Explore the life of an R&B and soul superstar.
Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don’t Know Me airs Monday, February 16 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.
This is the story of legendary singer Teddy Pendergrass, the man who would have been the biggest R&B artist of all time. It’s a story of a childhood in a Philadelphia ghetto; of the scandalous deaths of his father and first manager; of sex, drugs, money and global fame; of the triumph against injustice; and of the tragic accident that changed his life forever, at the age of only 31.
Despite poverty, racism, and violence, Pendergrass managed to become one of the first African American artists to go multi-platinum repeatedly. He was a man who actively championed the rights of Black artists when discrimination was rife, and a man who, in the years after becoming quadriplegic, overcame depression and thoughts of suicide and resumed doing what he loved best — making music. He left a priceless legacy after his death with the music he made and the people he touched.
Photo: Teddy portrait. Credit: Neal Preston