Saying goodbye to Teddy Pendergrass
I’ve always been a fan of soul music. From Blue Magic’s lonely “Side Show” to Brian McKnight’s uplifting “Back at One”, I’ve loved listening to Deborah Cox insist nobody’s supposed to be here, Siedah Garrett worry about the everchanging times, and The Temptations wish for rain.
And whether it’s Barry White telling you to practice what you preach or Babyface going on and on about your whip appeal, soul music has defined what sex sounds and feels like for me. It’s impossible not to hear Shirley Murdock belt out “As We Lay” or Gregory Abbot croon “Shake You Down” without getting a little hot under the collar.
For me, Teddy Pendergrass was the epitome of soul music. As the lead singer of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, he broke my heart singing “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and “The Love I Lost (Part 1)”. As a solo singer, his “Love T.K.O.” was equally memorable.
But it was hits like “Close the Door” and “Turn Off the Lights” that really defined his career. The lyrics were as seductive as his voice, promising a night you would never forget. If sex had a melody, Teddy Pendergrass was the one singing it. I’ll let other people debate whether Barry White or Marvin Gaye or someone else was the sexiest soul singer, but for me, it will always be Teddy. Even after surviving the car crash that left him in a wheelchair, that voice and that power was still undeniable and still sexy as shit.
It seems like the list of people that have died recently just keeps growing and growing, and it pains me that Teddy Pendergrass is the latest to leave us. This is my favorite song by him. “Come Go With Me” never charted on the Hot 100 and peaked at #14 on the R&B chart. But God, I loved this song. To me, it’s everything that’s great about soul music, sex, and Teddy Pendergrass.
Sir, you will be missed.
