It took rescue teams 45 minutes to free Pendergrass from the wreckage. Theodore DeReese Pendergrass was an American singer. After scoring a No 1 hit with the first song they ever wrote, The O’Jays’ ‘Back Stabbers’, Gene McFadden and John Whitehead were assigned the task of writing and producing for Harold Melvin. Now a film tells his story. 4:17; The More I Get, the More I Want. There were also questions about his passenger, a transgender nightclub performer called Tenika Watson, who escaped largely unharmed. Photograph: Neal Preston. Only Harold and Teddy sang their own parts.”. “I used to try to tell stories, that was my gig,” D’Acquisto told us. “Sometimes you start out thinking, ‘Is there really going to be enough here?’ But human beings are complex creatures, so the more you unpick and the more you delve into somebody’s life, the more you uncover. NEW YORK (AP) — Legendary singer Teddy Pendergrass, dead after a long illness at age 59, spent his last 28 years in a wheelchair, left to wonder what life might have been like had a car crash not Teddy Pendergrass remains one of the great R&B singers of the 20th century. Dream Merchant (4:20 Version) 3. Eventually, and against all odds, he returned to the recording studio. Teddy Pendergrass finally made it back to the top in 1988, when the title track from this album spent two weeks at the head of the R&B list. Natural High (4:52 Version) 2. Lichtenstein, an avid soul fan herself, wanted to raise Pendergrass’ profile and also hopefully introduce his work to a new generation of fans. “I used to try and talk with the music. I really love that process, because it’s like trying to find all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle and then put them together. Coast to Coast) and final live album. Many of these themes were reflected in New York via disco’s nascent scene, too, with DJs like Steve D’Acquisto and Michael Cappello championing music with a social conscience. At one show at the Greek Theatre, one left a two-month-old baby in her seat for him; another broke into his house and was found naked in his bed by Teddy’s housekeeper. The lead singer for "Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes" enjoyed a glittering career and was an essential part of the development of the sound known as "Philly soul." You're My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration, Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling In Love), Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye), Love Don't Live Here Anymore (3:56 Version), Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling In Love) (3:10 Version), Hope That We Can Be Together Soon (3:40 Version), Tell The World How I Feel About 'Cha Baby, Baby I Need Your Love Today (8:49 Version), If You Don't Know Me By Now (3:25 Version), Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye) (4:20 Version), Satisfaction Guaranteed (Or Take Your Love Back), If You Don't Know Me By Now / Wake Up Everybody / Bad Luck / The Love I Lost, You Can Get It (Suzie Caesar) (7:05 Version), I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin' (5:53 Version), Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose (5:18 Version), (I Got) So Much Trouble In My Mind (6:16 Version), WDAS 105.3FM - Classic Soul Hits, Volume 4 (CD), WDAS 105.3FM - Classic Soul Hits, Volume 1 (2-CD) (CD-R), WDAS 105.3FM - Classic Soul Hits, Volume 5 (2-CD), Uptown Saturday Night: Jump To The Beat (2-CD), The Very Best of Teddy Pendergrass [Sony] (CD), Playlist:Very Best Of Teddy Pendergra (CD), WDAS 105.3FM - Classic Soul Hits, Volume 4 (Audio Cassette), Great Solo Performances By Guest Artists From The Tom Jones... (CD), Playlist: Celebrating Black Music Month (CD), Song previews provided courtesy of iTunes. So with Teddy, there’s what happened with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, the enigma of his first manager Taaz who was murdered, the car crash, plus he had a lot of relationships at the same time which made his life quite complex as well.”. Between Al Green and Luther Vandross, and way before South Park's Chef, came Teddy Pendergrass, the king of the soul seduction masters for a half-decade after his mid-'70s departure from Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. © 2021 OLDIES.com and its affiliates and partner companies. Come Go with Me Lyrics [Intro] Come on and go with … Teddy Pendergrass also appears in this compilation. Fri 22 Feb 2019 01.00 EST. I don’t think so. Produced by Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff. Peter Bradshaw @PeterBradshaw1. Pleas from Gamble and Huff not to upset the winning formula were ignored by an impetuous Teddy, who announced that he was pursuing a solo career. Pendergrass' career began when he was a drummer for The Cadillacs, who soon merged with fellow soul band Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Y ou would need a heart of stone to hear the late soul singer Teddy Pendergrass … It was an instant hit. And to somehow have the fortitude to come to terms with that and get back on stage… the amount of courage that takes.”, Unpicking this hugely complicated story was part of the challenge for Lichtenstein. There were so many records spread over different labels, and that’s why I don’t think Sigma Sound ever got the credit it really deserved.”. No one was ever convicted of her murder, and rumours swirled for years that Pendergrass was somehow implicated. 6:18; 2 A.M. 5:27; I'M READY - Teddy Pendergrass. Not even the ‘Love Walrus’ Barry White or James ‘Sex Machine’ Brown could compete with Pendergrass on the sexytime front. 