Skip to main content

BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE Featurette

Teddy Pendergrass Dies At Age Of 59


Teddy Pendergrass Dies At Age Of 59

Singer Teddy Pendergrass, the R&B love man whose chart-topping career was slowed but not stopped by a devastating car accident, died Wednesday. He was 59.

His son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died in a hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago
.


Philly native Pendergrass, like many of the great soul singers of his generation, began singing in church. Trained as a drummer, he began supporting vocalist Harold Melvin in 1969. Melvin reconstituted his vocal group the Blue Notes the following year with Pendergrass as lead singer.

In 1971, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes were signed to Philadelphia International, the hometown label run by producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and distributed by CBS. The association spawned a run of sleek, opulently orchestrated R&B hits featuring Pendergrass' virile vocals; these included the No. 1 hits "If You Don't Know Me By Now," "The Love I Lost," "Hope That We Can Be Together Soon" and "Wake Up Everybody."

Unhappy with Melvin's authoritarian control of the group and the leader's unwillingness to share its profits, Pendergrass exited the Blue Notes in 1975 for a slow-jamming solo career under the Philadelphia International banner. He collected his first No. 1 single in 1978 with the bluntly come-hither "Close the Door."

His five consecutive top 10 hits in 1980-81 included "Can't We Try," "Love T.K.O." and "I Can't Live Without Your Love." At his peak he was a major R&B sex symbol; female audience members frequently hurled their panties onstage at live gigs.

He scored four platinum albums during his peak years of 1977-81: "Teddy Pendergrass," "Life is a Song Worth Singing," "Teddy" (which reached No. 5 on the pop charts) and "TP."

On March 18, 1982, Pendergrass was involved in a single-car accident in Philadelphia. He suffered a spinal cord injury that left him permanently paralyzed from the waist down. However, after six months of hospitalization and subsequent convalescence, the singer returned to the studio. He issued his first post-accident album in 1984, and dramatically returned to live performing, in a wheelchair, at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia the following year.

Moving first to Asylum and then Elektra Records, Pendergrass continued to tally hits. He ascended to No. 1 on the R&B charts again with the 1988 single "Joy," and collected Grammy nominations for both the single and its like-titled album. His last single to reach the apex was "It Should've Been You" in 1991.

In 1997, Pendergrass took a role in a touring company of the gospel musical "Your Arms Too Short to Box With God." He published his autobiography "Truly Blessed" in 1998. He returned to concert performing in 2001, finally retiring from the music business in 2006.

The indomitable performer founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a non-profit organization devoted to aiding victims of spinal cord injuries.

Pendergrass is survived by his son, two daughters, his wife, his mother and nine grandchildren

Please Leave A Comment-
Source-Variety

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Clip & Release Date For Chaos Walking Starring Tom Holland & Daisy Ridley

In the not too distant future, Todd Hewitt ( Tom Holland ) discovers Viola ( Daisy Ridley ), a mysterious girl who crash lands on his planet, where all the women have disappeared and the men are afflicted by “the Noise” – a force that puts all their thoughts on display. In this dangerous landscape, Viola’s life is threatened – and as Todd vows to protect her, he will have to discover his own inner power and unlock the planet’s dark secrets. .   In theater & IMAX March 5th.   Discuss this with fellow SJF fans on Facebook . On Twitter, follow us at @SandwichJohnFilms Please Leave A Comment-

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania Trailer

In the film, which officially kicks off phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang ( Paul Rudd ) and Hope Van Dyne ( Evangeline Lilly ) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne ( Michelle Pfeiffer ), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang. Director Peyton Reed returns to direct the film; Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard produce.     Discuss this with fellow SJF fans on Facebook . On Twitter, follow us at @SandwichJohnFilms Please Leave A Comment-

Sex Tape Review: Overly Sexual, Rude, Vulgar, and Absolutely Hilarious

The raunchy Sex Tape will divide audiences and critics, but who cares? Sex Tape suggests a growing practice among loving partners: that of making a raunchy testament of their escapades for posterity. But what happens when that evidence gets seen by friends, neighbors, and even the mailman? This is the plot that pits Jay (Jason Segel) and Annie (Cameron Diaz) in an effort to secure every iPad gift Jay has given, his record company playlists being the envy of the recipients, but which has also inadvertently spread the video to every device. The reason for the act - termed in the movie as pulling "the full Lincoln " for its three-hour length - stems from the couple's non-existent social life, brought on by the constant demands of their children. The couple has a lot to lose: a burgeoning business relationship between Annie and Hank (Rob Lowe) could end if the iPad she's given to Hank exposes the video, and so the couple sets out to reclaim and wipe the incrim