Teddy Pendergrass

At 59 years old, Teddy Pendergrass physical status not available right now. We will update Teddy Pendergrass's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Theodore Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American singer.

He was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and rose to fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.

Pendergrass began a lucrative solo career under the Philadelphia International label in 1976, releasing five consecutive platinum albums and a record for an African-American R&B musician.

Pendergrass' career was suspended following a car crash in March 1982 that left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Pendergrass enjoyed his solo career until he announced his retirement in 2007.

In January 2010, Pendergrass died as a result of respiratory disease.

Early life

He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina, on Sunday, March 26, 1950. He was the sole son of Jesse and Ida Pendergrass (née Epps) Pendergrass. Ida had six miscarriages before giving birth to Teddy. When Pendergrass was a child, his father left the household. His father pleaded with him as he grew older, and his mother told him that she would locate his father so they could meet. Teddy met his father when he was 11 years old, and she kept the promise. Jesse was stabbed to death on June 13, 1962, during an altercation with another man. He was 47 years old at the time. Pendergrass grew up in North Philadelphia's impoverished neighborhood and performed regularly at worship. He aspired to be a minister and fulfilled his aspirations when he was ordained a minister at age ten (according to author Robert Ewell Greene). Pendergrass performed drums at this time and served as a junior deacon of his parish.

He attended Thomas Edison High School for Boys in North Philadelphia. He performed with the Edison Mastersingers. He dropped out in the 11th grade to work in the music industry, releasing his first album, "Angel with Muddy Feet." The album, on the other hand, was not a commercial hit. Pendergrass performed drums for several local Philadelphia bands before becoming the drummer of The Cadillacs (not the famed Harlem-based group of the same name). He was discovered by the Blue Notes' founder, Harold Melvin (1939-1997), who convinced Pendergrass to play drums in the company in 1970. However, Pendergrass began singing along, and Melvin, impressed by his vocals, made him the lead singer. The Blue Notes had struggled to find success before Pendergrass joined the team. This all changed when Pendergrass first signed a recording contract with Philadelphia International Records in 1971, launching Pendergrass's fruitful association with label co-founders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Personal life and death

Tisha, LaDonna, and Theodore Jr. were among Pendergrass' three children: Tisha, LaDonna, and Theodore Jr.

Taazmayia "Taaz" Lang, Pendergrass's boss and girlfriend, was killed on the front door of her house in April 1977. The murder remains unsolved, but Black Mafia in Philadelphia has been implicated, as they reportedly resented Lang's hand over Pendergrass's lucrative career.

Pendergrass married Karen Stillman, a former Philadanco dancer who had also performed in his shows, in June 1987. They divorced in 2002.

In 1998, Pendergrass' autobiography, Truly Blessed, was published with Patricia Romanowski.

Pendergrass met Joan Williams in the spring of 2006. After four months, he proposed to her, and the couple married in a private ceremony officiated by Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on Sunday, March 23, 2008. On September 6, 2008, The Ocean Cliff Resort in Newport, Rhode Island, held a formal wedding. Joan Pendergrass, a member of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, established the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Youth Fund in the name of Pendergrass to provide assistance and a center for Philadelphia's inner city youth.

Pendergrass underwent successful colon cancer surgery on June 5, 2009, and then returned home to recover. He was back to the hospital with respiratory problems a few weeks later. He died of respiratory disease after seven months, along with his wife Joan at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He was 59. His body was laid to rest at the West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

Pendergrass' life is being chronicled in films, and Tyrese Gibson is supposed to star as the late singer.

If You Don't Know Me" was a BBC Film that was released in 2019 about Pendergrass's life. On Showtime, it was announced on February 8th.

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Early career

Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' first album, a stifling, solemn ballad, was released in 1972. The song was originally written for The Dells, but the group dropped it when it was no longer available. Kenny Gamble, who was only 21 at the time of the recording, was criticized for how Pendergrass sounded like Dell lead singer Marvin Jr. Pendergrass sings a portion of the song in a raspy baritone voice that would be his signature. Lloyd Parks of Blue Notes performed falsetto in the background, spotlighted Harold Melvin's rap near the end of the song, as Pendergrass continued singing, feigning tears. The song, which was one of Gamble and Huff's most popular performances, became a major rhythm and blues hit, placing the Blue Notes on the map. "If You Don't Know Me By Now," the group's follow-up single, "If You Don't Know Me by Now," brought the band to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, while also ranked number one on the soul no. 1 singles chart. The song, like "I Miss You," was intended for a different artist, Patti LaBelle and her band Labelle, but the group was unable to record it due to scheduling conflicts. Pendergrass and LaBelle formed a close friendship that would last until Pendergrass's death.

The band performed well on several other album releases over the years, including "The Love I Lost," a track that predates the upcoming disco music scene, the ballad "We Will Be Together Soon," and "Bad Luck." "Don't Leave Me This Way" - the group's original version of the Philly soul classic "Don't Leave Me This Way," which later became a disco smash when Motown artist Thelma Houston first announced her version in 1976. Pendergrass and Harold Melvin were at odds by 1975, largely due to financial issues and personal conflicts. Despite the fact that Pendergrass performed the majority of the band's songs, Melvin was in charge of the company's finances. Pendergrass wanted the group to be renamed "Teddy Pendergrass and the Blue Notes" at one point because fans kept mistaking him for Melvin. Pendergrass left the company in 1975, and the Blue Notes failed with his replacements. They then left Philadelphia International and labored in relative anonymity until Melvin's death in 1997. A version of the group still tours the old school circuit as of 2014, as Harold Melvin's Blue Notes.

