Upon leaving Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass embarked on a solo career that rivaled (some say eclipsed) the group he left. Pendergrass racked up R&B hit after R&B hit and his romantic brand of Philly Soul made his music a constant choice for bedrooms across America. Pendergrass became paralyzed from a car accident in 1982, and although he still recorded afterwards, his sexual appeal (which musically was his greatest asset) was gone. He was still somewhat successful, but never really the same. He did have a solid career, but our guess is that if he got in it would be with the Blue Notes.

They say that Rock is a young man’s game and many a Rock star put out their best work in their twenties. An exception to that is Harold Melvin, who did not get his big record deal into well into his thirties. He certainly made the most of it when he did.