Teddy & Harold meet the first time

One of the duties as a manager is to seek engagements and to contact many different booking agencies on the artists behalf.

During the late nineteen sixties I frequented the Uptown Theater in north Philadelphia. The Uptown theater was Philadelphia’s R&B showcase theater, just as popular as the Apollo Theater in New York City. I’ll never forget watching Michael Jackson, of The Jackson Five and Junior Walker and the All Stars, performing on the same stage at the Uptown. I also remember approaching Sid Booker the manager of the Uptown Theater, asking if he knew any R&B groups seeking representation. Sid Booker gave me the telephone number of a local R&B group, Teddy Pendergrass was their drummer.

I became the personal manager for the group and begun recordings at a recording studio located in the 1200 block of north Broad Street at Girard Ave., in Philadelphia. The Studio was on the second floor of Universal Record distributor’s offices the recording engineer was Joel Fine and the Producers were Tony Roccia & Howard Stein.
The Group’s name at that time was the Cadillac’s, I suggested to the group to change their name to “Blue Velvet”.
I was mainly interested in the front vocalists in the group, not so much in the backup musicians.

At that time I was also business involved with a Booking agent Ernie Cimadamore, known in the music industry as “Ernie Pep” who was a theatrical agent.

In the 60’s and early 70’s R&B and Rock, Radio Stations were dominantly broadcasting in Amplitude Modulated (AM) Monaural format and teenage dances were common in High School Auditoriums and in summer months at swimming pools known as Pool Club Dances.

I remember booking the band “Blue Velvet” through Len Murray a popular Disc Jockey at Radio Station WTTM in Trenton, New Jersey.

However, a few days before the engagement I received a telephone call from Ernie Pep who was representing Harold Melvin. Harold at that time only had one record released successfully. a hit in the R&B market “My Hero”
Ernie told me Harold Melvin’s Group “The Blue Notes” was in need of a drummer.

I invited Ernie Pep to the Pool Dance. When Ernie arrived at the dance he had Harold Melvin with him, both Ernie and Harold liked Teddy’s performance on drums and meet with me to convince Teddy to play drums for Harold Melvin.
I then introduced both Harold Melvin and Ernie Pep to Teddy Pendergrass, they meet for first time and I convinced Teddy to join Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes since Ernie Pep, had access to the silver circuit, which included Miami, Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, Nassau and the Caribbean. Teddy later showed his true talent and was taken off drums to became a lead singer and one of the Blue Notes.

I recall The Blue Notes performing at the Harlem Club in Atlantic City, New Jersey and I was amazed at Teddy’s talent as a lead vocalist. In 1971 Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes signed with Philadelphia International records through Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Tommy Bell the group was later to be known as Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass.

I worked closely with Ernie Pep until his death and with Harold Melvin until he also passed away on March 24th, 1997. I’m proud to say this introduction of masters of creative talent was brought together and I was solely responsible for Harold Melvin and Teddy Pendergrass first meeting at a swimming pool dance on route one in northeast Philadelphia, which launched successful career’s for each of them.

I must state tears fell from my eyes on two separate occasions, once on the night when both Teddy Pendergrass and Harold Melvin were inducted into Philadelphia’s Music Alliance Hall of Fame, As we rode side by side in a Rolls Royce. A second time when I heard of Harold Melvin’s untimely death.

I truly believe the proudest moments of my life was the opportunity to touch and be apart of some of Philadelphia’s finest creative talent., Todd Rundgren, Nazz, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes and Teddy Pendergrass. In-addition being honored In 1992/93 by Marquis Who’s Who in Entertainment Publication Board, which included and certified _Anthony J. Messina_ is subject of biographical record in Who’s Who in Entertainment edition inclusion in which is limited to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in their own fields of endeavor and who have, thereby, contributed significantly to the betterment of contemporary society, which will live as my legacy of achievement.