From the early to mid ’70s, one of the foremost groups in R&B was the Main Ingredient, led for the majority of their years by Cuba Gooding who passed away on Thursday, April 20.
Gooding joined the Main Ingredient in 1971. Prior to that, the group had enjoyed several hits, including “Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling in Love)” and their first chart entry, “You’ve Been My Inspiration,” with Donald McPherson singing lead. The other members were Luther Simmons and Tony Sylvester.
With Gooding up front, the Main Ingredient reached new heights, their biggest hit being “Everybody Plays the Fool.” They also scored with “Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely,” “Happiness is Just Around the Bend” and “Rolling Down a Mountainside,” among others.
Gooding, father of Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding, Jr., left the Main Ingredient in 1977 to record for Motown though with only moderate success. He returned two years later, only to leave again in the late ’80s. One of Gooding’s other two sons, Omar Gooding, is also an actor.
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