Teddy Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) – Somebody Told Me (1977)

A powerful message song co-written by Kenny Gamble, John Whitehead, Gene McFadden, and Victor Carstarphen for Pendergrass' first solo LP.

Mar 27, 2023

Remembering legendary singer Teddy Pendergrass on his birthday (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010). Here's the powerful message song Somebody Told Me (1977) youtube.com/watch?v=qZEfwE… from his first solo LP, co-written by Kenny Gamble. #soul #TeddyPendergrass

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Teddy Pendergrass was one of the signature voices of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International Records almost from the beginning, and by the end of the 70s had become Philly's biggest R&B superstar. He was undeniably one of the greatest singers of all time.

Theodore DeReese Pendergrass was born in South Carolina but raised in North Philadelphia. He learned to play the drums and started singing in his teens. After dropping out in the 11th grade to pursue a career in the music industry, he played drums for local bands during the late sixties.

He joined Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes in 1970 when the group he was drumming in was hired by Harold Melvin after his former backing band quit. Once Melvin heard his powerful voice, he was soon promoted and became the Blue Notes’ lead singer.

Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes signed with Gamble and Huff’s new record label in 1971 and released their first single on PIR the following year. “I Miss You” was an immediate success, going to #7 R&B and landing the group their first appearance on Soul Train. It became the title track to their debut LP for the label, which was arranged by Norman Harris, Bobby Martin and Thom Bell, and hit #4 on the R&B album charts.

They followed it up with the best-selling album Black & Blue (1973), which peaked at #5 R&B. In 1975 they put out a pair of LP’s that both topped the R&B charts, To Be True and Wake Up Everybody.

During this time, Pendergrass became increasingly frustrated that he was not being adequately recognized as the group’s lead vocalist, since Harold Melvin’s name was the one getting top billing. He unsuccessfully advocated for their name to be changed to Teddy Pendergrass and the Blue Notes, and eventually decided to go solo.

The final album Pendergrass recorded with the Blue Notes was Wake Up Everybody, issued on November 29, 1975. Its title track was a powerful, socially conscious message song that went to #1 R&B and spent two weeks atop the charts in early 1976, crossing over to #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track was co-written by Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, and Victor Carstarphen.

Two years later, McFadden & Whitehead would officially become a group under their own names, and had a #1 R&B hit with one of the iconic anthems of the disco era, “Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now.” Carstarphen was far less well known. He was a keyboardist with MFSB, the backing band for Philadelphia International Records, and a songwriter and producer for the label.

The three songwriters also co-wrote the Blue Notes’ classic “Bad Luck,” from To Be True, the #1 R&B album they released earlier that same year in February, 1975. With a masterful vocal performance by Pendergrass, “Bad Luck” topped the disco charts for eleven weeks straight, and peaked at #4 R&B / #15 Pop.

MFSB drummer Earl Young’s hi-hat was miked too loud during the recording sessions for “Bad Luck,” which was one of the first held at the former headquarters of Cameo-Parkway Records after PIR took over the building. It could not be quieted in the final mix, and as a result, loud hi-hats became a signature feature of disco records that followed.

It was the second Blue Notes song to feature rhythms by Young that influenced the overall sound of disco, the first being “The Love I Lost” (1973), in which Young was credited with inventing the foundational four-on-the-floor drum pattern.

McFadden, Whitehead, and Carstarphen also co-wrote the unity anthem “People Power” by Billy Paul, and the track that closed out many a night at discos in the 70s, “Where Will You Go When The Party's Over” by Archie Bell & The Drells.

After Pendergrass left the Blue Notes, along with Kenny Gamble they co-wrote the powerful message song “Somebody Told Me” for his first solo LP.

The self-titled album was recorded during 1976 and early 1977. “Somebody Told Me” was issued as the B-side to the LP’s first single, the Gamble & Huff-penned upbeat disco jam “I Don't Love You Anymore.” Released on April 15, 1977, it rose to #5 R&B and #7 on dance charts.

Pendergrass memorably performed “Somebody Told Me” on Soul Train, sharing the gospel of peace and love with millions of viewers through the song’s powerful lyrics:

“It’s about time that we submit to the master plan, and bring all this hate and war to an end. It’s about time for a brand new day, and a brand new world to begin!”