Thursday, January 14, 2010

teddy pendergrass


Teddy Pendergrass: Remember the voice

As EW has reported, Teddy Pendergrass has died at age 59.

Living and working in the Philadelphia area, I had the good fortune to interview Pendergrass a couple of times, and his knowledge of the history of Philly soul in particular and all the byways of rhythm & blues, gospel, and soul music was extraordinary — transfixing to hear.

One of the last of the classic singers in the “love man” style that includes Otis Redding, Al Green, and Peabo Bryson, Pendergrass had a burly voice of enormous delicacy. He still had it here, during an Apollo Hall of Fame TV concert from 1993:

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