January 13, 2014

Rest in Peace: Teddy Pendergrass (1950-2010)

Teddy Pendergrass died on this date in 2010. The consummate African American sex symbol of the 1970s music scene, Teddy Pendergrass gained unparalleled adulation from female fans for his suggestive crooning and his women-only concerts at which teddy bears were passed out to audience members.



Pendergrass was born in Philadelphia on March 26, 1950. Prior to his solo career, he had already been in the spotlight for many years as the lead vocalist of one of the most lyrical and distinctive of the Philadelphia soul groups, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. In 1982, Pendergrass was in an automobile accident that left him a paraplegic. However, he was able to successfully resume his career until his retirement in 2006.

I encourage all villagers to use the COMMENTS (or 'village voices') option below to share your memories of Teddy Pendergrass. What was your favorite Pendergrass song?
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4 comments:

Geoffrey Philp said...

Teddy Pendergrass was one of my all time favorite singers--I woke up 1/1/2010 with "Wake up Everybody."

He will be missed, but not forgotten.

RIP, Teddy.

Unknown said...

Geoffrey - I just went over to YouTube to listen again to Wake Up Everybody. It is indeed a powerful song with some very uplifting lyrics.

Did you plan to listen to the song on 1/1/2010 as part of a musical New Year's Resolution process? Or did fate just put the music in the air at some point during the day for you?

michael a. gonzales said...

...a wonderful memorial
http://www.soulsummer.com/the-love-we-lost-on-teddy-pendergrass

Unknown said...

Michael - I visited your blog post on SoulSummer.com. It is by far the best remembrance of Teddy Pendergrass that I've read. I plan to include a link to your blog post in my next blog safari...