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71-527: Teddy Pendergrass was born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass on March 26, 1950, in Kingstree, South Carolina. He was the only child of Jesse and Ida Geraldine (née Epps) Pendergrass. Ida suffered six miscarriages before successfully giving birth to Teddy. When Pendergrass was very young, his father left the family. As he grew older, his mother promised him that she would find his father so that they could meet. She fulfilled that promise, and Teddy met his father when he

142-419: A black woman named Odessa Bradford got into an argument with two police officers, one black, Robert Wells, and the other white, John Hoff, after her car stalled at 23rd Street and Columbia Avenue. After Bradford refused to comply with the two officers' orders to move the car, because the car had stalled, and she was unable to drive it, an argument ensued. The officers then tried to physically remove Bradford from

213-512: A brief moment in history, peaking in the late 1920s. Upper-class foremen and executives lived farther north along Broad Street , in what is now the West Diamond Street Townhouse Historic District. Thriving commercial districts sprung up along the great northern avenues: Columbia (renamed Cecil B. Moore Avenue), Susquehanna, Dauphin, Erie, Lehigh and Olney, to name a few. However, just as this wealth

284-660: A concert at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on February 14, 2002, titled "The Power of Love". The concert became the album From Teddy, With Love , which was released on the Razor & Tie record label later that year. It was his second (after Live! Coast to Coast ) and final live album. Clips of the concert, in particular his performance of his comeback song " Joy " can still be seen on YouTube. In his later years, Pendergrass's "Wake Up Everybody" has been covered by

355-402: A diverse range of acts from Simply Red to Patti LaBelle and was chosen as a rallying cry during the 2004 Presidential campaign by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds to mobilize voters. In addition, Little Brother , Kanye West , Cam'ron , Twista , Ghostface , Tyrese Gibson , 9th Wonder , DMX and DJ Green Lantern have utilized his works. In 2006, Pendergrass announced his retirement from

426-568: A major rhythm and blues hit and put the Blue Notes on the map. The group's follow-up single, " If You Don't Know Me by Now ", brought the group to the mainstream with the song reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 , while also reaching number one on the soul no. 1 singles chart. Like "I Miss You" before it, the song was originally intended for a different artist, fellow Philadelphian native Patti LaBelle and her group Labelle but

497-630: A number of the nouveau riche : ambitious first or second generation immigrants or those that had made their fortunes starting manufacturing firms. Many were German Jews who had settled in the area, later founding companies and building synagogues. For a time, an age of opulence and grand architecture returned to North Philadelphia, centered on what is now zoned as the Historic North Broad Street Mansion and Speculative Housing Districts. Gentlemen's clubs, upscale restaurants and shopping districts grew in this southern tier for

568-514: A recording deal with Philadelphia International Records in 1971, thus beginning Pendergrass's successful collaboration with label founders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff . In 1972, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes released their first single, the slow, solemn ballad, "I Miss You". The song was originally written for The Dells , but the group passed on it. Noting how Pendergrass sounded like Dells lead singer Marvin Junior, Kenny Gamble decided to build

639-468: A small yet growing population of Hispanics living west of Germantown Avenue, and already significant population of Blacks living east of that street. The area between Broad Street and 5th Street is increasingly becoming a "transition zone" between the larger predominantly black area west of Broad, and the smaller predominantly Hispanic area east of 5th. This section of Philadelphia has nearly equal populations of Hispanics and Blacks, although Germantown Avenue

710-482: A time, Lower North Philadelphia became a great center of black culture and music, most notably jazz . Many commercial corridors were maintained for decades, and a great many musicians came to North Philadelphia, like John Coltrane and Stan Getz . By 1964, North Philadelphia was the city's center of African American culture, home to 400,000 of the city's 600,000 black residents. As the century marched past middle age, many other problems symptomatic of all US cities of

781-439: A trend that continues today called "women-only concerts". With four platinum albums and two gold albums, Pendergrass was on his way to being what the media called "the black Elvis ", not only in terms of his crossover popularity but also due to him buying a mansion akin to Elvis's Graceland , located just outside his hometown of Philadelphia. By early 1982, Pendergrass was perhaps the leading R&B male artist of his day, equaling

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852-545: Is divided into several "clusters," which administer individual schools. By region, these clusters are: Lower North Philadelphia Upper North Philadelphia Olney/Oak Lane YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School, which is chartered by the School District of Philadelphia , is also located in North Philadelphia, just south of William Penn High School. The Mastery Charter Schools system operates

