Eddie Kendricks ~ Keep On Truckin' 1973 Soul Purrfection Version

When Eddie Kendricks was with the tempting Temptations, his falsetto contrasted sharply with the gritty soul of David Ruffin. Kendricks left the band in 1971 and floundered until his seventh single, "Keep On Truckin'" produced by Frank Wilson in 1973. Wilson brought him a rough demo of the song and Kendricks knew that it was a hit right from the title, as trucking was a dance move embraced by his older fans and would also be accepted by the trucking industry. Just to be sure, they inserted the sound of a semi trailer truck passing by. Released as a single on August 25, 1973, it entered the chart at #79, the highest new entry that week. Taking its time at eleven weeks to peak at #1 in November, it spent two weeks in the top spot, and two weeks at #1 R&B starting the first week of October. His next single "Boogie Down" spent two weeks at #2, kept out of the top spot by Terry Jacks weeper "Seasons In The Sun" in March of 1974. It did hit #1 on the R&B chart and stayed there for three weeks in February, 1974. Kendricks died of lung cancer on October 5, 1992 after having one last chart single from a Night At The Apollo Live "The Way You Do The Things You Do/My Girl" with Daryl Hall & John Oates and David Ruffin in 1985 that peaked at #20.