Life Is A Song Worth Singing
12.5” x 12.5” and 25” x 12.5”, 2024
A few years ago I heard Teddy Pendergrass’ “Life Is a Song Worth Singing” and the title really stuck in my head. It’s become a bit of a mantra to me in my toughest times. When I learned more about his life, it took on even more meaning. Teddy was and still is a household name but most people know little about the almost Dickensian dimensions of his story. He was born into abject poverty in Philadelphia and rose to becoming one of the greatest and most successful soul singers ever. But an accident behind the wheel of a Rolls Royce left him a paraplegic after the break lines were cut by the Mafia when he refused to sign away his publishing to them. His art was full of the same extremes, from heartfelt civil rights anthems to some of the most downright lascivious music ever written. This small series illustrates that duality which was core to his life and work. He wasn’t either/or, he was all of these things (and more) simultaneously.
12.5” x 12.5” and 25” x 12.5”, 2024
A few years ago I heard Teddy Pendergrass’ “Life Is a Song Worth Singing” and the title really stuck in my head. It’s become a bit of a mantra to me in my toughest times. When I learned more about his life, it took on even more meaning. Teddy was and still is a household name but most people know little about the almost Dickensian dimensions of his story. He was born into abject poverty in Philadelphia and rose to becoming one of the greatest and most successful soul singers ever. But an accident behind the wheel of a Rolls Royce left him a paraplegic after the break lines were cut by the Mafia when he refused to sign away his publishing to them. His art was full of the same extremes, from heartfelt civil rights anthems to some of the most downright lascivious music ever written. This small series illustrates that duality which was core to his life and work. He wasn’t either/or, he was all of these things (and more) simultaneously.
