Teddy Pendergrass: A life of struggles

A PRECOCIOUS BEGINNING Teddy Pendergrass was just two-year-old when he climbed a chair to sing in church. That would ultimately determine the direction the rest of his life would take. He would later, in his teenage years, receive a gift of a drum set from his mother and taught himself to play it. Later, he […]

A PRECOCIOUS BEGINNING

Teddy Pendergrass was just two-year-old when he climbed a chair to sing in church. That would ultimately determine the direction the rest of his life would take. He would later, in his teenage years, receive a gift of a drum set from his mother and taught himself to play it. Later, he dropped out of school to pursue his dream which climaxed in the late 70s when fans at his concerts fainted just to behold him.

He was born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass, March 26, 1950. While still an infant, his mother took him away from Kingstree, South Carolina, where he was born, to North Philadelphia, after her husband and Teddy’s father, Jesse, abandoned the family. His father, who missed his son’s early development, was later murdered in 1962.

In North Philadelphia, Teddy developed a strong attachment for the church where he attended seven days a week with the encouragement of his mother. He took to gospel music while attracted to the R&B theatre in North Philadelphia in the 60s. This attraction would later prove irresistible as he left school to pursue a career in music. He started from the Cardillac, a band which later merged with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, a vocal group founded in the 50s.

He became the drummer for the group but his status changed unexpectedly when the group was preparing for a recording. A producer stumbled on him ‘messing around in the rehearsal room’ singing his heart out. He was thrilled with Teddy’s baritone voice and decided to make him a vocalist.

The Blue Notes enjoyed success with Teddy singing the lead. For five years he held sway until increasing friction between him and Mr. Melvin, founder of the group, made him leave the group in 1975.

Those years in the group had given him the exposure he would capitalize on as he launched a very successful solo career. By the late 70s, he was dubbed the ‘black Elvis’ because of the phenomenal following he enjoyed, especially from women, who found his rich voice, romantic lyrics and strong appeal rather seductive. He held many concerts, some of them exclusively for women, who ended up throwing teddy bears and their lingerie on stage. Some excited ones ended up fainting.

It was a successful spell in which he released several albums. The first was the 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).

TRAGIC ACCIDENT AND PARALYSIS

On March 18, 1982 at the age of 31, Teddy was involved in an auto accident when the brake of his Rolls-Royce failed, causing him to hit a guard rail and two trees. He and his acquaintance, Tenika Watson, were trapped in the wreckage for 45 minutes before being rescued. Watson walked away from the accident with minor injuries while Teddy suffered an injury to his spinal cord. He became paralysed from his chest downwards.

But he was resilient and determined to revive his career once more. After protracted therapies, he was able to sing again. Though his voice was recognisable it had obviously lost some of its power that had held audiences world-wide spell bound.

Unable to tour the world, he thrilled audiences from his wheel-chair at a concert in 1985 and made occasional returns to the stage in the 1990s and 2000s. He eventually announced his retirement from music in 2006.

PHILANTHROPY AND THE TEDDY PENDERGRASS ALLIANCE

Teddy decided to help those with spinal cord injuries by setting up the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a charity organisation. In 2007, he briefly came out of retirement to perform at the ‘Teddy 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope & Possibilities’, to commemorate 25 years since his accident as well as to honour those who helped him during those trying years.

“Instead of being saddened by this milestone, I am deeply overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude to all the people who have helped me overcome the many fears and difficulties I would ultimately encounter as a disabled person,” he said at the event.

Proceeds from the event were dedicated to helping people with spinal cord injury through his alliance.

BATTLE WITH COLON CANCER

In August 2009, Teddy was taken to the Bryn Mawr hospital, Philadelphia, where he underwent surgery for colon cancer. He came out with a statement thanking his fans for their prayers and support while expressing his desire to continue the work he had begun at the alliance

“Do know that I’m looking forward to continuing my work at the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance to help people with spinal cord injuries,” the statement read.

This, however, was not to be as he succumbed to the ailment at the hospital, where he had been hospitalised since last year. He will be buried Friday, January 23 with a public viewing a day earlier.

As the R&B Soul singer is laid to rest, the world of music reels in the loss of his baritone voice that had defined music for an entire generation.