R&B/Soul
United States
Teddy Pendergrass
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About Teddy Pendergrass
With his husky baritone and passionate lyrics, legendary R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass found fame fronting Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes in the early ’70s before establishing a solo career that yielded five straight platinum albums.
• The Philadelphia native began singing gospel and playing drums in church. At age 10, he became an ordained minister.
• As a teen, Pendergrass played drums for the vocal group The Cadillacs. His rhythmic skills earned him a spot in The Blue Notes, led by Harold Melvin. In 1970, Pendergrass stepped out from behind the drumkit and became the lead singer.
• In 1972, the rechristened Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes signed with Philadelphia International Records and scored their first Top 10 R&B hit with “I Miss You,” a harbinger of things to come.
• The group is best known for 1972’s “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” which topped the US R&B chart and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• With Pendergrass at the helm, The Blue Notes also topped the R&B charts with “The Love I Lost” (1973) and “Wake Up Everybody” (1975).
• In 1975, Pendergrass left the group due to a financial dispute. Two years later, he released his self-titled solo debut, a Top 10 R&B hit that achieved platinum sales.
• He received his first Grammy nomination (for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male) for his seductive 1978 single “Close The Door.”
• Pendergrass made history for being the first Black singer to have five consecutive platinum albums. His streak ran from 1977’s Teddy Pendergrass to 1981’s It’s Time for Love.
• A 1982 car accident in Philadelphia left Pendergrass paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. The singer completed physical therapy and returned in 1984 with Love Language, featuring “Hold Me,” a duet with Whitney Houston.
• In 1998, Pendergrass released his fourteenth and final album, This Christmas (I'd Rather Have Love).
• He died in January 2010 at age 59.
• The Philadelphia native began singing gospel and playing drums in church. At age 10, he became an ordained minister.
• As a teen, Pendergrass played drums for the vocal group The Cadillacs. His rhythmic skills earned him a spot in The Blue Notes, led by Harold Melvin. In 1970, Pendergrass stepped out from behind the drumkit and became the lead singer.
• In 1972, the rechristened Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes signed with Philadelphia International Records and scored their first Top 10 R&B hit with “I Miss You,” a harbinger of things to come.
• The group is best known for 1972’s “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” which topped the US R&B chart and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• With Pendergrass at the helm, The Blue Notes also topped the R&B charts with “The Love I Lost” (1973) and “Wake Up Everybody” (1975).
• In 1975, Pendergrass left the group due to a financial dispute. Two years later, he released his self-titled solo debut, a Top 10 R&B hit that achieved platinum sales.
• He received his first Grammy nomination (for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male) for his seductive 1978 single “Close The Door.”
• Pendergrass made history for being the first Black singer to have five consecutive platinum albums. His streak ran from 1977’s Teddy Pendergrass to 1981’s It’s Time for Love.
• A 1982 car accident in Philadelphia left Pendergrass paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. The singer completed physical therapy and returned in 1984 with Love Language, featuring “Hold Me,” a duet with Whitney Houston.
• In 1998, Pendergrass released his fourteenth and final album, This Christmas (I'd Rather Have Love).
• He died in January 2010 at age 59.
Musical InfluencesTeddy Pendergrass's musical influences include Al Green, Ben E. King, Johnnie Taylor and more.
Influenced by Teddy PendergrassTeddy Pendergrass has influenced the music of R. Kelly, Ne-Yo, Babyface and more.
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