Brian Holland, sparked controversy among some people because of its erotic nature.)
One of Eddie's many appearances on "Soul Train".
By 1976, Frank Wilson's association with Motown had ended. His attention on various Motown projects, including the ones he was doing for Eddie, had begun to wane. He had become a born-again Christian, and was no longer interested in producing secular music. (He eventually became a minister.) After Wilson left, somehow Eddie was able to convince the company to allow him to work with outside writers and producers. He had a keen sense of knowing what was going on in the industry and with rival artists, and he understood just what was hot with the public and what wasn't. Motown reluctantly allowed Eddie to go off to Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios to work with multi-talented MFSB guitarist/producer Norman Harris. Harris was one of the key contributors to the Philly Sound and was behind some of the biggest dance hits of the 1970s. His work with Eddie gave the rail-thin vocalist a whole new sound. However, there was a catch to Eddie working with Harris: whatever material was written for him by the Philly crew had to share the distribution rights with one of the Motown-owned publishers, Stone Diamond, instead of the publishing house Harris and most Philly producers used, Mighty Three Music.
In spite of this, it wasn't all that bad. Out of Harris' partnership with Eddie came two very popular Christian-themed disco singles, "He's A Friend", one of his fastest rising singles in quite some time (# 2, R&B) and "Goin' Up In Smoke" (#30, R&B), songs that meant a great deal to the singer personally. With the famous Philly orchestra MFSB kicking into gear behind Eddie, the two top-notch albums those songs came from were also chock full of lovely ballads, messages about salvation, and throbbing disco beats. Even if some of the songs weren't released as singles for radio, they were certainly burning up the dance floors in the discos. Eddie's voice paired with the Philly Sound was a perfect match. He had played his cards right pairing up with Harris at this time, because Philly soul was very hot and would forever be defined as THE sound of soul in the '70s. But even with the success of these Philly albums, a sore point with Motown was that Eddie, now one of their top artists, had gone elsewhere...and got hits, too! The already fragile relationship between Eddie and Motown had begun to crumble because the label didn't want to promote the Philly albums. They still sold well, thanks to the popularity of his music among the fans, on radio, and in the clubs, but Eddie was infuriated. Motown showed little interest in his career and instead, focused most of their attention on other acts like Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Jermaine Jackson, and a six-member band that hailed from Eddie's home state of Alabama, the Commodores. He decided he wanted out, but he still had another LP to complete. Instead of recording any new material on Eddie, Motown compiled some previous work of his that was in the vaults from sessions he did with his former co-producer, Leonard Caston, Jr. before he went off to Philly. These tracks materialized as Eddie's last LP for Motown, SLICK. Most of the songs were unmemorable with the exception of one or two tunes, one being the smoldering love ballad, "Intimate Friends" (R&B, #24). It was smooth and seductive, and it deserved more attention than it got. Motown was lazy about promoting it, because Eddie made it clear that he wanted to leave. He was not happy with the label's practices, and he continued to be at odds with Berry Gordy, for reasons he claimed not to know. He felt he had gone just about far as he could with Motown, and when his contract was up, he refused to renew it. For whatever reason, the label didn't want to let him go unless he relinquished all of his rights to the material he penned as a Motown songwriter and producer. Just wanting a clean break from the company he had been with since 1961, Eddie obliged to that request. It may not have been the best decision for him to make, and later on he may have regretted doing so, but he just wanted to cut all ties to the label.
Eddie's debut album for Arista, VINTAGE '78.
After considering several offers from other record companies, Eddie signed a two-album deal with industry maverick Clive Davis' new label, Arista Records, packed up and moved to New York City, and cut an LP called VINTAGE '78. (He was kind of wary of getting locked into another long-term contract, like he had at Motown.) A mixture of ballads and disco tunes, the album did decently. Eddie was pleased with it as well. One of the songs from it became a big hit on the R&B and disco charts, "Ain't No Smoke Without Fire" (R&B, #13). To capitalize on Eddie's success at Arista, Motown released an album of Eddie's hits, AT HIS BEST, that included the full length versions of "Keep On Truckin'" and "Boogie Down" for the disco crowd. All the other tracks were edited versions of Eddie's songs, and they added his most popular Temptations' lead as well: "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)".
The next Arista LP, 1980's SOMETHING MORE, was not as successful as its predecessor. The problem was that Arista failed to promote the right material from it. There were two or three songs that could have been hits from the LP, but they either weren't pushed, or released as singles. Eddie claimed that his partnership with Arista was pretty much a repeat of being at Motown, and he soon found himself struggling again. Working with the very successful disco music producer Patrick Adams, Eddie found himself in the same position as many other established artists: forced to compete in the disco arena when they had no real feeling for the music that was selling at the time. How ironic for the man whose music had practically kicked off the disco movement. Although his claim to solo stardom had been energetic dance tunes, he still considered himself to be a balladeer at heart.
