One of the most beloved voices in the history of soul music and a staple of the Philly Sound, the late Teddy Pendergrass first earned worldwide recognition during the early 1970s as the lead singer of the renowned Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. Indeed, much of the group’s success can arguably be attributed to Pendergrass’ commanding baritone, which blessed classic tracks such as “I Miss You (Part 1)”, “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” “The Love I Lost (Part 1)”, “Wake Up Everybody,” and “Don’t Leave Me This Way.”
Pendergrass left the Blue Notes in 1975 after a short-lived, but very productive four-year stint to pursue his solo recording career. Embracing a balanced mix of seductive ballads and soaring disco thumpers, Pendergrass immediately experienced critical and commercial acclaim on his own, as each of his first four albums went platinum on the strength of stellar singles such as “I Don’t Love You Anymore,” “Close the Door,” “Turn Off the Lights” and “Love TKO.” Though Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury that left him as a quadriplegic as a result of a 1982 car accident, he persevered and ultimately recorded a total of fourteen long players in all. His songs have had remarkable staying power, as plenty of artists and their producers have gone diggin’ in the Teddy crates over the years.
More than five years have elapsed since Pendergrass passed away, but his legacy endures, as evidenced by the forthcoming posthumous duets album, Love & Soul. A well-deserved homage that features 12 new studio reworkings of some of Pendergrass’ most notable songs, the album pairs the soul legend’s vocals with contributions from an impressive group of artists including Shuggie Otis, Noora Noor, The Stylistics, Ohio Players, Martha Reeves, and Jody Watley.
Angie Stone bestows her lovely voice upon the compilation’s first single, a seamlessly sleek re-recording of the 1980 hit “Love TKO.” Check it out for yourself below, and keep your eyes peeled for the full album due August 21st on Cleopatra Records.
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