A Look Back With Doug: Teddy Pendergrass

Today's Look Back With Doug is a sad day in history that happened on March 18, 1982. This was the day Teddy Pendergass was paralyzed after a car crash that happened in Philadelphia.

When Denny Perkins did the Lost 70s at 7 is when I became more familiar with the works of Teddy Pendergrass and learned he was the lead singer of Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes. You probably know that group for the song 'If You Don't Know Me By Now' and 'The Love I Lost' amongst others.

Teddy eventually went on his own and came up with some of the great disco, soul and r&B songs of that time with 'I Don't Love You Anymore', 'Only You' and 'Close the Door'.

But the song that I most remember Teddy Pendergrass for is 'Love T.K.O.' which came out in 1980. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

The song has been redone a couple of times by Boz Scaggs, Bette Midler and Hall & Oates, just to name a few, but there is nothing like the original.

After the accident, Pendergrass continued to be involved in music and even toured some. He passed away in 2010, but the alliance he founded, the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance still continues on.

For you fans of Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, they still continue to tour as the Bluenotes and are said to be doing a cruise in the near future, but let's go back to 'Love T.K.O'