Teddy Pendergrass
Teddy Pendergrass got his start with the Philadelphia group Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes in 1970 when he was recruited as a drummer, then promoted to lead singer. That started a long string of 70s hits, from If You Don't Know Me By Now to The Love I Lost and Bad Luck.
Bad Luck:
Teddy became known for swooning women at his "For Women Only" concerts, and for selling over 10 million records during the amazing 80s. One of the post popular was made after he left Harold Melvin, thus taking away "the Blue note" which earned their albums platnum status; it's called Love T.K.O.
Here's Teddy singing it on Soul Train in 1980:
But it all nearly came to a fatal end in 1982. On March 18, 1982, in Philadelphia, Teddy Pendergrass' Silver Spirit Rolls- Royce reportedly ran into a guardrail and into a bank of trees, leaving the singer partially paralyzed.
He was wheelchair-bound and angry, but fought back with the help of his wife Karen and his family. He went on to make other songs, and was nominated for a Grammy for Voodoo in 1993.
Overall, Teddy Pendergrass produced 33 singles and received five Grammy nominations. He will forever been remembered and hailed as one of the pioneer success stories in black music, defining the music and culture of the 70s and 80s. Before his death Teddy Pendergrass had already achieved living legend status, and will forever hold that place in our lives. Teddy Pendergrass is the legendary prince of R&B.
More Teddy:
Go With Me (Come over to my place):
Close The Door: Apollo Hall of Fame Concert 1993
Teddy Pendergrass: RIP.
TP as i choose to call him, was a man who inspired me greatly with his songs. He sang with so much dept of emotions with a great vocal delivery that always makes me cry. His best song ever was "In my Time" which is ever green.
ReplyDeleteWe all love TP but just gone too soon, irrespective of his wheelchair confinement, he still made the best out of what he had left. The lesson here is " It is not what happened to what you got that matters, it is what you are doing with what you got left". TP made use of what he got left and held on to life as much as he could.
May his gentle soul Rest in Peace.