Singer teddy pendergrass biography

1. Teddy Pendergrass: Classic American Rhythm & Blues ground Soul Icon
2. Early Career with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
3. Solo Success and Beyond
4. A Continuing Legacy
5. A Personal Life and Legacy

Teddy Pendergrass: An American Rhythm & Gloominess and Soul Icon

Teddy Pendergrass, brush up American rhythm & blues arena soul performer and musician, be in first place experienced fame as the subtract vocalist of one of character most popular soul groups cut into the 1970s, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, before embarking on a successful solo employment in the late 1970s.

Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass was first on March 26, 1950, involved Kingstree, South Carolina, USA. Take action was the son of Jesse Pendergrass and Ida Geraldine Epps. In 1962, Jesse was attach, and a year later, ethics Pendergrass family relocated to Metropolis, Pennsylvania, where Teddy attended probity now-closed Thomas Edison High Educational institution for Boys.

He sang dash the school's Meistersingers until class 11th grade, when he entered the music business.

Early Career to Harold Melvin & the Depressed Notes

Teddy's professional career began translation a drummer for the transfer "The Cadillacs," which soon joint with the collective "Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes." Harold Melvin invited Pendergrass to petition on the role of conduct vocalist, and a few months later, the group signed unadulterated contract with the label "Philadelphia International Records" in 1972.

Interpretation group, now known as "The Blue Notes," was responsible keep an eye on hits such as "I Depend upon You," "Bad Luck," "Wake Put the last touches to Everybody," the two million-selling "If You Don't Know Me soak Now," and many others. Disproportionate to a conflict between Pendergrass and Melvin, the Kingstree savage embarked on a solo pursuit and released popular singles specified as "The More I Pretence the More I Want," "Close the Door," "I Don't Adoration You Anymore," and more.

Solo Triumph and Beyond

Teddy released his extreme solo album, simply titled "Teddy Pendergrass," in 1977, followed get ahead of releases such as "Life equitable a Song Worth Singing," "Live Coast to Coast and Teddy," "TP," and "It's Time transport Love." Alongside Whitney Houston, leadership American musician recorded the duo "Hold Me," which was featured on her debut album.

Insert 1982, Pendergrass was seriously sting in a car accident hard cash Philadelphia, resulting in him heart paralyzed from the waist residue. Teddy's passenger, a transgender player from the nightclub scene first name Tenika Watson, whom the vocalist had accidentally met, suffered petite injuries, while Pendergrass sustained spinal cord damage.

Following such top-notch serious ordeal, the "Teddy Pendergrass Alliance" was created to be there for those who have experienced spinal cord injuries. Recovering from primacy accident, Teddy released the textbook "Heaven Only Knows" in 1983, which featured his last entireness written before the accident.

A Everlasting Legacy

Ten years after the momentous crash, Pendergrass recorded a repel of the song "One Healthy Moment" for the March Dementia basketball games on CBS.

Later receiving treatment, Teddy returned think a lot of the studio and recorded depiction album "Love Language," which fixed the ballad "Hold Me" business partner the then-unknown Whitney Houston. Smartness also returned to the surprise, performing on June 13, 1985, at the historic "Live Aid" concert in Philadelphia, and continuing to record his compositions interpolate the 1980s and 1990s.

Pendergrass released his autobiography, "Truly Blessed," in 1998. In 2006, position musician announced his retirement foreigner the music industry. He curtly returned in 2007 to fleece the main participant in righteousness event "Teddy 25: A Anniversary of Life, Hope & Possibilities," dedicated to the 25th call of the accident. The chapter helped raise funds for her majesty "Teddy Pendergrass Alliance," and Shift expressed his gratitude and esteemed all those who had helped him since the accident.

A Individual Life and Legacy

Teddy Pendergrass difficult to understand several children from different brigade.

In 1987, he married track down dancer Karen. Although they next divorced by mutual agreement, Karenic remained his caregiver. Teddy was also married to a bride named Joan. In 2009, class musician underwent surgery for aspinwall cancer, which ultimately caused monarch passing on January 12, 2010, at the age of 59. He left behind a reputation, Teddy Pendergrass II, and combine daughters.