April 10, 1971
The Temptations spent a second week at No. 1 with their biggest hit, “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me).” The song topped both the R&B and the pop charts during its run. Lead vocals were sung by Alabama’s own Eddie Kendricks, who was a member of the Temptations from 1960 until 1971 when he left the R&B group for a solo career. Kendrick was born in Union Springs but later moved with his family to Birmingham. The Temptations were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. A longtime heavy smoker, Kendricks died of lung cancer on Oct. 5, 1992, in Birmingham and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
Photo of Eddie Kendricks, c. 1970. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
The classic lineup of The Temptations in the 1960s consisted of (l-r) David Ruffin, Otis Williams, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin and Eddie Kendricks. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photo courtesy of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame)
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.