923-488: Is headquartered in the neighborhood. Several parts of North Philadelphia, especially those that border the Center City district, have recently been experiencing varying levels of gentrification . Once economically divested neighborhoods like Brewerytown , Francisville , Northern Liberties , Poplar and West Kensington have seen large scale development break ground. Other regions have seen virtually no change, save

994-414: Is highly racially and socially segregated block by block. A noticeable pattern in the area is that, in the southern part of North Philadelphia (south of about Erie Avenue), Germantown Avenue (which later becomes North 6th Street) is the dividing point between the areas that are predominantly Black (to the west), and the areas that are predominantly Hispanic (to the east). However, this is slowly changing, with

1065-553: Is made up of African Americans and Puerto Ricans . The eastern half of North Philadelphia has one of the highest concentrations of Puerto Ricans in the country, this section of North Philadelphia is over 75% Puerto Rican, and over half of Philadelphia's Puerto Rican population resides in this section of the city. North Philadelphia also has a high concentration of Black Muslims . The area also has significant Irish and other White Americans , Dominican , Haitian , Cuban , Korean and Polish populations, among others. About half of

1136-772: Is regarded as everything north of either Vine Street or Spring Garden Street, between Northwest Philadelphia and Northeast Philadelphia . It is bordered to the north by Olney Ave along Broad Street, Spring Garden Street to the south, 35th Street to the west and Adams Avenue to the east. The Philadelphia Police Department patrols five districts located within North Philadelphia: the 22nd, 25th, 26th, 35th and 39th districts. There are thirteen ZIP codes for North Philadelphia: 19120, 19121, 19122, 19123, 19125, 19126, 19130, 19132, 19133, 19134, 19137, 19140 and 19141. The city government views this sprawling chunk of Philadelphia more precisely as three smaller districts, drawn up by

1207-514: Is still seen as a divider street, with areas between Germantown Avenue and Broad Street "more black" and areas between Germantown Avenue and 5th street "more Hispanic". East of Front street, blocks start to get more diverse, with significant populations of Hispanics, blacks and whites. Also, as the Hispanic community continues to grow eastward, the ethnic white enclaves of eastern North Philadelphia continue to shrink. See [1] North Philadelphia

1278-402: Is usually described as an area north of Center City, between Front Street and Fairmount Park. Sub-sections include: Today, many remnants of these more prosperous eras remain. However, many historic buildings have collapsed, either from neglect or demolition, and thousands more still lie abandoned. A handful have become protected historic properties, and 67 properties and districts were added to

1349-489: The BSL subway line garnered a reputation for violent crime and rape. The great art deco office buildings and government institutions were mostly abandoned, as were the mansions of the many ruined industrialists. As in many poorer African American city ghettos, drug addiction became a major blight in North Philadelphia, further destabilizing families and social networks. North Philadelphia, like many other sections of Philadelphia,

1420-525: The Diana Ross song " Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand) ". In 1988, Pendergrass scored his first R&B number-one hit in nearly a decade when the song "Joy", from his album of the same name, was released. A video of the song enjoyed heavy rotation on BET . It was also his final Hot 100 charted single, peaking at number 77. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA that same year. Also, Pendergrass's voice

1491-475: The National Register of Historic Places . Several blocks, with numerous old mansions, have been re-zoned as the aforementioned historic districts. A great many extravagant churches were built over the years, as well. Some still stand, but all too often money is scarce to preserve their deteriorating architecture. The trolley lines that once criss-crossed the northern streets and linked the region with

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1562-484: The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame class of 2021. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Pendergrass at No. 42 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. North Philadelphia North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly , is a section of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . It is immediately north of Center City . Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia"

1633-483: The Philadelphia Free Library located in North Philadelphia. Uptown Theater is an iconic part of the music scene of North Philadelphia. It was a springboard for many notable artist of our time. 40°00′24″N 75°08′34″W  /  40.006762°N 75.142863°W  / 40.006762; -75.142863 Teddy Pendergrass (album) Teddy Pendergrass is the debut solo album from

1704-414: The " North Philly Badlands " is notorious nationwide for it. Many North Philadelphia neighborhoods are blighted, and abound in abandoned homes and vacant lots. Pep Boys is headquartered in North Philadelphia. Certain sections of North Philadelphia were highly commercial. TOPPS Cards were once produced in North Philadelphia until moving to New York. Temple University is the seventh largest employer in

