Theodore DeReese Pendergrass, Sr. (born March 26, 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) affectionately known as 'Teddy P', "TP", or "Teddy Bear" is an American soul singer. March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... A singer is a musician who uses their voice to produce music. ...

Early life

He was born to Ida Geraldine Epps and the late Jesse Pendergrass, who left when Teddy was very young and was never a part of Teddy's life. He was a student at the old Thomas Edison High School for Boys. However, he dropped out in the 11th grade to go in the music business. His first taste of show business was in Nova Scotia, Canada with a James Brown clone of a musician named Little Royal^{[citation needed]}. Afterwards, Pendergrass left for unknown reasons. Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (One defends and the other conquers) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Lieutenant Governor Myra A. Freeman Premier John Hamm (PC) Area 55,284 km² (12th)  - Land 53,338 km²  - Water 1,946 km² (3. ... James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933[2][3] – December 25, 2006), commonly referred to as The Godfather of Soul and The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, was an American entertainer recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music. ...

Musical career

Pendergrass' career began when he was a drummer for The Cadillacs, which soon merged with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Melvin invited Pendergrass to become the lead singer after he jumped from the rear of a stage and started singing his heart out. Months later the group signed with Gamble & Huff on the then CBS subsidiary Philadelphia International Records in 1972. The Blue Notes had hits such as "I Miss You", "Bad Luck", "Wake Up Everybody", "The Two Million Seller", "If You Don't Know Me By Now", and many more. Following personality conflicts between Melvin and Pendergrass and a brief stint with Teddy leading a group of Blue Notes^{[citation needed]}, Pendergrass launched a solo career and released hit singles like "The More I Get the More I Want", "Close The Door" also redone by Boyz ll Men in 2004, "I Don't Love You Anymore", "Turn Off The Lights", and more. Pendergrass was the first African-American singer to sell five platinum albums in a row. He also began his practice of ladies-only concerts, for which he remains well-known^{[citation needed]}. His first solo album was self titled Teddy Pendergrass (1977), followed by Life Is a Song Worth Singing (1978), Live Coast to Coast and Teddy (1979), 1980's TP and the final Philadelphia International Records album It's Time For Love (1981). In august 1982 PIR also released "This one's for you" while TP was recovering. Even in 1983 the album "Heaven Only Knows" was released. This was his last album containing his pre-accident recordings. Ten years after the accident, he recorded a version of "One Shining Moment," the theme for March Madness Basketball on CBS. The Cadillacs were an American rock-and-roll and doo-wop group from Harlem, New York; active from 1953 to 1962. ... Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were an American singing group, one of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. ... Kenneth Gamble (born on August 11, 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon Huff (born in 1942 in Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and record production team. ... CBS Broadcasting, Inc. ... -1... If You Dont Know Me By Now is a song by the Philadelphia soul musical group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, which became their first hit after being released as a single in 1972. ... -1...

Personal life

On March 18, 1982, in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pendergrass was involved in an automobile accident when the brakes failed on his Rolls-Royce and he hit a tree leaving him paralyzed from the waist down with a spinal cord injury. In the car with him was a transvestite, Tenika Watson, 31, an exotic dancer with an extensive rap-sheet, though he never explained his relationship with Watson ^[1]. They were trapped in the auto 45 minutes after the 1:30 A.M. accident. The police said there were no indications of drug or alcohol use. He was taken to a center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for treatment. Mr. Watson was released after treatment at a hospital. Pendergrass spent six months in rehabilitation. After completing physical therapy, he returned to the studio to record the album Love Language, featuring the 1984 ballad "Hold Me", a duet with the then-upcoming star Whitney Houston. He also returned to the public for a performance on July 13, 1985 at the historic Live Aid concert in Philadelphia, then continued to record throughout the 1980s and 90s. Pendergrass has published a biography with Patricia Romanowski, entitled 'Truly Blessed'. Pendergrass divorced Karen Still-Pendergrass in 2002, after 15 years of marriage, stating irreconcilable differences. He last performed publicly in 2003. In 2006, Teddy Pendergrass announced on a radio station in New York that he has officially retired from the music business. ^{[citation needed]} In May 2007, Teddy Pendergrass announced on New York radio station WBLS that he will perform live for the first time since 2003 at a June 10, 2007 benefit concert in Philadelphia. The performance will benefit The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, formed by Mr. Pendergrass to help improve the quality of life for survivors of spinal cord injuries. is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Germantown was originally the Borough of Germantown, a town in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania and is today a neighborhood in Philadelphia, about six miles northwest from the center of the city. ... Nickname: Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: , Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government  - Mayor John F. Street (D) Area  - City 369. ... Rolls-Royce car may refer to vehicles produced by: Rolls-Royce Limited (1906-1973) Rolls-Royce Motors (1973-2003) Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (2003-present) // Rolls-Royce cars Rolls-Royce Limited vehicles 1904-1906 10 hp 1905-1905 15 hp 1905-1908 20 hp 1905-1906 30 hp 1905-1906... Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) was an American pop and R&B singer, actress, film producer, and model. ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Ethiopia, as its borders were in 1985. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

Discography

Main article: Teddy Pendergrass discography

This is a discography for the recordings of R&B/soul singer Teddy Pendergrass Teddy Pendergrass (The Right Stuff, 1977) - US #17, R&B #5 Life Is a Song Worth Singing (The Right Stuff, 1978) - US #11, R&B #1 Teddy (The Right Stuff, 1979) - US #5, R&B #1...

Grammy Awards history

Career Stats

• Career Wins: 0
• Career Nominations: 5

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

• "Voodoo" Nominated 1994
• "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" Nominated 1992
• "Joy" Nominated 1989
• "I Can't Live Without Your Love" Nominated 1982
• "Close the Door" Nominated 1979

How Can You Mend A Broken Heart is a song released by the Bee Gees in 1971. ...

References

1. ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00EEDD1639F93AA25750C0A964948260 NY Times retrieved 03/19/1982

External links

• Teddy Pendergrass (needs Macromedia Flash)
• Official Teddy Pendergrass Myspace Page