Move your ass to the Pendergrass
Teddy Pendergrass just died on 13 January. When I found out from the internets, I sat in my room screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" for like five minutes straight.
Hands down one of my favorite soul singers ever, he has provided me with countless hours of aural pleasure. What I would have done to see Teddy live in his prime...Check out a lil' bit o' this concert from 1979 to see what an amazing performer he was (Yes, I rented and watched the entire DVD of this concert and lurved every second of it. I encourage you to do the same. C'mon he had the balls to wear a sequined shroud!!!!):
YOU GOT THE POWER RIGHT HERE.
But it isn't just Teddy's rich baritone, or the way he can both smoothy caress and rough up the song in all the right places. Nor is it the sweet Philly soul orchestrations, or the ladies' man showmanship alone that makes Teddy Pendergrass so utterly, so superlatively, one of the greatest ever.
It was the cumulative effect of all those things certainly, but I would argue there's more to it. In fact, I believe Teddy Pendergrass, draped underneath a velvety cloak of sensuality, bore more deeply progressive ideas about the equality of love, and the wrenching nature of emotional pain. And the immaculate deftness with which he balanced desire and respect is unmatched. For that reason, not only does Teddy's music make you unleash your inner sex goddess, it does so in a way that allows you to feel zero shame about it. Here is one the his finest examples of his celebration of reciprocity:
His indomitable spirit really shines through in his vocal delivery and in his body, even as his body changed through paralysis. And indeed, I've written before about how Pendergrass is a great example of reimagining and expanding conceptions of the body and sexuality through musical expression. Fate would have it, in the accident that caused his paralysis, his passenger was a transsexual nightclub performer. Indeed, Teddy was a figure whose awareness about the performativity of the body was really keen and the company he kept even shows that.
And he just seemed like such a total sweetheart. Here's a great interview with him from NPR.
Many of his songs are about how people can inspire one another. No doubt he inspired many musicians. Name checked by Outkast, and sampled by a host of other hip hop artists (this joint is one of my old-school favorites, utilizing one of the best Teddy songs ever), legions adore Teddy P.
Whether you're an old fan or just learning about him through this post, turn off the lights, and turn on a little Teddy.
ETA: Here's a great obit from PopMatters on TP.
Hands down one of my favorite soul singers ever, he has provided me with countless hours of aural pleasure. What I would have done to see Teddy live in his prime...Check out a lil' bit o' this concert from 1979 to see what an amazing performer he was (Yes, I rented and watched the entire DVD of this concert and lurved every second of it. I encourage you to do the same. C'mon he had the balls to wear a sequined shroud!!!!):
YOU GOT THE POWER RIGHT HERE.
But it isn't just Teddy's rich baritone, or the way he can both smoothy caress and rough up the song in all the right places. Nor is it the sweet Philly soul orchestrations, or the ladies' man showmanship alone that makes Teddy Pendergrass so utterly, so superlatively, one of the greatest ever.
It was the cumulative effect of all those things certainly, but I would argue there's more to it. In fact, I believe Teddy Pendergrass, draped underneath a velvety cloak of sensuality, bore more deeply progressive ideas about the equality of love, and the wrenching nature of emotional pain. And the immaculate deftness with which he balanced desire and respect is unmatched. For that reason, not only does Teddy's music make you unleash your inner sex goddess, it does so in a way that allows you to feel zero shame about it. Here is one the his finest examples of his celebration of reciprocity:
His indomitable spirit really shines through in his vocal delivery and in his body, even as his body changed through paralysis. And indeed, I've written before about how Pendergrass is a great example of reimagining and expanding conceptions of the body and sexuality through musical expression. Fate would have it, in the accident that caused his paralysis, his passenger was a transsexual nightclub performer. Indeed, Teddy was a figure whose awareness about the performativity of the body was really keen and the company he kept even shows that.
And he just seemed like such a total sweetheart. Here's a great interview with him from NPR.
Many of his songs are about how people can inspire one another. No doubt he inspired many musicians. Name checked by Outkast, and sampled by a host of other hip hop artists (this joint is one of my old-school favorites, utilizing one of the best Teddy songs ever), legions adore Teddy P.
Whether you're an old fan or just learning about him through this post, turn off the lights, and turn on a little Teddy.
ETA: Here's a great obit from PopMatters on TP.
Labels: Teddy Pendergrass
posted by Em @ 6:17 AM
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