1775-453: The 1970s, to her house. Pendergrass would only say that Watson was a casual acquaintance. It appeared to Watson that the cause of the crash was a mechanical error in the car, and that possibly someone had tampered with the brakes. The car hit a guard rail, crossed onto the oncoming lane, and hit two trees. No other cars were involved. The impact jammed the doors, trapping them for almost an hour until both were freed. While Watson walked away from

1846-520: The American manufacturing sector led to the closing of many of the factories that many northern neighborhoods were centered on and depended on. Increased urban blight and the general decline of Philadelphia in the late 20th century even saw the decline of many of the strong black communities in North Philadelphia. The legendary Connie Mack Stadium was closed in favor of the new Pattison Sports Complex . North Philadelphia Station lost Amtrak Service, and

1917-535: The BSL these major railways made the region a thriving hub of transportation. For a time, North Philadelphia station became the second most heavily trafficked rail station in the city, and the Olney Ave station the most used subway stop. Along with many of Philadelphia's major manufacturing concerns came the nearby estates of the wealthy industrialists who had founded them. Lower North Philadelphia in particular housed

1988-580: The Billboard album chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA. On July 13, 1985, Pendergrass made an emotional return to the stage at the historic Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in front of a live audience of over 100,000, the concert having an estimated 1.5 billion television viewers. It was the singer's first live performance following the accident. Pendergrass tearfully thanked the audience for keeping him in their well-wishes and then performed

2059-501: The City of Philadelphia, Temple University Hospital, Inc is number 11 (PA Dept of Labor and Industry, 1st Quarter 2019). Notably, Broad Street roughly bisects North Philadelphia north-south. Broad Street is a six-lane arterial street that is designated as Pennsylvania Route 611 . The Broad Street Line or 'Orange Line,' runs along Broad Street, directly connecting North Philadelphia with Center City and South Philadelphia, as well as with

2130-772: The Clymer School in North Philadelphia. The system opened the Mastery Charter Lenfest Campus (7–12) in September 2001 in an office building in North Philadelphia. The school moved to Old City in Center City in 2002. North Philadelphia has the largest concentration of Charter Schools in Philadelphia North Philadelphia hosts a number of institutions of higher learning. There are thirteen branch libraries of

2201-587: The Redevelopment Authority in 1964. These regions are (from north to south) Olney-Oak Lane , Upper North Philadelphia and Lower North Philadelphia . Other sections of North Philadelphia include Brewerytown , Fairhill , Fairmount , Francisville , Franklinville , Glenwood , Hartranft , Koreatown , Northern Liberties , Poplar (roughly bound by Girard Avenue, Broad Street, Spring Garden Street and 5th Street), Sharswood , Strawberry Mansion , and Yorktown . Prior to its incorporation into

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2272-499: The ballad "And If I Had" were also hits. The debut album was quickly followed by Life Is a Song Worth Singing , in 1978. That album was even more successful with its singles " Only You " and the classic million selling number 1 R&B hit " Close the Door ". The latter song firmly established Pendergrass as the top male sex symbol in soul music. The album's popularity was furthered by the disco hit "Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose",

2343-469: The ballad "It Don't Hurt Now", and the mid-tempo classic "When Somebody Loves You Back". That double platinum number-one R&B triumph was followed up in 1979 by two successes, the albums Teddy (which stayed at number 1 on the Billboard R&;B chart for eight weeks and was named the second-biggest R&B album of the year), and the live release Live Coast to Coast . Hits off Teddy included

2414-497: The burgeoning worker population. This expansion was also the impetus for breaking ground on the Broad Street Line subway, designed specifically to carry a passenger from the northern hub of Olney to Philadelphia City Hall in under 20 minutes. Major freight and passenger rail lines were built to intersect at the newly constructed North Broad Street Station and transmit cargo from the bustling factories. The completion of

2485-491: The car. She resisted and a large crowd assembled in the area. A man tried to come to Bradford's aid by attacking the police officers at the scene, but he and Bradford were arrested. Rumors then spread throughout North Philadelphia that a pregnant black woman had been beaten to death by white police officers. Later that evening, and throughout the next two days, angry mobs looted and burned mostly white-owned businesses in North Philadelphia, mainly along Columbia Avenue. Outnumbered,

