The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 20, 1978, Page Page 10, Image 12
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Pendergrass1
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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
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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."
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: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
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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