Unsung

In March of 1982, Teddy Pendergrass was arguably the most popular black recording artist in the world, and the first artist of any color to achieve five consecutive multi-platinum albums. He’d shot to stardom as the singer for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, putting his stamp on Gamble & Huff classics like “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” then elevating to even greater success on his own, to become an icon of romantic balladry, and a role model for seductive male singers that remains a defining image to this day.