Truly Blessed
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Truly Blessed is the autobiography of Teddy Predergrass, former lead singer of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. With the wealth of literature which abounds on Detroit Soul I was hoping that this story might give some insights into the Philly Scene about which there is a relative paucity of information. Apart from a pretty thorough coverage of Teddy's relationship with the Blue Notes the other groups and artists at Philadelphia International only received the most superficial of treatments. In fairness the book never claimed to do this, but I was disappointed nevertheless. In many ways the book is a cliché of most soul artists lives, the meteoric rise from the Ghetto to international stardom. It is a theme which becomes tedious after a while. Teddy's story has an added dimension however in that he suffered a horrendous car crash in his early thirties which left him wheelchair bound. Knowing that this happened to him made me feel a tad guilty in that I didn't particularly warm to him. He regularly pointed out that he was a sex symbol, he sniped at people he had had spats with (Bobby Womack and the Isley's), revelled in the wealth he had accumulated, name dropped and even described some of the clothes he wore for shows. I have usually found these themes to be prevalent in women's rather than men's biographies. Despite the fact I did not really take to him as a character, I none-the-less could not avoid admiring him in the end. Despite the horrific injuries he suffered the book seemed to be written without a trace of self pity. He admitted to having felt it and clearly explained the circumstances when he felt it most, but he left me with the strong impression that he has moved on and is now dealing with his injuries very courageously. I also felt he was very honest with the reader in freely admitting both his strengths and weaknesses. Although I did not always think the book was particularly well written, the last chapter is excellent and is highly successful in making the reader appreciate the daily frustrations which most able bodied people would not even think about. Routine tasks which we carry out without a second thought are minor mountains for a paraplegic. No doubt at all that the book is interesting, but given Teddy has experienced such a wide variety of perspectives on life this is inevitable. Struggling ghetto singer, international superstar, god fearing Christian, drug taker, author, paraplegic, there are so many facets to his life that makes the story such a potent mixture. No doubt about it, his book, for all its faults, is well worth a read. |
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Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool This Site Last Updated 18/05/05
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