‘Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely’ by the Main Ingredient — Doyle’s ‘Not-So-Top-10′ List

The Main Ingredient is known now primarily as the group that Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s father was in, but they had a good chart run in the 1970s. Their big hit, 'Everybody Plays the Fool,' was a number 3 hit in 1972. It was the first single that Gooding sang lead on, having replaced founding member Donald McPherson who died suddenly of leukemia. It sold over 1 million copies, but it was not their only Top 10 hit. A year and a half later, in 1974, they struck pay dirt again with the #10 hit, 'Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely,' which was originally recorded by Ronnie Dyson.

Fun fact: the album that spawned 'Just Don't Want To Be Lonely' for the Main Ingredient was called Afrodisiac. So the Main Ingredient wound up with two top ten hits, which is two more than most groups get, but Big Joe still refused to play my request.