In 1981, Eddie signed with Atlantic Records and recorded the LP LOVE KEYS, moving away from the monotony and the synthetic feel of disco with a straight soul album. But because Atlantic showed little interest in promoting both Eddie and the album, it didn't sell. By now the industry was changing, too. The disco craze came to a screeching halt about a year earlier, with the rallying cry of white rock fans expressing their disgust for the genre. Eddie's career had thrived during the disco era, but now he was struggling: competing with younger acts, the rise of hip-hop and rap (which eventually took disco's place) and experiencing an overall decline in commercial popularity. And to add insult to injury, some mean-spirited people in the industry were going around saying that Eddie had lost his voice. It almost seemed like a deliberate attempt to derail his career. As a result, after his contract ended with Atlantic, no record company was interested in picking him up. For the first time in twenty-one years, he found himself without a record deal.
PART 3: STANDING ON THE TOP, GETTING DOWN
A reunion, hard times...and another shot at fame
Throughout the years, there was always talk of a Temptations reunion, but nothing ever came of it. Besides, things had drastically changed since 1971 ~ Eddie's closest friend, Paul Williams, whose personal problems had escalated since he left the group, died under mysterious circumstances in August, 1973. He had allegedly committed suicide, however, certain undisclosed information seemed to indicate that Paul was the victim of foul play. It came a shock, because Paul seemed to be getting his life back on track that year. There were whispers amongst some people that Paul, David and Eddie were actually planning to form a new group together, but it would never be. Paul had recorded some tracks for a Motown solo album that never materialized, which didn't make him very happy. Things seemed to go downhill from there, and before anyone knew it, Paul was gone, leaving Eddie devastated during a period when he should have been reveling in his success.
Both the Tempts and David Ruffin had left Motown, like many other acts, after voicing their dissatisfaction with how they were being treated by the label. By 1980 the Tempts resigned with them after an unsuccessful stint at Atlantic Records, but not doing so well since their return. Two years later, the reunion finally materialized. Eddie and David rejoined the Temptations, which was a thrill for their loyal fans, not to mention a well-needed boost for all of their careers. In the beginning, things went smoothly. The guys cut a hit album, REUNION (R&B peak position, #2) which was dedicated to Paul's memory and yielded their biggest hit in many years, "Standing On The Top" (R&B, #6), produced by punk-funk king Rick James, filmed a video for the song, and launched a successful U.S. tour. There were rumors that Eddie and David would be coming back to the group permanently, and the Tempts would be a seven-man lineup, so this reunion was sort of a trial run for the both of them. There was also talk that David was being offered another solo deal with Motown and would be paired up with producer George Tobin, who had also worked successfully with Smokey Robinson during the 1980s.
The reunion, 1982. First row, L to R: Otis Williams, Eddie Kendricks, Richard Street, Glenn Leonard. Rear, L to R: David Ruffin, Melvin Franklin, Dennis Edwards.
But unfortunately, none of these things would come to pass -- no permanent seven man lineup, no solo deal for anyone. These plans were squashed partly because of David's erratic behavior during the tour. He had missed several performances, most notably in Detroit and at one show in Long Island, NY's Westbury Music Fair. Basically it was a repeat of the events that caused him to be ejected from the Tempts fourteen years earlier. The promoters and the fans were upset at not being able to see all seven men in concert, and of course the other Tempts were angry because their pay was contingent upon all seven of them being there. If someone was a no-show, they all suffered. Eddie, who had gotten very close to David over the years, tried talking to him several times, warning him that he'd better not screw things up, but David was indifferent. Plus there was some animosity on Eddie and David's part concerning Motown, which made everyone else feel uncomfortable. There were also other issues going on with Dennis Edwards and Glenn Leonard, which added to the confusion. Eddie, to his credit, never missed a show and did exactly as he was supposed to do. He also got the chance to sing some of his solo hits, which delighted the fans to no end. He still had that irresistible charisma that made the ladies swoon. It was a great feeling, but he knew it was only a temporary situation.
By early November of that year, the tour had ended. Eddie, who was now 42 years of age, resumed his career as a soloist. He began hunting around for a deal again. He was hoping on the basis of the excellent reviews he received during the tour it wouldn't be as difficult finding a label willing to sign him. But he encountered the same problem as before: no one really showed much interest. So he launched his own independent label, Ms. Dixie, and in 1983 released the last album he would record as a solo artist, I'VE GOT MY EYES ON YOU. With the popular S.O.S. Band ("Take Your Time", "Tell Me If You Still Care", "Just Be Good To Me") backing him, it was an exceptionally good album and most critics were kind and gave it a decent review. But it was obvious that Eddie's falsetto was not as strong or dependable as it used to be. Sometimes he sounded fine, other times he struggled to hit notes that he used to be able to do in his sleep. The fact that he smoked heavily didn't help, either. Due to promotional and distribution difficulties, EYES ON YOU ended up being a commercial failure and not long afterward the label folded. Through the mid-1970s and into the '80s, Eddie had constant financial problems and had lawsuits drawn up against record companies (including Motown) which refused to pay him royalties for the hits he recorded. By 1984, other than a minicule flurry of attention with a single he recorded for a small label called "Surprize Attack", he was bombarded with issues both financial and personal. Soon he disappeared from the spotlight.
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