Coordinates	52°24′29″N1°30′38″N
name	In My Time
type	studio
artist	Yanni
cover	yanniinmytime.jpg
released	April 6, 1993
genre	Contemporary instrumentalEasy listening Soft adult contemporary
length	49:10
label	Private Music
producer	Yanni
last album	''Dare to Dream''(1992)
this album	''In My Time''(1993)
next album	''Yanni Live at the Acropolis''(1994) }}

''In My Time'', Yanni's ninth album, released on the Private Music label in 1993, (see 1993 in music). This album is a gentler collection of piano-focused pieces. It attained Platinum status and was the second Grammy nomination for Yanni. It peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #24 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year.

The corresponding concert tour for the year was ''Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts 1993''.

''"This was the kind of album I've been wanting to make for years"'', Yanni says, ''"a clear and honest album that would be consistent in its mood. I wanted the audience to feel the human being behind the music. One human being to another. For that reason, I intentionally kept the background instrumentation and production at a minimum"''.

Album

Critical reception

In a review by Backroads Music/Heartbeats, "Yanni's latest is another extension of his creative spirit and stirring passion for life. Focusing on piano as his primary instrument, Yanni infuses his "signature" style with timeless, eloquent themes and plenty of romantic energy. No longer are rhythm and dynamic currents as vital to his sound, since he seems to have stopped fueling his music with 'rocket power'. His romantic outpourings lend a personal nature to ''In My Time'', and this new effort should be received with enthusiasm far and wide. Yanni is uniquely expressive, and this new music is deeply touching on many levels."

Additional notes

I also wish to thank my band: Osama Afifi (bass), Charlie Bisharat (violin), Karen Briggs (violin), Michael Bruno (percussion), Julie Homi (keyboards), Bradley Joseph (keyboards), Sachi McHenry (cello), and my crew.

Track listing

#"In The Morning Light" – 3:49 #"One Man's Dream" – 2:43 #"Before I Go" – 4:30 #"Enchantment" – 3:51 #"The End Of August" – 4:51 #"To Take...To Hold" – 4:01 #"In The Mirror" – 4:04 #"Felitsa" – 4:51 #"Whispers In The Dark" – 5:24 #"Only A Memory" – 4:15 #"Until The Last Moment" – 6:22

Personnel

All music composed and produced by Yanni

Endre Granat – violin on "The End of August" and "Felitsa".

Production

Recorded at Yanni's private studios

Engineered by Yanni

Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Los Angeles

Art Direction & Design: Norman Moore

Photography: Lynn Goldsmith

RIAA certification

Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Gold and Platinum database entries:

(G=Gold, P=Platinum, M=Multi-Platinum''')

YANNI IN MY TIME 07/08/93 PRIVATE MUSIC G ALBUM SOLO Std

YANNI IN MY TIME 05/05/94 PRIVATE MUSIC P ALBUM SOLO Std

''Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts'' 1993

Dates

1993

Cities

Set list

The band

Charlie Adams – drums

Charlie Bisharat – violin

Karen Briggs – violin

Ric Fierabracci – bass guitar

Michael "Kalani" Bruno – percussion

Julie Homi – keyboards

Bradley Joseph – keyboards

Shardad Rohani – Conductor

Tour production

Orchestrations and arrangements by Shardad Rohani, John Rinehimer, and Jeffrey Silverman.

Additional orchestration work by Chris Bankey.

Transcriptions and arrangement preparation by Shardad Rohani and Richard Boukas.

References

External links

Official Website

''In My Time'' at Discogs

''In My Time'' at Last.fm

[ Allmusic]

Category:Yanni albums Category:1993 albums Category:Yanni concert tours

fa:در زمان من it:In My Time pt:In My Time

Coordinates	52°24′29″N1°30′38″N
name	My Time
type	studio
artist	Boz Scaggs
cover	My Time.jpg
released	September 1972
recorded	1972 at Muscle Shoals Sound, Sheffield, Alabama and CBS Studios, San Francisco
genre	Rock
length	32:32
label	Columbia
producer	Boz Scaggs, Roy Halee
reviews	* Allmusic [ link]
last album	''Boz Scaggs & Band'' (1971)
this album	''My Time'' (1972)
next album	''Slow Dancer'' (1974) }}

''My Time'' is the fifth album by Boz Scaggs, released by Columbia Records in September 1972. "Dinah Flo" was the only single released from the album.

Track list

All songs by Boz Scaggs unless noted.

