Last night at 9:59 p.m., one of the greatest Soul legends of all time and one of the men probably responsible for the conception of thousands, Teddy Pendegrass, died at the age of 59. Starting his career as a drummer for The Cadillacs, Teddy eventually became the lead singer of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (which formed from The Cadillacs) and had as string of hits, including "Wake Up Everybody," "If You Don't Know Me By Now," "Bad Luck," and "I Miss You." Later, Pendergrass had a solo career in which he also was popular with hits like "Close the Door," "Turn Off the Lights," "Love T.K.O.," and "I Don't Love You Anymore." Teddy was known to have sold-out concerts with only ladies in the audience (that is how sexy he was). However, in 1982, Teddy was in a car accident which left him paralyzed from the waist down. After the accident, he became an advocate for the paralyzed and created the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance. He continued singing until his retirement in 2006. In the summer of 2009, Teddy Pendergrass's health was deteriorating. He was hospitalized for a month at Philadelphia's Bryn Mawr Hospital, suffering from colon cancer surgery complications (result from his paralyzation). Yesterday, he succumbed to it.
Teddy Pendergrass brought so much love to all our lives. His song with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, "Wake Up Everybody" is a song that is for our times and is probably as important of a song as Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On." May he rest in peace and let us always keep him in our hearts. As Raphael Saadiq said, he is a legend and legends never die.
Here are some of his songs:
Wake Up Everybody
If You Don't Know Me By Now
Turn Off the Lights
Love T.K.O.
Close the Door
Come Go With Me
It Don't Hurt Now
Be For Real
Two Hearts w/ Stephanie Mills
No comments:
Post a Comment