The church was his initiation for talent and eventual success. Later he was to become a drummer for a band, and later lead singer. According to author Robert Ewell Greene, Pendergrass was ordained a minister as a youngster. However, he dropped out in the 11th grade to go into the music business. Teddy Pendergrass was a student at the old Thomas Edison High School for Boys in Philadelphia. His birth name was Theodore DeReese Pendergrass. Pendergrass died of colon cancer survivors include his mother, his second wife, and several children and stepchildren.Teddy Pendergrass was born on in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. “I haven’t seen a wall or hurdle yet that I haven’t been able to jump,” he said. Though many regarded Pendergrass as a tragic figure, he didn’t see it that way. In 1998 he founded a namesake charity to benefit and lobby for victims of spinal-cord injuries. Pendergrass continued to produce albums and, 19 years after his accident, returned to the stage in 2001 with two sold-out shows in Atlantic City. In 1985, he performed at the Live Aid Concert in Philadelphia, where he received a standing ovation. “His recovery wasn’t helped by the fact that he was driving on a suspended license, or by rumors that drugs and alcohol played a role in the accident, or the fact that his passenger at the time was a transsexual nightclub entertainer.”īut “though the underlying power of his voice was diminished by his resulting breathing problems,” said USA Today, Pendergrass eventually began singing again. For months, he refused rehabilitation and contemplated suicide. He broke his neck and was paralyzed from the waist down. “On March 18, 1982, Pendergrass was driving his Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit on a winding road to a downtown Philadelphia nightclub when he careered into a metal guardrail and crashed into a tree,” said The Washington Post. In his 1979 hit “Turn Off the Lights,” for example, “he half sang, half whispered, Turn off the lights / Light a candle / Tonight I’m in a romantic mood, and then outlined his PG-13 plan for an evening of sensual pleasure.” “With his bearded, gruff machismo, Pendergrass epitomized the 1970s suave black playboy.” In a series of “ladies only” concerts that typically started at midnight, Pendergrass would unleash a “rumbling, potent, vital” sound that crooned suggestively of boudoir ecstasies. He quickly established his own sexy persona, complete with “open button butterfly-collar shirts, gold medallions, and clingy pants,” said the Los Angeles Times. Following disputes over money, touring accommodations, and other issues, Pendergrass went solo in 1975. Dropping out of high school, he joined Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, singing lead on such hits as the Grammy-nominated “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” (1972) and “Wake Up, Everybody” (1975). But he was also drawn to R&B and taught himself to play the drums. “He was 2 when he first stood on a chair to sing at a storefront Holiness church,” said The New York Times. Pendergrass, who grew up in North Philadelphia, was steeped in both gospel and soul music. But he resumed singing and became a spokesman for the disabled. The first black male singer to record five consecutive platinum albums, Pendergrass was only 31 when a car accident left him a paraplegic. Teddy Pendergrass’ gravelly, seductive baritone was so alluring that during concerts, adoring women would toss stuffed teddy bears and intimate apparel at him.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |