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.

She had a record deal by the time she was 14. She was a featured vocalist with James Brown at 17. Berry Gordy signed her to Motown Records 3 years later. And in 1967 Tammi Terrell teamed up with Marvin Gaye to record a series of classic romantic hits – ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’, ‘Your Precious Love’, ‘Ain’t Nothin Like The Real Thing’, and more - that remain the gold standard for romantic duets.