2556-486: The city proper, North Philadelphia was little more than a collection of primarily agricultural townships above the original City of Philadelphia. In the 18th century, as Philadelphia grew in importance and, consequently, population, then pastoral North Philadelphia became an attractive alternative to the burgeoning city. The mansions of wealthy Philadelphians began to dot the landscape, and by the late 18th and early 19th century, several small town centers had developed to anchor

2627-725: The classics "Come Go with Me", the erotic ballad " Turn Off the Lights ", and the uptempo album cut "Do Me". With his sex appeal at an all-time high after his 1979 tour, Pendergrass took a more mellow approach on his 1980 album TP . It included the classic number two R&B hit " Love TKO ", the Stephanie Mills duet version of "Feel the Fire" and the Ashford & Simpson composition "Is It Still Good to You". Between 1977 and 1981, Pendergrass landed five consecutive platinum albums, which

2698-442: The collision with minor injuries, Pendergrass had a spinal cord injury, leaving him a tetraplegic , paralyzed from the chest down; he never walked again. Pendergrass got well-wishes from thousands of his fans during his recovery. In August 1982, Philadelphia International released This One's for You , which failed to chart successfully, as did 1983's Heaven Only Knows . Both albums included material Pendergrass had recorded before

2769-431: The crash. The albums completed his contract with Philadelphia International. By the time Pendergrass decided to return to the studio to work on new music he had struggled to find a recording deal. Eventually signing a contract with Asylum Records and completing physical therapy, he released Love Language in 1984. The album included the pop ballad " Hold Me ", featuring a then-unknown Whitney Houston . It reached No. 38 on

2840-424: The end of North as a suburb of Philadelphia. North Philadelphia's decentralized towns were gradually meshed into a sprawling network of the ubiquitous Philadelphia rowhouses . Many of the newly created neighborhoods retained the name of their ancestral towns and townships, for example, Northern Liberties was formerly Northern Liberties Township. Philadelphia was one of the most important centers of manufacturing in

2911-484: The famed Harlem-based group of the same name). In 1970, he was spotted by the Blue Notes' founder, Harold Melvin (1939–1997), who convinced Pendergrass to play drums in the group. However, during a performance, Pendergrass began singing along, and Melvin, impressed by his vocals, made him the lead singer. Before Pendergrass joined the group, the Blue Notes had struggled to find success. This all changed when they landed

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2982-435: The group could not record it due to scheduling conflicts. Pendergrass and LaBelle developed a close friendship that would last until Pendergrass's death. The group rode to fame with several more releases over the years including " The Love I Lost ", a song that predated the upcoming disco music scene, the ballad " Hope That We Can Be Together Soon ", and socially conscious singles " Wake Up Everybody " and " Bad Luck ". One of

3053-408: The group's finances. At one point, Pendergrass wanted the group to be renamed "Teddy Pendergrass and the Blue Notes" because fans kept mistaking him for Melvin. Pendergrass left the group in 1975, and the Blue Notes struggled with his replacements. They eventually left Philadelphia International and toiled in relative obscurity, until Melvin's death in 1997. As of 2014, a version of the group still tours

3124-462: The group's notable singles was their original version of the Philly soul classic " Don't Leave Me This Way ", which turned into a disco smash when Motown artist Thelma Houston released her version in 1976. By 1975, Pendergrass and Harold Melvin were at odds, mainly over financial issues and personality conflicts. Despite the fact that Pendergrass sang most of the group's songs, Melvin was controlling

3195-473: The growing population. However, this suburban landscape was to be interrupted around the middle of the 19th century, as rapid urban expansion led to The Consolidation Act of 1854 . This state law annexed all of the townships within Philadelphia County to the City of Philadelphia. With new territory now under the aegis of Philadelphia's city planners, a rising influx of European immigrants led to

3266-450: The late 1940s as these residents became more affluent and Northeast Philadelphia began to develop new housing with lawns and conveniences such as modern plumbing. In most cases African Americans moved into the vacant houses and as this began to increase, true white flight began. Increasingly, people moved out of North Philadelphia not solely to move into newer homes, but to avoid facing decreasing property values and increased criminality. For

3337-442: The mid to late 20th century, if not in a more pronounced fashion. While residential corridors like Hope Street and Delhi Street had long housed primarily African-American residents, white residents moved out of the city as waves of poorer black residents moved in. During the 40s and 50s, much of the area was racially integrated , although smaller streets were usually completely black or white. Whites began to move out slowly at first in

