Teddy Pendergrass Honored with Renamed Broad Street Section

A legendary R&B vocalist is being honored in Philadelphia. The city is renaming the 400 block of Broad Street Teddy Pendergrass Way after the late R&B singer who made five platinum albums for Philadelphia International Records. A ceremony at noon on July 26 will christen the roadway; his widow, Joan, will be in attendance.

Pendergrass, who died of complications from colon cancer in 2010, was the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. During Pendergrass's involvement with the group, the band reached chart-topping success with hits such as "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and "Wake Up Everybody." 

When Pendergrass exited the group in 1975 to begin his own solo career, he found instant success. Pendergrass's first five albums — beginning with his 1977 self-titled debut and ending with his 1981 title It's Time for Love — all went platinum. Songs such as "Close the Door" resonated with female listeners, and he began performing shows for his female fans.

According to Philly Voice,  Joan met Pendergrass in 2006, after he sustained a serious career-altering accident. In 1982, the singer crashed his car in East Falls, injuring his spinal cord. He was permanently paralyzed from the chest down. He returned to perform for the 1985 Live Aid concert and released nine more albums before he retired in 2007.

The street renaming is one of several efforts that Joan has spearheaded to keep her husband's memory and music alive. The Teddy and Joan Pendergrass Foundation created a music therapy program at Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, where Pendergrass underwent treatment, to help patients with spinal cord injuries regain their vocal abilities, she explained.

Throughout his life, Pendergrass remained dedicated to his Philadelphia home, Joan said to Philly Voice. "Philly is his heart. He lived in Philly. He never moved from Philly, even when he had the opportunity to do so. ...He just wanted to stay in his hometown, because it's rich with culture, with peace, love, and harmony. And he just felt so comfortable there."