They also opened for Gordy ’s star act, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. The Temptations continued recording, first for the label that bore Gordy ’s own name, and later for the newlychristened Motown label. This label was one of the first imprints established by the visionary African American recording executive, Berry Gordy. In 1960 the Primes, later renamed the Temptations, signed a recording contract with the Miracle label. She later changed her name to Diana Ross and the group became known as the Supremes. The Primettes were headed by a whisperyvoiced singer named Diane Ross. The popularity of the Primes led to the formation of a “sister ” group, the Primettes. This group, which went by the name of the Elgins for a time, gained a strong following in Detroit ’s nightspots. In 1959, Kendricks and Williams moved to Detroit and joined with Otis Williams (no relation to Paul), Elbridge Bryant, and Melvin Franklin to form the Primes. While they were in Cleveland, a booking agent told them about the live music scene that flourished in Detroit ’s African American neighborhoods. They settled first in Cleveland, and hooked up for a time with a group called the Cavaliers. The two men had honed their skills while singing doo-wop music in Birmingham.
Along with his school friend, Paul Williams, he headed North in the mid-1950s to seek fame and fortune in the music business. He was born in Union Springs, Alabama, on December 17, 1939, and grew up in Birmingham. Like the other members of the Temptations, Eddie Kendricks was a native of the South. Kendricks would have been assured of a place in posterity for his virtuoso performance on his final single with the Temptations, the breathtaking “JustMy Imagination, ” but he went on to a successful solo career after leaving the group. He often sang lead vocal in the group ’s songs, many of which relied structurally on the contrast between his gentle, graceful high tenor and the southern-gospel growl of group-mate David Ruffin. Eddie Kendricks ’s silken falsetto vocals were integral to the success of the Temptations, one of the musical groups that brought Detroit ’s Motown label to national prominence in the 1960s.
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