3408-520: The music business. In 2007, he briefly returned to performing to participate in Teddy 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope & Possibilities , a 25th anniversary awards ceremony that marked Pendergrass's crash, but also raised money for his charity, The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, and honored those who helped Pendergrass since the accident. Pendergrass had three children: Tisha, LaDonna, and Theodore Jr. Pendergrass's manager and girlfriend Taazmayia "Taaz" Lang

3479-494: The name of Pendergrass to provide assistance and a center for Philadelphia's inner city youth. On June 5, 2009, Pendergrass underwent successful surgery for colon cancer and returned home to recover. A few weeks later he returned to the hospital with respiratory issues. After seven months, he died of respiratory failure on January 13, 2010, with his wife Joan by his side, at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr , Pennsylvania. He

3550-429: The old school circuit, performing as Harold Melvin's Blue Notes. In 1977, Pendergrass released his self-titled album , which went platinum on the strength of the disco hit "I Don't Love You Anymore". Its follow-up single, "The Whole Town's Laughing at Me", became a top 20 R&B hit. Although not released as singles, the uptempo album tracks "You Can't Hide from Yourself" and "The More I Get, The More I Want", as well as

3621-457: The police response was to withdraw from the area rather than aggressively confront the rioters. The race riots of 1964 became iconic for the rising ethnic tensions in the region, and the continued withdrawal of white residents. The riot, which virtually destroyed the central shopping district of North Philadelphia, signaled the beginning of the end for the North's commercial sector. The withering of

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3692-660: The popularity of Marvin Gaye , and surpassing Barry White and all others in the R&;B field. In 1980, the Isley Brothers released " Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love) " to compete with Pendergrass's "Turn Off the Lights", which sensed Pendergrass's influence on the quiet storm format of black music. On March 18, 1982, in the East Falls section of Philadelphia on Lincoln Drive near Rittenhouse Street, Pendergrass

3763-479: The population lives below the poverty line. Most of Philadelphia's crime pertains to the drug trade. In a 2007 Philadelphia Weekly article journalist Steve Volk states that anti-drug activists said that North Philadelphia has a lot of open air recreational drug dealing because the act is a tradition and because many areas have consistent poverty. Though several blighted Philadelphia neighborhoods are known for open-air drug dealing, as well as open-air drug using,

3834-419: The rest of Philadelphia were shut down by SEPTA in 1992. Immense, abandoned factories sit idle; warehouses lie empty; and disused heavy rail lines scar the landscape. The names of the old industrialists, such as Gratz, Poth, Uber, Bouvier and Schmidt, still adorn many buildings and street signs in the area but are otherwise foreign to many modern-day residents. The Neighborhood Transformation Initiative or NTI,

3905-477: The rest of Philadelphia's public transit system: SEPTA . As of 2017 , Taiwanese airline China Airlines provides a private bus service to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City for customers based in the Philadelphia area. This service stops in North Philadelphia. Public and Charter schooling in North Philadelphia is handled by the School District of Philadelphia . The region

3976-530: The rising housing values that have accompanied increased attention in urban markets. Many residents of communities in North Philadelphia have voiced resistance towards these gentrifying forces, viewing the sudden investment as an invasion that threatens the traditional character of the neighborhoods. According to the 2010 census , 340,350 people live among the ZIP codes of 19132, 19133, 19121, 19122, 19130 and 19123. ( Map ) Most of North Philadelphia's population

4047-443: The song with Pendergrass, who was only 21 at the time of the recording. Pendergrass sings much of the song in a raspy baritone voice that would become his trademark. The song also featured Blue Notes member Lloyd Parks singing falsetto in the background and spotlighted Harold Melvin adding in a rap near the end of the song as Pendergrass kept singing, feigning tears. The song, one of Gamble and Huff's most creative productions, became

4118-514: The spring of 2006, Pendergrass met Joan Williams. He proposed to her after four months, and they married in a private ceremony officiated by his pastor, Alyn Waller of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008. On September 6, 2008, a formal wedding was celebrated at The Ocean Cliff Resort in Newport, Rhode Island. As members of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Joan Pendergrass set up The Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Youth Fund in

4189-429: The time came about. Many of the neighborhoods in North Philadelphia sprung up around one monolithic factory, which was the center of the community's income. Each factory that closed down devastated its host neighborhood. In this way, the wave of national industrial collapse caused the rapid break up of numerous "factory neighborhoods" in the predominantly working class North Philadelphia. On the evening of August 28, 1964,