Solo career

Pendergrass' self-titled album, which went platinum on the strength of the disco hit "I Don't Love You Anymore," released in 1977. "The Complete Town's Laughing at Me," the band's sequel, became a top-20 R&B hit. Though not released as singles, the uptempo album tracks "You Can't Hide from Yourself" and "The More I Get, The More I Want" and "The More I Want" and "The More I Want" as well as the ballad "And If I Had" were also hits. In 1978, Life Is a Song Worth Singing came next, following the debut album. That album was even more popular with its singles "Only You" and the classic R&B hit "Close the Door." Pendergrass was widely recognized as the top male sex symbol in soul music by the latter album. The album's success was boosted by the disco hit "Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose," the ballad "It Don't Hurt Now" and the mid-tempo classic "When Somebody Loves You Back." In 1979, two platinum number one R&B charts were followed by two hits, the album Teddy (which remained at number one on the Billboard R&B chart for eight weeks and was dubbed the second-biggest R&B album of the year), and the live broadcast Live Coast to Coast. Teddy's set "Come Go With Me," the narcotic ballad "Turn Off the Lights," and the uptempo album cut "Do Me." Pendergrass took a more mellow strategy on his 1980 album TP with his sex appeal at an all-time high following his 1979 tour. It contained the classic number two R&B hit "Love TKO," the Stephanie Mills duet version of "Feel the Fire," and the Ashford & Simpson song "Is It Still Good to You." Pendergrass released five platinum albums between 1977 and 1981, a record-breaking number for a rhythm and blues musician.

At the end of 1978, Pendergrass' fame reached a new peak. His artist, Shep Gordon, who was known for his innovative approaches to publicizing his artists, soon discovered that a substantial number of his followers were of women of all races. Gordon devised a strategy for Pendergrass's upcoming tour to appeal specifically to female audiences, sparking a trend that continues today called "women-only concerts." Pendergrass was on his way to be "the black Elvis" on the radio, not only for his crossover success but also because of his purchase of a mansion akin to Elvis' Graceland, which is just outside his hometown of Philadelphia. Pendergrass was certainly the best R&B male artist of his day by 1982, equalizing Marvin Gaye's fame while also surpassing Barry White and all others in the R&B scene. The Isley Brothers' "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)" in 1980, which felt Pendergrass' "Touch for Love)" would compete with Pendergrass' "Touch the Lights," which felt Pendergrass' influence on the quiet storm style of black music.

Pendergrass was involved in a car accident while riding his new Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit on March 18, 1982, in the East Falls section of Philadelphia on Lincoln Drive near Rittenhouse Street. Pendergrass was reportedly driving Tenika Watson, a transgender woman he had not seen since the 1970s, to his house at the time of the crash. Watson said that the cause of the accident was a mechanical malfunction in the car and that, likely, someone had tampered with the brakes. Watson argued that Pendergrass was sober and uncomprehensible as to why the brakes didn't work. The vehicle collided with a guard rail, crossed the oncoming lane, and collided with two trees. There were no other cars involved. The two men were trapped in the wreckage for 45 minutes before being freed by emergency response personnel. Although Watson recovered after suffering minor injuries, Pendergrass sustained a spinal cord injury, making him a tetraplegic, paralyzed from the chest down; he never walked again.

During his recovery, Pendergrass received a warm reception from thousands of his followers. This One's for You, a 1982 publication by Philadelphia International, failed to chart well, as did 1983's Heaven Only Knows. Both albums featured songs Pendergrass had recorded prior to the tragedy. The albums were released as a result of his Philadelphia International career. By the time Pendergrass decided to return to the studio to perform new songs, he had failed to find a recording contract. Love Language was released in 1984 after signing a deal with Asylum Records and completing physical therapy. The album featured the pop ballad "Hold Me," starring a then-unknown Whitney Houston. It reached No. 1. The RIAA has rated 38 on the Billboard album chart and has been awarded Gold by the RIAA.

Pendergrass made a dramatic return to the stage in Philadelphia on July 13, 1985, with a live audience of over 100,000 viewers, according to the concert's estimated 1.5 billion television viewers. Following the accident, it was the 35-year-old's first live performance after the crash. Pendergrass thanked the audience for holding him in their good wishes and performed "Reach Out and Touch" by Diana Ross. Pendergrass achieved his first R&B hit in almost a decade when the song "Joy" from his album of the same name was released. On BET, a video of the song received a lot of air traffic. It was also his last Hot 100 charted single, peaking at number 77. The album was rated Gold by the Royal Institute of British Architects the same year. In addition, Pendergrass' voice was heard on jingles of a then-local Philadelphia radio station, WSNI-FM. Pendergrass continued to record into the 1990s. "Believe in Love," the singer's last hit, was released in 1994. In 1996, he appeared alongside Stephanie Mills in the touring production of The Gospel Musical Your Arms Too Short to Box With God. Pendergrass' autobiography entitled Truly Blessed was published in 1998.

On February 14, 2002, Pendergrass performed "The Power of Love" at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. The concert became the album From Teddy, With Love, which was released on the Razor & Tie record label later this year.

It was his second (after Live!

The last live album on Coast to Coast. Clips of the concert, in particular his interpretation of his comeback song "Joy," can now be seen on YouTube. Pendergrass' "Wake Up Everybody" has been covered by a variety of artists from Simply Red to Patti LaBelle, and was chosen as a rallying cry during Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds' 2004 presidential campaign to mobilize voters. In addition,, Little Brother, Kanye West, Cam'ron, Twista, Ghostface, Tyrese Gibson, Tyrese Gibson, 9th Wonder, DMX, and DJ Green Lantern have all used his artwork.

Pendergrass resigned from the music industry in 2006. He briefly returned to performing in Teddy 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope & Possibilities, a 25th anniversary awards ceremony that highlighted Pendergrass's demise, but also honored those who supported Pendergrass since the incident.

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