Teddy Pendergrass

If you are in the mood for romance, just lay a Teddy Pendergrass platter on the turntable and stand back while the lights dim, the champagne uncorks and the couch unfolds. Pendergrass' silky Philly Soul vocal style helped land a multitude of 1970s hits, such as "If You Don't Know Me By Now," for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes before he took off for a successful solo career in 1978. He rode the top of the charts until a car accident left him wheelchair-bound in 1982. Undaunted, he quickly rebounded, and while he wasn't as big on the pop scene, he remains a giant in the world of R&B. His songs were used to capture the elusive nature of love in Alan Rudolph's 1984 cult film Choose Me.