Post by Emerald City on Jan 1, 2005 20:24:16 GMT -5
BLUES & SOUL
Music Review
No. 501 Jan. 19-Feb 1, 1988
They've been acknowledged as two of the most well-known 'Voices' in black music: between them, these men have sung on some of the true classics in popular music-... My Girl...Just My Imagination...I Wish It Would Rain.. - the list is impressive by anyone's standards.
After the reunion tour with their former colleagues.." The Temptations".. at the start of the Eighties, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrick (he dropped the 's' a few years back) hooked up with John Oates and Darryl Hall for a special night at the famous Apollo Theatre in New York. That engagement led to a whole new chapter in their careers which includes a just recently released album on RCA and an opportunity to catch up with these two gentlemen, who seem to become real 'characters' when they're together, if our interview was anything to go by!
David explains that their initial hook-up with Hall & Oates was by no means their first contact with the guys. "We knew them way back in '65, '66, when they were part of a group, The Temptones in Philadelphia. That's of course, when we were in The Temptations and we used to offer them support and encouragement in what they were doing. They'd come see all the shows at the Apollo and even back then, they expressed how much they wanted to perform there.
Apparently, the duo had a tough time catching up with Eddie once they were scheduled to do a show there in 1985, "but eventually, they tracked me down," he says, "and I spoke with David. We agreed it was a good idea so we spent four days rehearsing with them and then did the show."
It was during their rehearsals that David took the opportunity to play John and Darryl a tape of songs he'd cut in 1982-83. "I had been shopping a deal so it seemed to make a lot of sense to play the songs to the guys. When they eventually heard the tape - the night before the show - they got interested and told me they were considering setting up some kind of deal with RCA to bring in other artists. One thing led to another," says David, "and we did the album."
"We had a bunch of people to work with - Gene McFadden, Ronnie McNeir, Rahni Song and Jay King." King, the man behind Club Nouveau, decided to cut the inimitable duo on a Sly classic, "Family Affair". "When he first told us about it, I didn't like the idea," says David, bluntly. "I mean it's hard to kick someone's behind, especially someone like Sly. He's a helluva artist so I was wary about doing it. But as you can see, it turned out to be great."
Eddie adds his input to David's comments and the verbal banter between them prompts the question - do these two volatile guys ever fight with each other? After all, neither were exactly silent members of the Temptations.
Music Review
No. 501 Jan. 19-Feb 1, 1988
They've been acknowledged as two of the most well-known 'Voices' in black music: between them, these men have sung on some of the true classics in popular music-... My Girl...Just My Imagination...I Wish It Would Rain.. - the list is impressive by anyone's standards.
After the reunion tour with their former colleagues.." The Temptations".. at the start of the Eighties, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrick (he dropped the 's' a few years back) hooked up with John Oates and Darryl Hall for a special night at the famous Apollo Theatre in New York. That engagement led to a whole new chapter in their careers which includes a just recently released album on RCA and an opportunity to catch up with these two gentlemen, who seem to become real 'characters' when they're together, if our interview was anything to go by!
David explains that their initial hook-up with Hall & Oates was by no means their first contact with the guys. "We knew them way back in '65, '66, when they were part of a group, The Temptones in Philadelphia. That's of course, when we were in The Temptations and we used to offer them support and encouragement in what they were doing. They'd come see all the shows at the Apollo and even back then, they expressed how much they wanted to perform there.
Apparently, the duo had a tough time catching up with Eddie once they were scheduled to do a show there in 1985, "but eventually, they tracked me down," he says, "and I spoke with David. We agreed it was a good idea so we spent four days rehearsing with them and then did the show."
It was during their rehearsals that David took the opportunity to play John and Darryl a tape of songs he'd cut in 1982-83. "I had been shopping a deal so it seemed to make a lot of sense to play the songs to the guys. When they eventually heard the tape - the night before the show - they got interested and told me they were considering setting up some kind of deal with RCA to bring in other artists. One thing led to another," says David, "and we did the album."
"We had a bunch of people to work with - Gene McFadden, Ronnie McNeir, Rahni Song and Jay King." King, the man behind Club Nouveau, decided to cut the inimitable duo on a Sly classic, "Family Affair". "When he first told us about it, I didn't like the idea," says David, bluntly. "I mean it's hard to kick someone's behind, especially someone like Sly. He's a helluva artist so I was wary about doing it. But as you can see, it turned out to be great."
Eddie adds his input to David's comments and the verbal banter between them prompts the question - do these two volatile guys ever fight with each other? After all, neither were exactly silent members of the Temptations.