5:15 Be Sure. As one of his band members says in the film, “Our success came from the mouth of Teddy Pendergrass”. “If you took all the stuff, the various labels, the same musicians and put it all under one label, you’d say, ‘Motown who?’” claims legendary remixer Tom Moulton. I mean, I’m not taking anything away from Motown, but do they have 200 Gold or Platinum albums? He suffered a severe spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic. But there was another drummer who made a huge impact on the soul world in Philadelphia – not least when he gave up the drum kit for the microphone and became Philly’s number one sex symbol, thanks to a gruff baritone delivery and smooth stage appearance: Teddy Pendergrass. It changed from one story to another: ‘I love you’; ‘I need you’; ‘You’re hurting me’; ‘I’m going to leave’. When we cut a record, me, McFadden, Gamble and Huff would be The Blue Notes. Playing via Spotify Playing via YouTube Woven into the story of Teddy Pendergrass is also the story of disco, without which house music would not exist today. Pendergrass had to learn to sing all over again, with restraint, sensitivity and control now his keys rather than volume and presence. His voice is still soulful and nicely shaded by age and experience...." - Rating: B, To place an order or for customer service, call toll-free. Youtube; Come Go with Me Teddy Pendergrass. Find similar music that you'll enjoy, only at Last.fm. Four years later he was involved in a car crash, when his car careered off the road. Pendergrass’ rise from street kid to putative pop star is perfectly chronicled in Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don’t Know Me, a new feature-length film about the singer’s colourful life. His father, whom he scarcely knew, was stabbed to death. That tight-knit group of Philly players uniquely influenced the sound and feel of pop music over the ensuing three decades. “It’s the most terrible tragedy,” says director Olivia Lichtenstein. The concert became the album From Teddy, With Love, which was released on the Razor & Tie record label later that year. 4:00; Teddy Pendergrass-Somebody Told Me. Moreover, without the work of the musicians at Sigma Sound Studios, disco would not have sounded the way it did. Teddy Pendergrass began his career as the drummer in Harold Melvin’s band before exchanging the drum riser for the microphone, his importance in the band cemented by stellar performances on songs like ‘Wake Up Everybody’, something that eventually caused friction in a band that, confusingly, bore someone else’s name. In 1978, Pendergrass’ manager Taaz Lang was gunned down outside her home. That was in 1982, when, returning from a basketball game, his Rolls Royce skidded into a barrier and left him in a wheelchair, partially paralyzed. 5:03; TEDDY PENDERGRASS - CAN WE BE LOVERS? When asked who invented house music, Chicago legend Marshall Jefferson only half-jokingly replied: “Earl Young’s foot”. 6:31; LOVE IS THE POWER - Teddy Pendergrass. In the wake of the accident, questions emerged about this mystery woman. The two acts delivered countless crossover hits for the label, as Philly International became the most exciting label in US r’n’b during disco’s inexorable rise. Over the next five years, Pendergrass established himself as one of the leading lights in American r’n’b, and its number one sex symbol. In 1982, charismatic soul singer Teddy Pendergrass was at the peak of his career when he slammed his Rolls Royce into a tree, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. His comeback album went gold. For those of you not versed in drummers’ lower limbs, Earl Young was the sticksman behind the powerhouse studio band, MFSB, that recorded countless soul and disco classics emanating from Philadelphia during its glory years in the 1970s: The O’Jays, The Intruders, Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, Jerry Butler, People’s Choice, The Trammps; the list is almost endless. Teddy Pendergrass cheated death at least once. His father, whom he scarcely knew, was stabbed to death. “He’s the greatest engineer that ever lived,” claims Moulton, “bar none. Pendergrass’ rise from street kid to putative pop star is perfectly chronicled in Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don’t Know Me, a new feature-length film about the singer’s colourful life. 4:25; Teddy Pendergrass - I Don't Love You Anymore. Taaz Lang, his first manager (and also lover) was killed outside her home in 1978. The men behind the label, Leon Huff and Kenny Gamble, built a mini empire of talent gathered around the Sigma Sound Studios, owned by studio engineer Joe Tarsia, who was the unsung but essential component in the success of the sound of Philadelphia. Melvin left and signed to ABC; Pendergrass’ self-titled debut album on Philadelphia International was released in 1977. ‘Ghetto kid makes it big’ is neither new nor original, but what elevates his life above others is what happened next. Alongside The O’Jays’ Eddie Levert, Pendergrass was the most significant voice on Philadelphia International Records, first as the lead vocalist in Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and then as a solo performer. Album Teddy. The car slewed across the oncoming lane and smashed into two trees. Playlist: The Very Best of Teddy Pendergrass covers TP's career through 1981's It's Time for Love. It was Young’s four-to-the-floor kick-drum rhythm that provided the motor for disco to rise and conquer the world, and when house repeated the trick in the mid-80s, it was no coincidence that Frankie Knuckles described it as “disco’s revenge”. Entertainment Weekly: "...upbeat and positive, romantic and sexy, drippy and sentimental. “Every film you make is a journey of discovery, and that’s the part that’s so exciting about it,” she explains. We would sing all the backgrounds in the studio, like a Milli Vanilli kind of a thing. Taaz Lang, his first manager (and