Splendour

Splendour, the Atlanta-based outfit consisting of Charles White, Tommy McClarin, Clarence Davis, Aaron Clark, and Bobby Alexander, sustained a lengthy career in music despite never issuing a single release of their own. During the early 1980s the quintet crossed paths with Jason Bryant, keyboardist for the S.O.S. Band, while both acts performed at the same local venue; Bryant was then overseeing sessions for an Eddie Kendricks project on the Ms. Dixie imprint, the secular arm of the primarily gospel-oriented Atlanta International Records. Splendour supplied backing vocals for the album, an invitation White eagerly accepted because of his longstanding admiration for Kendricks, whom he dubbed “the King of the Curly Qs” and whose falsetto range he closely emulated. The group delivered polished support on “Reasons” and the Temptations remake “Born To Love You” from the Temptin’ Temptations album. Although I Got My Eyes on You received scant promotional support, it stands as Kendricks’ strongest post-Motown effort.

The members subsequently moved to Richmond, Virginia, for roughly twelve months, residing in the home of Mike Louman while employed by him. Louman had commissioned a New York screenwriter to develop a motion picture centered on the Temptations, with Splendour cast in the lead roles, yet the project never materialized. Instead the group joined David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks for a touring revue that ran from 1983 through 1988 and featured the former Temptations singing their major solo successes. White later reflected that the period “was the best times of my life.” He characterized Ruffin, notwithstanding his well-known temper and struggles with addiction, as gregarious and high-spirited, while Kendricks remained reserved to the point that “You could be around Eddie for eight hours and he wouldn’t say more than two words.” White added that “many were uneasy around him, because you never knew where you stood, but I loved his singing.” During breaks from the tour the ensemble worked Atlanta nightclubs, once sharing a bill with future Ali Woodson at the 617 Club.

As a composer White contributed to two tracks—“One for the Lonely Hearts Club” and “Goodnight Pillow”—on Ruffin and Kendricks’ RCA album. In 1988 the group secured an engagement in Mallorca, Spain, an island lying off the coast that ranks among Europe’s premier holiday destinations, where they presented tribute performances devoted to prominent soul acts. The schedule proved exhausting for White, who observed, “The gig lasted six months each year, you played seven days a week for six months; I loved the country, you got free drinks and everything, and of course, Mallorca’s as live as you can get, but I wanted to spend more time in Atlanta.” He departed before the contract concluded in order to raise his daughters, both born on the island, after purchasing a home in Atlanta and immersing himself in the city’s entertainment circuit. Once the Mallorca residency concluded, Splendour accepted further bookings arranged by their German agent in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, with White flying in for selected appearances before returning home. Two decades into their existence the ensemble entered the new millennium without interruption, still having never released a record. White, born February 21, 1953, had already logged extensive experience, having begun his professional path as a staff songwriter for Quadran Records while attending Atlanta’s Booker T. Washington High School at age sixteen.