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^gil Bfssj ttit ifesl I bbSiWbT{ Pendergrass1 :; :>, 3?M u> I ^'^^'"'fflT'i,1LM { |' i/' ..'i1' i \ '' ' 'i'i'I I''i'l|l. I' L |j I I 5 * *i Aa^BBjg^M^^BB^jMMp>ijP^^ ^?^^Mff^: *1'* .1 ^ 1 f .;. k^^'vi 1 W^^IEiSfWvBl^BmE^K^ i^^: ;x:fu i ? ?P^'* ^ 4 S<f<8* ? ' ^ Dave Roback ? GAMECOCK Pendergrass...field day for the ladies Lenny WUlian By Bill Douglas am. Gamecock Staff Wrltar With all the fuss over Lenny Williams at the concert Friday evening, one would think he was the main attraction dUX4 instead of Teddy Pendergrass. *? ?? "' ..... Dciwcen scus, winiams politely signed autographs, taped OO a segment of WIS-TV's Dance, and talked to reporters ? an II about-face from his last obscure visit to Columbia at a Township performance with Patti LaBelle in 1977. "We've b "I've told him for five years this would happen," said you get so > T.M. Fisher, Williams' friend and road manager. beenrelaxi The confi WILLIAMS IS now enjoying a rising star status, which he Sparkle of has been trying to achieve since his days with Graham copies. "I'l Central Station and the Tower of Power. "The exposure has with Towei been good," Williams said. "If you have a cause or a product and you think it's good, you need the exposure. THE OA1 Jesus Christ told his disciples to spread the word of the confuse qut gospel." of albums j Perhaps the interest in Williams is because of the con- years to b fidence he is showing in himself during live performances, doesn't me .... V* . v . . . . I , . . ? / . ? '# 4 # * 4 * 4 . ? J I ? . I /?! > m 0 4 * f * \ f 1 A* ' * 4 ' ' w ' M t M ,# 4 ? 4 woos conc By Bill Douglas Gamecock Staff Writer A __ - - _ . Any man wno took his favorite girl to see Teddy Pendergrass Friday evening at the Carolina Coliseum, probably left the show feeling like someone had stolen his date. Pendergrass has become one of the premier sex sumbols of the concert circuit. His audience is largely made up of young women, several of whom came to this show alone. And why not? They had a date with about 3,000 other girls to watch the man, ladies lovingly call the "Teddy-Bear." Pendergrass did not disappoint the capacity coliseum crowd as he put on an admirable performance, even though he was suffering from a bronchial infection. He entered the stage following ?n inBtpnmon^i _w 0 mmmm UiAAVUMIl Ui the Pockets' hit "Come Go With Me," which was performed by the Teddy-Bear Orchestra.Surrounded by smoke and wearing a silver sequined robe, Pendergrass began by singing the title cut from his Life Is A Song Worth Singing album. The minute the women saw Pendergrass through the dimmed lights and fog, they screamed in anticipation. PENDERGRASS COULD do no wrong in the eyes of his fans. The Philadelphia-based singer even icvctvcu a tai ge rouna ot applause for removing his shirt. The crowd was most responsive to the mellow love ballads such as "Take it Easy," "Close the Door"and "When Somebody Loves You Back." These ballads, most of them arranged and written by "The Sound Of Philadelphia" masterminds Kenhy Gamble and Leon Huff, are the key to the mass appeal of Teddy Pendergrass. The incorporation mellow love songs, mixed with the raspy voice of Pendergrass, produced a unique concert sound. Although many of the songs were ballads, the crowd spent little time in their $7.25 and $8.25 seats. Women jumped around to take pictures, try to get close to the stage or wave teddy bears at PenHorrtrn no uvigt atJDi ONCE THE ballads were completed, Pendergrass and his band picked up the pace with livelier dancing tunes such as "Only You," "Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose" and a medley of some of the hit songs he recorded as a member of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. "For years people thought I was Harold Melvin," Pendergrass informed the audience. "But I'm not." Pendergrass' stage presence could be described as giving the people what they want. People paid to see a sex symbol, and that's what they got. He flirted with ii " * uie auaience Dy striking macho poses, gyrating <*0 'I have to prom some people d< . General Motors is < o industries in the I d promotions, so le een working a lot. The more you work, the better Will ou've got to feel confident," Williams said. "I've a per ng more and getting confidence from the band." forme idence has paid off in making his latest release, The Love, a gold album, selling more than a million a disc n elated about the gold album; I never had one disco i of Power," he said. disco i Groov KLAND, Calif, native said he is cautious not to Will llitv with niiflnHtv "I'm ?? * ? , j. ?.? iciauuK uie uumoer irom ?old to the quality of the album. It took Bach 25 me. II e considered a master. Just because it sells an it's good." t * ? V . . ? . . . %% + ? ? i'< . ? ' . /% \ .V- , . t.i V*/ v ' W\ % v WWW ' .W\ Wl. W W# :ert crowd against the microphone stand or winking at a particular lady in the arena. During the tune, "Close the Door," Pendergrass pointed at certain ladies and sang "Come here, woman!" Sin0Ar Raffir U/rinVit t<vnl> *.l?~ I * ~ uwvj 11115111 iuur uie smge Deiore Kendergrass. Wright was the mystery lady of the concert. When the show was first scheduled, many persons thought the Emotions would be on the bill since they performed with Pendergrass in Greenville recently. WRIGHT CAME into the concert as an almost unknown act, except for her one hit tune, "The Cleanup Woman." Despite her obscurity, however, she and her nine-piece band put on a good show. Dressed in a red and black sequined outfit, Wright performed Peter Brown's disco hit "Dance With Me," a song which she sang background vocals for on Brown's album. She then slowed the pace with a ballad, "A Song For You," which featured a good piano solo by keyboardist Kevin Kendricks. Wright proved herself a very capable singer by imitating other singers while performing her hit, "The Clean-Up Woman." She imitated the sexy See PENDERGRASS, page 11 |MHgi|;;#M|g^y>^;:^H^8B^^B|i^|K^^^!|SpR^-:-: j Wright ...unknown but talented ote myself because on't know who I _ r xi i Line 01 ine oiggest I J.S. and they still I t "your light shine.' J liams said his previous solo album, Choosing You, was | iod of trnnoiHftn o * " _ .. ....v.., u v,udige irum me music he pertd with the Tower of Power. jl solo singer said he doesn't categorize himself as just :o artist. "I sell records to people who like ballads, music and dance music. I don't think dance music and I are the same. Look at songs like "One Nation Under A 5 e," that's not disco." S iams said he is enjoying the response he's getting I his live performances. "1 feel good that people like I : makes you feel good when people appreciate you." I See WILLIAMS, page 11 I