also lover) was killed outside her home in 1978. A few years later, the song ‘Joy’ got heavy rotation on stations in the US and the eponymous album was eventually certified Gold, an incredible turnaround for a man who’d been contemplating suicide a few years earlier. Find similar music that you'll enjoy, only at Last.fm. So I hope this film will redress that and make people aware of who Teddy was.”, Teddy Pendergrass – If You Don’t Know Me: the Rise, Fall and Resurrection of Soul’s Sexiest Superstar is out now, A new remix EP of Teddy Pendergrass is being releasedEight emerging artists who are changing the sound of soulMixmag presents Teddy Pendergrass: The Remixes - EP, A new remix EP of Teddy Pendergrass is being released, Eight emerging artists who are changing the sound of soul, Words: Bill Brewster | Photos: Sony Music Archives, Neal Preston, Don Hustein, Pendergrass Family. https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjeJHedOFrUh0Ez5N2OXykWP-PHG-7D3n “When I’ve said to people, ‘Oh, I’m making a film about Teddy Pendergrass’, some go, ‘Teddy who?’ Part of it is to do with Harold Melvin having had his name in front of the group, so [Teddy] doesn’t have the immediate name recognition that he deserves. Teddy Pendergrass was in a near-fatal car crash in 1978, which seemed to end his career. Greatest Hits gives the solo Pendergrass his due with 15 signature rubdowns. He performed at Live Aid in his home town on July 13, 1985, assisted by friends Ashford & Simpson in front of 100,000 fans and a worldwide TV audience of around 1.5 billion. Though there were no other vehicles involved in the crash, there was a passenger in Pendergrass' car. His appeal was such that alongside his savvy manager Shep Gordon, they began promoting women-only shows (which sold out). Pendergrass’ post-accident return to the stage couldn’t have happened in a more public manner. Teddy Pendergrass - This is The Last Time. Pendergrass did a concert at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on February 14, 2002, entitled "The Power of Love". 4:58; Teddy Pendergrass - Do Me (1979) 4:43; Teddy Pendergrass Life Is A Circle. Tracks of Disc 1; 1. Teddy Pendergrass - If You Know Like I Know. Teddy Pendergrass. But [they all] recorded in Philadelphia, using the same musicians and same studio. The song even got mild pop attention, and the album was the first since his accident to really reflect the new Pendergrass sound. Sometimes, however, female fans would go too far. Then it would be: ‘The government is going to kill us!’”. The music made at Sigma Studios in Philly has provided the base for countless house tracks over the years, endlessly sampled by DJs and producers, including classics like ‘You Can’t Hide From Your Bud’ by DJ Sneak, based on the Teddy song ‘You Can’t Hide From Yourself’, and JohNick’s ‘Play The World’, which used ‘The Player’ by First Choice, while hip hop producers, including Kanye West, have also rifled through the same vast reservoir of breaks and loops for inspiration (and samples). It was his second (after Live! Here he was, the sexiest man in the world, this incredible talent, just ready to fly and become a global superstar... and then two seconds in his life that changed everything forever. Listen to Love T.K.O., Close the Door and more from Teddy Pendergrass. After leaving the group over in 1976, Pendergrass launched a successful solo career under the Philadelphia International label, releasing five consecutive platinum albums. Gamble and Huff then asked Pendergrass if he had an issue with Melvin remaining on Philadelphia International: “Hell yes, it’s either him or me,” Teddy replied. Teddy Pendergrass' return to recording and performing after the tragic accident that resulted in his permanent paralysis was among the greatest stories of the 1980s. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he initially rose to musical fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Theodore "Teddy" DeReese Pendergrass, Sr. (born March 26, 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, died January 13, 2010) was an American Grammy nominated R&B soul singer-songwriter. “Working with them was a challenge,” recalled Whitehead, “because most of The Blue Notes couldn’t sing. Then on March 8, 1982, at the apex of his career, he lost control of his Rolls Royce Silver Spirit while driving down Lincoln Drive in Philly. Her name was Tenika Watson, a nightclub … Having soundtracked the civil rights movement of the 1960s, it was no surprise that the Philly sound frequently showed its socially conscious side with songs like ‘Bad Luck’ (about corruption), ‘Ship Ahoy’ (slavery) and, of course, the Teddy-voiced ‘Wake Up Everybody’. Philadelphia has. Despite scoring another Top 20 hit with ‘Wake Up Everybody’, Pendergrass was at loggerheads with group leader Melvin, whose financially careless treatment of the rest of the band rankled. Teddy Pendergrass You can't hide from yourself 1977. This is a story of redemption and renewal from one of soul music’s most compelling – and much-sampled – voices. I can’t think of anyone who has had more influence on music and putting class into music than Joe.” Gamble and Huff still hold the record for the most r’n’b No 1s in the Billboard charts. Gloria (5:36 Version) He was left in a wheelchair. “I always felt there was something Shakespearean about it. “The Delfonics were on Philly Groove; The Spinners were on Atlantic; Jerry Butler was on Mercury; The Manhattans were on Columbia. While it’s true that the talent was spread over numerous labels, the most significant of them, Philadelphia International Records, was the hub for much of the city’s output, and it had a huge impact on the nascent disco scene emerging in New York in the early part of the 70s.