Deep Dive: Teddy Pendergrass, TRULY BLESSED

During the course of his career as a solo artist, Teddy Pendergrass released three studio albums that featured #1 R&B hit singles. This was the third.

Produced variously by Craig Burbidge, Derek Nakamoto, Terry Price, and Pendergrass himself, TRULY BLESSED was Pendergrass’s 11^th studio album, and it was his first since 1988’s JOY, the title track of which had brought him his second #1 hit. (Since you’re probably wondering at this point, his first #1 hit was “Close The Door,” and it appeared on his second studio album, 1978’s LIFE IS A SONG WORTH SINGING.) This time around, it was a song called “It Should’ve Been You” that took him to the top of the R&B Singles chart.

There’s more to TRULY BLESSED than its biggest hit, however. The album also features Pendergrass’s great cover of the Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” duets with Lisa Fischer (“Glad to Be Alive”) and Minnie Curry (“With You”), and several tracks co-written by Pendergrass himself. In addition to its chart-topping hit, the album also spawned two additional hits: the aforementioned duet with Fischer and “I Find Everything in You,” both of which climbed to #31 on the R&B Singles chart.

“It Should’ve Been You” proved to be the last time Pendergrass landed anywhere near the top 10 – the closest he found himself after this was with the #14 hit “Believe in Love” in 1994 – but when you’ve got three #1 hits to your name, it’s hard to complain. It’s still an outstanding legacy to leave behind.