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| by Carole Friedman | ||
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The concert marked the 25th anniversary of the Philadelphia auto accident that paralyzed Pendergrass from the chest down and it also raised funds for the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a non-profit organization, which has raised awareness about quality of life issues for people with spinal-cord injuries since 1998.
Pendergrass, 57, said during a short musical set that the support he's received over the last 25 years made him "realize that I'm still the same guy." The Philadelphia-born R&B legend, in his first live performance in five years, opened his short set with Joy and included a new song, I Am Who I Am.
Bill Cosby started the evening with humor.
"Teddy came too late for me," Cosby said. "I was way past Turn Off the Lights. I was rushing into bed before she knew I was there."
Pendergrass came a little too early for host, comedian and actress Mo'Nique, she said, but Pendergrass had that affect on her mother.
"Whenever Teddy came on I swore my mom was single," said Mo'Nique, keeping up the evening's light mood.
Musically, Melba Moore tore into the inspirational Lean On Me and Philly duo Kindred: The Family Soul vamped on Pendergrass' Close the Door and Turn Off the Lights.
"If I had a six pack I'd pull my shirt down low and get the ladies involved," said Kindred's Fatin Dantzler.
Singer Patti LaBelle stopped the show with a rendition of If You Don't Know Me By Now, which Pendergrass sang with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. LaBelle walked to the wings of the Kimmel stage to sing it directly to Pendergrass.
"I did it, Simply Red did it, and a lot of other people sang it but nobody did it like you," LaBelle said to Pendergrass. "Because you're simply the best."
People close to Pendergrass received awards throughout the show, including his doctors, management, and fellow entertainers such as LaBelle (who has a reunion disc with her group LaBelle due later this year), Moore and duo Ashford and Simpson.
Moore and young R&B singer Musiq Soulchild didn't hesitate to lend their voices in support of the fundraiser.
"It's very important that first of all we take what could have been a tragedy in our lives and turn it into a steppingstone for medical progress," Moore said backstage. "Because of Teddy's injuries and because of his great stature, he has the opportunity to be a magnet for all kinds of medical discoveries and hopefully, in the very near future, people may recovery totally."
Not just entertainment greats were on hand. Longtime friend and honorary event co-chair Julius "Dr. J." Erving, the former basketball great who is in the midst of penning his autobiography and now owns a golf course in Atlanta, said that during the "ascension of (Teddy's), the public would see soul singer, sex symbol, party animal … but he's a family guy."
Sure, it might seem odd to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a tragic accident, but Pendergrass didn't see it that way.
"He feels as though it was a lot of lessons learned and he could sit and be depressed and feel like it's the end of the world or … he could help others," said Philadelphia music impresario Kenny Gamble.
Stephanie Mills, who performed Pendergrass' Wake Up Everybody and Home offered words of encouragement for spinal-cord victims.
"Stay positive, stay strong and keep a lot of positive people around you and get a lot of good doctors," Mills said. "Teddy's living and he's vibrant — he's still a player."
Contributing: GNS Entertainment Editor Aliah D. Wright
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