Teddy Pendergrass

Greatly Appreciated

TEDDY PENDERGRASS

 
Teddy Pendergrass  (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter.  He first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970’s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade.  In 1982, Pendergrass was severely injured in an auto accident in Philadelphia, resulting in his being paralyzed from the chest down.  He subsequently founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a foundation that helps those with spinal cord injuries.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
One other thing.  Stratavarious might fill an annoying hole in the roster of the Under-Appreciated Rock Bands:  Nobody so far has been African-American.  I do know that Johnny Usry is black, as is Poison.  Also, most of the people that Usry has worked with over the years are African-American:  Besides the Three Degrees, they include Teddy PendergrassLou Rawls, and the O’Jays; however, that is not true of Air Supply.  I have no photos so far, and the music itself could go either way, so I am still not sure. 
 
(March 2012)
 
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Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff founded Philadelphia International Records in 1971 and (as Allmusic put it) “ruled the mid-’70s R&B world with the same sound”.  Major artists that were signed to the label include the O’JaysHarold Melvin and the Blue NotesLou Rawls, the Three Degrees, and Billy Paul.  Blue Notes lead singer Teddy Pendergrass later signed a solo deal.  

 

(July 2014)

 
Last edited: March 22, 2021