Teddy Pendergrass turns a
light on his life
By Kelley L. Carter |
TRIBUNE REPORTER
The man will tell you
himself: In order to really delve into the story of legendary soul singer Teddy
Pendergrass, it'd take a few hours and a big old box of tissues. There are
plenty of highlights, low lights and lots of candle lights all set to a
soundtrack of old-fashioned, feed-the-soul kind of music.
Pendergrass, who in 1982 endured a life-threatening car accident that left him
paralyzed from mid-chest down, is among the most revered of soul singers; his
music has tackled turbulent social issues and delivered some of the most
romantic tunes of all time. Among his hits are "Close the Door" and "Turn Off
the Lights."
His life story, "Teddy Pendergrass: I Am Who I Am," will be
presented on stage by the Black Ensemble Theater starting this weekend.
"Teddy Pendergrass, for
me, is such a legend in terms of his role in the music field, in terms of him
being what
Elvis Presley was to rock 'n' roll; Teddy Pendergrass is that in soul
music," says Jackie Taylor, founder and executive director of the Chicago
theater troupe, who also produced, wrote and directed the show. "Just telling
the story of someone who has suffered through such a large and traumatic and
challenging disability where you weren't expected to even survive, let alone
survive for 26 years. It's quite compelling."
The production will deal with many of the headlines in the 57-year-old
Philadelphia native's life; he talks about some of them here:
He sang lead in the Philly group Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.
"Playing drums for the group, I had a chance to sit back and take in the
audience. Then when I stepped forward, it was an opportunity to work on my
craft. ... That experience was priceless. I really got an opportunity to
experience the business from all parts, from playing as a musician to playing in
a group."
He was the first African-American solo singer to have five consecutive platinum
albums.
"My personal ego would say that was par for the course. But like any other
artist, I know what I do; I cultivated my craft. But I spent a lot of years on
the soup lines, walking the streets hungry."
He used to perform ladies-only concerts.
"The ladies-only concerts were a concept that happened as a result of my
audience have always been 95 percent female. The concept wasn't a far reach. ...
My manager at the time put together the marketing plan and promotional idea and
that's the way we went out. ... We did about six or seven cities, large, large
venues. ... We wanted to do something different out there."
He's known for baby-making music.
"Songs that I may have sung were of social significance as well as the romantic
side as well as the spiritual side. No topic was out of bounds. We sang about
everything. It just so happened that a lot of people migrated to songs about the
bedroom, which is OK with me."
He's been paralyzed since 1982, after the brakes failed on his
Rolls-Royce.
"It took time to pick up the pieces. It's not easy any day. You just learn how
to live with the hand you're dealt with. It took a long time to do that. In the
interim, I had some marvelous, marvelous opportunities and those kind of helped
me get together and move forward. When you get a record deal a year after your
injury and you're quadriplegic, and they still want you, that's a big boost. It
answers a lot of questions for you."
He did a duet, "Hold Me," in 1984 with an unknown named
Whitney Houston.
"After the injury in '82, I was fortunate enough to get another record deal with
Elektra records. ... I heard this one voice and it was such a rich, incredible
voice. And we communicated with Clive Davis at the time, and I told him I really
wanted to use this voice and do a duet with this person. He mentioned the artist
was new on his label...we went with her and she did such a marvelous, marvelous
job. She was a young, 19-year-old kid ... . The rest is history. She really made
that song."
He'll be in town this weekend to take in the stage play based on his life.
"Of course I wanted to be involved in something that pertained to me. Nobody
knows all of me. ... They know my music. And my music is a snapshot of who I am.
It's a part of who I am. ... I'll be a bucket of nerves. I mean, this is your
life being portrayed onstage, not just something coming across the speakers on a
radio. Hopefully people will have an opportunity to see what I've gone through
and say 'if Teddy can do it, I can do it no matter what's going on in my life.'"
"TEDDY PENDERGRASS: I AM WHO I AM"
The soul of a legend
When: In previews; open run beginning Sunday
- When:
- March 16 : 3 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays : 8 p.m.
Sundays : 3 p.m.
- Price:
- $40-$45. Tickets: ticketmaster.com
- Ticketmaster:
- 312-902-1500
- Box office:
- 773-769-4451
-
-
Black Ensemble Theater
- Neighborhood: Uptown
- 4520 N. Beacon St.
- Chicago, IL 60640
- 773-769-4451
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klcarter@tribune.com