4260-601: The world between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, and North Philadelphia is one of the sections of the city whose landscape was most deeply shaped by the industrial era. Its landscape still strongly reflects this heritage. As the industrial age peaked in America, North Philadelphia became a working man's town. Upper North Philadelphia , Olney , Brewerytown , became major hubs of production. Large factories and industrial complexes were erected, covering vast swaths of city land. Thousands of row homes were constructed to house

4331-425: Was 11 years old. Not long after, Jesse was stabbed to death on June 13, 1962, during an altercation with another man. He was 47 years of age. Pendergrass grew up in the impoverished section of North Philadelphia and often sang at church. He dreamed of being a pastor and got his wish when, at age 10, he was ordained a minister (according to author Robert Ewell Greene). Pendergrass also took up drums during this time and

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4402-569: Was 59. His body was interred at the West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd , Pennsylvania. As of 2015, there are plans to make a feature film biopic of Pendergrass's life, and Tyrese Gibson is set to star as the late singer. In 2019, Essence Magazine reported that Gibson reached out to Lee Daniels to produce the film. In 2019, BBC Film made a documentary on Pendergrass's life titled If You Don't Know Me . It

4473-463: Was a City program launched by Mayor John F. Street . The program called for the demolition of thousands of condemned buildings and the construction of large-scale, medium-density public housing, with restoration efforts to be employed on salvageable houses. Many blocks of old rowhouses have been bulldozed and replaced with suburban-style tract houses . This program has radically changed some sections of North Philadelphia. Some charge that little effort

4544-502: Was a junior deacon of his church. He attended Thomas Edison High School for Boys in North Philadelphia. He sang with the Edison Mastersingers. He dropped out in the 11th grade to enter the music business, recording his first song "Angel with Muddy Feet". The recording, however, was not a commercial success. Pendergrass played drums for several local Philadelphia bands, eventually becoming the drummer of The Cadillacs (not

4615-457: Was a then record-setting number for a rhythm and blues artist. Pendergrass's popularity became massive at the end of 1978. With sold-out audiences packing his shows, his manager – the renowned Shep Gordon , who was known for his innovative approaches to publicizing his artists – soon noticed that a huge number of his audience consisted of women of all races. Gordon devised a plan for Pendergrass's next tour to play to just female audiences, starting

4686-501: Was heard on the jingles of a then local Philadelphia radio station, WSNI-FM . Pendergrass kept recording through the 1990s. One of the singer's last hits was the new jack swing song, "Believe in Love", released in 1994. In 1996, he starred alongside Stephanie Mills in the touring production of the gospel musical Your Arms Too Short to Box with God . In 1998, Pendergrass released his autobiography titled Truly Blessed . Pendergrass did

4757-404: Was involved in a car crash while driving his new Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit . At the time of the accident, the singer's license had been suspended for unpaid parking tickets (he had also wrecked a Maserati the previous week). Rumors that alcohol was a factor were later discounted by the police. Pendergrass was reportedly driving Tenika Watson, a transgender nightclub performer whom he had known since

4828-462: Was made to save a number of historic buildings, others that NTI was needed to change blighted neighborhoods. The lasting effects of the program remain to be seen. Some areas, like Olney, Allegheny and Erie, still have relatively active communities, but even they are often troubled by drugs, crime and/or social underfunding. Allegheny West has advanced, mostly from the support of some of the last industries in North Philadelphia, such as Pep Boys , which

4899-543: Was released February 8 on Showtime . Pendergrass received five Grammy Award nominations. Pendergrass received several nominations for the American Music Awards between 1979 and 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Album, and Favorite Disco Artist. He won the AMA for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist in 1979, tied with singer Lou Rawls . Pendergrass was posthumously inducted into

4970-514: Was shot dead on the doorstep of her home in April 1977. The murder remains unsolved, although Philadelphia's Black Mafia has been suspected, as they allegedly resented Lang's control over Pendergrass's lucrative career. In June 1987, Pendergrass married a former Philadanco dancer named Karen Still, who had also danced in his shows. They divorced in 2002. Pendergrass published his autobiography, Truly Blessed , with Patricia Romanowski in 1998. In

5041-459: Was so suddenly gained, it would just as suddenly be lost. The new money culture proved to be an unstable foundation for a lasting community, and like so many constructs of the Gilded Age , this core of wealth was doomed to rot. Over the next few decades The Great Depression , outsourcing and white flight took their toll on North Philadelphia in a fashion similar to other major US cities of

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