Archive footage, interviews, and reconstruction tell the story of soul singer, Teddy Pendergrass, from his childhood to the height of his fame. Having learnt how to sing in church as a child, and inspired by Jackie Wilson’s performances at the Uptown Theatre, Pendergrass joined the Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, but left after he realized he was being taken for a ride - the voice people believed was Harold Melvin’s was in fact Teddy’s.
Pendergrass drove women wild with his performances, but faced relentless pressure from the Philadelphia police. After a devastating car accident, Pendergrass’s path dramatically shifted. With bursts of his own personal diaries which he recorded on tapes, and great interviews with figures such as Questlove, this is a fascinating film about a musician whose legacy is not as known as it should be.
The screening on Thur 21 Feb was followed by a director Q&A.