Eddie Kendricks
In 1955, Kendricks, Williams, and their friends Kel Osbourne and Willie Waller formed a doo-wop group called The Cavaliers, and began performing in Birmingham. The group decided to move in search of better opportunities in their musical careers, and in 1957 Kendricks, Williams, and Osbourne moved to Cleveland, Ohio, with Waller staying in Alabama. In Cleveland, they met manager Milton Jenkins, and soon moved with Jenkins to Detroit, Michigan, where the Cavaliers renamed themselves The Primes. Under Jenkins' guidance, the Primes did well for themselves in the Detroit area, eventually creating an all-female spin off group called The Primettes (later The Supremes). In 1961, Osbourne moved to California, and the Primes disbanded. Kendricks and Paul Williams joined forces with members of The Distants to become The Elgins, who signed to Motown that same year as The Temptations.