IL ENTERTAINMENT Γ
— THE CHARLOTTE POST
Fmm Growing Conmvtky Wcddy»
Thursday, September 25,1980 - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Page IB
WBTV News
Looks At Illiteracy
Φ
In Mecklenburg
"WBTV News Special Edition"
examines illiteracy in Charlotte
Mecklenburg, and tours Atlanta's
new passenger terminal, Sunday,
September 28th at 6:30 p.m. on
WBTV, Channel 3.
Local authorities in reading es
timate there are 50,000 functional
illiterates in Mecklenburg County -
people who can't read and write, or
can't do them well enough to cope
with our increasingly complex way
of life. "Special Edition" talks to
some of them, looks into the causes
of such widespread illiteracy, and
examines some οι me programs
available to help illiterates learn to
read and write.
In another segment, "Special
Edition" takes viewers on a tour of
the new passenger terminal, said
to be the world's largest, at Harts
field Atlanta International Airport,
The new facilities are designed to
speed up travel and shorten walk
ing distances for passengers, and
hopefully dispel the bad reputation
of the old Atlanta passenger
terminal.
In addition, "Special Edition"
will present its regular "History
Department" feature with Mike
Com reporting on another fas
cinating, but little-known aspect of
the Carolinas' past.
Barry Ahrendt is Producer
Editor of "WBTV News Special
Edition."
Children's
Theatre Season
Tickets On Sale
Children's Theatre Season
Tickets will be on sale until Oc
tober 10. Prices for 5 plays are $8.
Plays include TARRADIDDLE
TALES, RAGS TO RICHES, TOM
— - ιητνττ
THE BEAUTY AND THE
LONELY BEAST and CHARLIE
AND THE CHOCOLATE
FACTORY. Packages of 5 plays
and S special events are <13. The
Special Events include PETER
AND THE WOLF presented by the
Charlotte Regional Ballet, THE
LITTLEST ANGEL performed by
the drama department of South
Mecklenburg High School,
OMIMEO MIME THEATRE with
Eddie Williams, THE TOY SHOP
presented by the North Carolina
Opera and A SALUTE TO
DISNEY.
For more information or to order
tickets, call the Children's The
atre box- office, 333-8963 or 376
5745, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
weekdays
SINGER TEDDY PENDERGRASS
.—Me Ilote s Any Atmosphere
Teddy Pendergrass Is
A Definite Temperature Raiser?
By Teresa Barns
Post SUff Writer
Teddy you only have to say
the name once and everyone (es
pecially a female) will know exact
ly who you are talking about.
Teddy Pendergrass is definitely a
temperature raiser.
If you have heard his latest best
selling album, "TP" you already
know why this man can mellow
any atmosphere. From the opening
tune, "Is It StUl Good To Ya?,"
written by Ashford and Simpson, to
the ending, "Let Me Love You,"
Teddy enthralls toe listener into a
whirlwind of emotions.
There's another song, "Feel The
Fire." Here, Teddy expresses him
self with Stephanie Mills ; it's a five
minute version of a tantalizing
drama. That's why the name
Teddy is known so well.
He has been singing since he was
two. By the age of 10 he was an
ordained minister and by 13 he was
a self-taught drummer He sang In
the citywide Mclntyre Elementary
School Choir and the All-City
Stetson Junior High School Choir in
northern Philadelphia.
As a teenager, Teddy was a lead
singer with a local Philadelphia
group. Once he had decided not to
be a professional singer because he
was taken by a local record
producing slickster who, claiming
to be James Brown's brother,
promised him a career as a singing
star. To Teddy's dismay this
career didn't materialize - at least
not through this con man.
Instead, his career grew on his
own initiative by leaps. He started
off as a drummer with another
local singing group called the
Cadillacs. While he was a drum
mer he met Harold Melvin, lead
singer for the Blue Notes. Blue
Notes had just lost their back-up
band so they recruited the Cadil
lacs, and with them came the
drummer Teddy Pendergrass.
By 1970 the Blue Notes had
broken up and several new faces
joined the band. This was the
opportunity Teddy had been wait
ing for ; he was a natural, but this
cimç he wanted to sing and that's
exactly what he did.
One of the singing new faces was
Teddy. In 1971 Blue Notes signed
with Philadelphia International
Records. The first album, "I Miss
You," was officially Teddy's debut
as a singer to the national popu
lous. He gained certified golds
leading "If You Don't Know Me By
Now" (1972), "The Love I Lost"
(1973), "To Be True" (1975), and
"Bad Luck" <1975. With the re
lease of "Wake Up Everybody,"
Teddy woke up and realized that he
could be a success by himself.
The Blue Notes split in 1976 and
Pendergrass resigned with Phila
delphia International Records. The
first solo effort by Teddy, entitled
"Teddy Pendergrass" (1977), was
a success. It was no surprise to
those ifrho knew the charisma
Teddy possessed. The singles "I
Don't Love You Anymore," "You
Can't Hide From Yourself," and
"The More I Get The More I
Want," became solid hits.
Becoming a solo act was the best
thing to happen to Teddy. Within
the confines of a group his style
was cramped.
Dee Edward's
New Release
Hits 45 Chart
Cotillion Records has announced
the release of a new album from
vocalist Dee Edwards, entitled
"Two Hearts Are Better Than
One" (Cotillion SD 5223). Her
second album for the label, was
produced by Michael Zager for
Love-Zager Productions, Inc.
(Zager has been enjoying great
success with his recent work with
Atlantic recording group the
Spinners.) The album showcases
Ms. Edwards' voice in settings
ranging from R&B to pop to
romantic ballads. The first single
from the LP, "Mr. Miracle Man,"
has already jumped onto the
national R&B charts with bullets.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama
and brought up in Detroit, where
she lives today. Dee Edwards
began singing in her church choir
at the age of five. While still a
teenager, she turned professional,
signing with a small record com
pany and scoring her first national
hit with "You Say You Love Me."
In recent years, she has been
balancing her time between her
personal life and a very successful
live appearance schedule in the
Detroit area. Ms Edwards' debut
Cotillion album. "Heavy Love,"
was released last year, marking
her return to an active recording
career.
WBTV To Reair
"Marathon Man"
Saturday Night
An introspective graduate stu
dent finds himself at the mercy of a
terrifying fugitive Nazi war crim
inal in "Marathon Man,'' a sus
pense thriller starring Dustin Hoff
man and Laurence Olivier, to be
rebroadcast as a special movie
presentation, Saturday, Septem
ber 27, at 8:30 p.m. on WBTV,
Channel 3.
Hoffman portrays Thomas Bab
uigLuii Ddm: Licvy, a grauuaie
student at Columbia University,
who leads a quiet, studious life.
Much of his time is devoted to his
doctoral thesis on the McCarthy
era, a paper he hopes will clear the
name of his father, a history
professor blacklisted back then. In
his spare time, he jogs, dreaming
of glory as a marathon runner.
Soon his life will come to depend on
his skills as a runner.
Babe has an older brother, Doc
(Scheider), who has a mysterious,
glamorous job that takes him
around the world.