Teddy Pendergrass

Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter.

He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina.

Pendergrass lived most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musical fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.

Teddy Pendergrass was born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass on March 26, 1950, in Kingstree, South Carolina.

He was the only child of Jesse and Ida Geraldine (née Epps) Pendergrass.

Ida suffered six miscarriages before successfully giving birth to Teddy.

When Pendergrass was very young, his father left the family.

As he grew older, his mother promised him that she would find his father so that they could meet.

She fulfilled that promise, and Teddy met his father when he was 11 years old.

Not long after, Jesse was stabbed to death on June 13, 1962, during an altercation with another man.

He was 47 years of age.

Pendergrass grew up in the impoverished section of North Philadelphia and often sang at church.

He dreamed of being a pastor and got his wish when, at age 10, he was ordained a minister (according to author Robert Ewell Greene).

Pendergrass also took up drums during this time and was a junior deacon of his church.

He attended Thomas Edison High School for Boys in North Philadelphia.

He sang with the Edison Mastersingers.

In 1970, he was spotted by the Blue Notes' founder, Harold Melvin (1939–1997), who convinced Pendergrass to play drums in the group.

However, during a performance, Pendergrass began singing along, and Melvin, impressed by his vocals, made him the lead singer.

Before Pendergrass joined the group, the Blue Notes had struggled to find success.

This all changed when they landed a recording deal with Philadelphia International Records in 1971, thus beginning Pendergrass's successful collaboration with label founders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

In 1972, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes released their first single, the slow, solemn ballad, "I Miss You".

The song was originally written for The Dells, but the group passed on it.

Noting how Pendergrass sounded like Dells lead singer Marvin Junior, Kenny Gamble decided to build the song with Pendergrass, who was only 21 at the time of the recording.

Pendergrass sings much of the song in a raspy baritone voice that would become his trademark.

The song also featured Blue Notes member Lloyd Parks singing falsetto in the background and spotlighted Harold Melvin adding in a rap near the end of the song as Pendergrass kept singing, feigning tears.

The song, one of Gamble and Huff's most creative productions, became a major rhythm and blues hit and put the Blue Notes on the map.

The group's follow-up single, "If You Don't Know Me by Now", brought the group to the mainstream with the song reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, while also reaching number one on the soul no. 1 singles chart.

Like "I Miss You" before it, the song was originally intended for a different artist, fellow Philadelphian native Patti LaBelle and her group Labelle but the group could not record it due to scheduling conflicts.

Pendergrass and LaBelle developed a close friendship that would last until Pendergrass's death.

The group rode to fame with several more releases over the years including "The Love I Lost", a song that predated the upcoming disco music scene, the ballad "Hope That We Can Be Together Soon", and socially conscious singles "Wake Up Everybody" and "Bad Luck".

By 1975, Pendergrass and Harold Melvin were at odds, mainly over financial issues and personality conflicts.

Despite the fact that Pendergrass sang most of the group's songs, Melvin was controlling the group's finances.

After leaving the group in 1976, Pendergrass launched a successful solo career under the Philadelphia International label, releasing five consecutive platinum albums (a record at the time for an African-American R&B artist).

One of the group's notable singles was their original version of the Philly soul classic "Don't Leave Me This Way", which turned into a disco smash when Motown artist Thelma Houston released her version in 1976.

Pendergrass's career was suspended after a March 1982 car crash left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Pendergrass continued his successful solo career until announcing his retirement in 2007.

He died from respiratory failure in January 2010.

He dropped out in the 11th grade to enter the music business, recording his first song "Angel with Muddy Feet".

The recording, however, was not a commercial success.

Pendergrass played drums for several local Philadelphia bands, eventually becoming the drummer of The Cadillacs (not the famed Harlem-based group of the same name).