Saturday, April 21, 2007

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day


Artist:Teddy Pendergrass

Song:Turn Out The Lights

Album:Bedroom Classics Vol. 1





R & B crooner Teddy Pendergrass is justifiably identified with "bedroom music" and he certainly rode that particular wave in the 70s & 80s. He was born Mar. 26, 1950 in Philadelphia. He grew up singing in church and was an ordained minister at age ten. By his late teens, Teddy was a drummer for a local vocal group called The Cadillacs. They merged with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and he was named lead singer. Philadelphia International Records owners Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff signed the group and they had a long string of hits in the early 70s. But Melvin & Pendergrass weren't getting along. Teddy left the group and formed his own version of the Blue Notes. Melvin had his version of the group too. In 1977, Teddy went solo and signed with Philly Int'l. He reunited with Gamble/Huff. He had a long string of hits including Turn Out The Lights from the 1979 album Teddy. A 1982 car accident left Teddy paralyzed from the waist down and he continued to tour in a wheelchair. He signed a new contract with Elektra/Asylum in 1983 and had more hits in the 80s. He continues to tour today but hasn't recorded since 1998. Bedroom Classics is a series of comps from Rhino. Others in the series include Peabo Bryson & The Isley Bros. Teddy Pendergrass became famous for getting couples in the mood for love. I don't think much has changed in thirty years. It should still work. Here's Teddy Pendergrass performing You're My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration in 1981.

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