scored a number one pop hit in 1973 with the Frank Wilson-produced "Keep on Truckin'", becoming the only member of the Temptations to register a number one hit in the U.S. as a solo artist. As well as reaching number 18 in the UK, it sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Further hits included 1974's "Boogie Down" (US number 2, UK number 39) and another million selling release, "Son of Sagittarius" (US number 28) from the same year, 1975's "Shoeshine Boy" (US number 18), and 1976's "He's a Friend" (US number 36). Another notable song is "Intimate Friends" (1977), which was sampled for the Alicia Keys song "Unbreakable", "A Penny for My Thoughts" by Common, Sparkle's "Time to Move on" on her self-titled first studio album, and for Sweet Sable's "Old Time's Sake" from the soundtrack for the 1994 2pac film, Above the Rim. Erykah Badu also sampled "Intimate Friends" for her song "Fall in Love (Your Funeral)", as well as his song "My People... Hold on" for her song "My People" on her album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War). Exasperated by a lack of creative and financial control, Kendricks left Motown in 1978. He moved first to Arista Records, and later to Atlantic Records. By this time, his popularity had waned, and he was also gradually losing his upper range as a result of chain smoking. Kendricks and Ruffin re-joined the Temptations for a well-received 1982 reunion tour. The group, then a seven-piece act, also recorded a reunion album, and enjoyed a hit with the Rick James-written-and-produced "Standing on the Top". Kendricks sang a few lead lines on the song but had no leads on any of the LP's other tracks. In an interview with Tom Meros, Dennis Edwards, Kendricks' former Temptations bandmate, claimed that Kendricks had issues hitting the higher notes during recording sessions for the album. Because of his singing difficulty, Edwards said that Kendricks went to a physician to examine his vocal ability. The physician discovered a "pin drop" of cancer on one of his lungs. However, Kendricks reportedly refused to undergo chemotherapy at the time because of fear that he would lose his hair. Ruffin and Kendrick (Kendricks dropped the "s" from his stage name during the 1980s) reportedly met up one night when Ruffin went to watch Kendrick perform in a nightclub; Kendrick spotted Ruffin in the