# "Dinah Flo" - 3:03 # "Slowly in the West" (David Brown) - 3:56 # "Full-Lock Power Slide" - 3:09 # "Old Time Lovin' " (Al Green) - 2:52 # "Might Have to Cry" - 4:03 # "Hello My Lover" (Allen Toussaint) - 3:23 # "Freedom for the Stallion" (Allen Toussaint) - 2:32 # "He's a Fool for You" - 3:46 # "We're Gonna Roll" - 2:52 # "My Time" - 2:56

Production

Tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 & 10

Produced by Boz Scaggs

Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, Sheffield, Alabama

Tracks 3, 4, 7 & 9

Produced by Roy Halee and Boz Scaggs

Recorded at CBS Studios, San Francisco, CA

Personnel

Tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 & 10

Boz Scaggs – vocals, electric guitar

Barry Beckett – piano

Pete Carr – electric guitar

Charles Chalmers – saxophone, background vocals

Sandra Chalmers – background vocals

Roger Hawkins – drums

Eddie Hinton – acoustic guitar

David Hood – bass guitar

Clayton Ivey – organ, keyboards

Jimmy Johnson – electric guitar

Donna Rhodes – background vocals

Horns performed by Muscle Shoals Horns

Tracks 3, 4, 7 & 9

David Brown – bass guitar

Dorothy Morrison – background vocals

George Rains – drums

Boz Scaggs - vocals, electric guitar

Linda Tillery – background vocals

Joachim Young – keyboards

Horns on "Stallion" and "Old Time Lovin'" by Bob Ferreira, Tom Harrell, Mel Martin and Jim Rothermel. Horns on "We're Gonna Roll" by Jack Scherer and Jules Broussard.

External links

My Time lyrics

Category:1972 albums Category:Boz Scaggs albums Category:Albums produced by Roy Halee Category:Columbia Records albums

tr:My Time

Coordinates	52°24′29″N1°30′38″N
name	Kurt Vile
background	solo_singer
birth name	Kurt Vile
born	1980
instrument	Vocals/Guitar/Trumpet/Banjo/Keyboard
genre	Rock, heartland rock, roots rock, lo-fi, indie rock
occupation	Musician
label	Matador Records
associated acts	The War on Drugs
website	}}

Kurt Vile is a guitarist and singer born in 1980 from Philadelphia. He was signed by Matador Records as a solo artist in May 2009.

His music has been likened to that of Bruce Springsteen His influences include Fleetwood Mac, John Fahey, Bob Dylan and FM Rock generally. His first album for Matador Records is titled ''Childish Prodigy''. In an interview with ''Women's Wear Daily'', Sonic Youth bassist and singer Kim Gordon was asked, "Your guilty pleasure right now?" Gordon replied, "Listening to Kurt Vile's latest CD, ''Childish Prodigy.'' Guilty because I listen to it too much..."

Vile released two previous solo albums, ''God Is Saying This To You'' and ''Constant Hitmaker'', on Mexican Summer and Woodsist, respectively. He plays solo shows as well as shows with a backing band called The Violators.

Vile's "He's Alright" is featured during the credits of Eastbound & Down in the second season's finale. Vile was chosen by Animal Collective to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that they curated in May 2011.

Discography

Albums

''Constant Hitmaker'' (2008, Gulcher Records; 2009, Woodsist Records)

''God Is Saying This To You'' (2009, Mexican Summer)

''Childish Prodigy'' (2009, Matador Records)

''Smoke Ring For My Halo'' (2011, Matador Records) US chart: #154

EPs

''Fall Demons'' 7" EP (2009, Skulltones)

''The Hunchback'' 12" EP (2009, Richie Records)

''Square Shells'' 12" EP (2010, Matador)

Singles

''He's Alright'' 7" single (2009, Matador Records)

''In My Time'' 7" single (2010, Matador Records)

References

Category:American male singers Category:American folk singers Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American rock guitarists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Pennsylvania Category:1980 births

da:Kurt Vile fr:Kurt Vile

Coordinates	52°24′29″N1°30′38″N
name	Dick Cheney
order	46th
office	Vice President of the United States
term start	January 20, 2001
term end	January 20, 2009
president	George W. Bush
predecessor	Al Gore
successor	Joe Biden
order3	17th
office3	United States Secretary of Defense
term start3	March 20, 1989
term end3	January 20, 1993
president3	George H. W. Bush
deputy3	Donald J. Atwood, Jr.
predecessor3	Frank Carlucci
successor3	Les Aspin
order4	15th
title4	United States House of Representatives Minority Whip
term start4	January 3, 1989
term end4	March 20, 1989
leader4	Robert H. Michel
predecessor4	Trent Lott
successor4	Newt Gingrich
state5	Wyoming
district5	At-large
term start5	January 3, 1979
term end5	March 20, 1989
predecessor5	Teno Roncalio
successor5	Craig L. Thomas
order6	7th
office6	White House Chief of Staff
term start6	November 21, 1975
term end6	January 20, 1977
president6	Gerald Ford
predecessor6	Donald Rumsfeld
successor6	Hamilton Jordan
birth date	January 30, 1941
birth place	Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
spouse	Lynne Cheney (m. 1964-present)
children	Elizabeth CheneyMary Cheney
residence	McLean, VirginiaJackson, Wyoming
profession	PoliticianBusinessman
alma mater	Yale UniversityUniversity of Wyoming (BA, MA) University of Wisconsin-Madison
religion	Methodist
party	Republican
signature	Dick Cheney Signature.svg
Signature alt	Cursive signature in ink
awards	}}

Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30, 1941) served as the 46th Vice President of the United States (2001-2009), under George W. Bush.

Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, but was primarily raised in Sumner, Nebraska and Casper, Wyoming. He began his political career as an intern for Congressman William A. Steiger, eventually working his way into the White House during the Nixon and Ford administrations, where he served the latter as White House Chief of Staff. In 1978, Cheney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming; he was reelected five times, eventually becoming House Minority Whip. Cheney was selected to be the Secretary of Defense during the presidency of George H. W. Bush, holding the position for the majority of Bush's term. During this time, Cheney oversaw the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, among other actions.

Out of office during the Clinton presidency, Cheney was chairman and CEO of Halliburton Company from 1995 to 2000.

Early life and education

Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, the son of Marjorie Lorraine (née Dickey) and Richard Herbert Cheney. He is of predominantly English and Welsh ancestry; Cheney's 8th great-grandfather, William Cheney immigrated from England to Massachusetts in the 17th century. Although not a direct descendant, he is collaterally related to Benjamin Pierce Cheney (1815–1895), the early American expressman. Cheney is a distant cousin of both Harry S. Truman and Barack Obama; the three share a common ancestor in Mareen Duvall, a Huguenot who fled from France to England in the 17th century and later settled in Maryland.

He attended Calvert Elementary School before his family moved to Casper, Wyoming, where he attended Natrona County High School. His father was a soil conservation agent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and his mother was a softball star in the 1930s; Cheney was one of three children. He attended Yale University, but by his own account had problems adjusting to the college, and flunked out twice. Among the influential teachers from his days in New Haven was Professor H. Bradford Westerfield, whom Cheney repeatedly credited with having helped to shape his approach to foreign policy. He later attended the University of Wyoming, where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in political science. He subsequently started, but did not finish, doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

In November 1962, at the age of 21, Cheney was convicted of driving while intoxicated (DWI). He was arrested for DWI again the following year. Cheney said that the arrests made him "think about where I was and where I was headed. I was headed down a bad road if I continued on that course."

In 1964, he married Lynne Vincent, his high school sweetheart, whom he had met at age 14.

When Cheney became eligible for the draft, during the Vietnam War, he applied for and received five draft deferments. In 1989, ''The Washington Post'' writer George C. Wilson interviewed Cheney as the next Secretary of Defense; when asked about his deferments, Cheney reportedly said, "I had other priorities in the '60s than military service." Cheney testified during his confirmation hearings in 1989 that he received deferments to finish a college career that lasted six years rather than four, owing to sub par academic performance and the need to work to pay for his education. Initially, he was not called up because the Selective Service System was only taking older men. When he became eligible for the draft, he applied for four deferments in sequence. He applied for his fifth exemption on January 19, 1966, when his wife was about 10 weeks pregnant. He was granted 3-A status, the "hardship" exemption, which excluded men with children or dependent parents. In January 1967, Cheney turned 26 and was no longer eligible for the draft.

Early White House appointments

Cheney's political career began in 1969, as an intern for Congressman William A. Steiger during the Richard Nixon Administration. He then joined the staff of Donald Rumsfeld, who was then Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity from 1969–70. He held several positions in the years that followed: White House Staff Assistant in 1971, Assistant Director of the Cost of Living Council from 1971–73, and Deputy Assistant to the president from 1974–1975. As deputy assistant, Cheney suggested several options in a memo to Rumsfeld, including use of the US Justice Department, that the Ford administration could use to limit damage from an article, published by ''The New York Times,'' in which investigative reporter Seymour Hersh reported that Navy submarines had tapped into Soviet undersea communications as part of a highly classified program.

Cheney was Assistant to the President under Gerald Ford. When Rumsfeld was named Secretary of Defense, Cheney became White House Chief of Staff, succeeding Rumsfeld. He later was campaign manager for Ford's 1976 presidential campaign.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

In 1978, Cheney was elected to represent Wyoming in the U.S. House of Representatives and succeed retiring Congressman Teno Roncalio, having defeated his Democratic opponent, Bill Bailey. Cheney was reelected five times, serving until 1989.

Committee assignments

Originally declining, U.S. Congressman Barber Conable persuaded Cheney to join the moderate Republican Wednesday Group in order to move up the leadership ranks. He was elected Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee from 1981 to 1987. Cheney was the Ranking Member of the Select Committee to investigate the Iran-Contra Affair. He promoted Wyoming's petroleum and coal businesses as well,

Leadership

In 1987, he was elected Chairman of the House Republican Conference. The following year, he was elected House Minority Whip. He served for two and a half months before he was appointed Secretary of Defense instead of former U.S. Senator John G. Tower, whose nomination had been rejected by the U.S. Senate in March 1989.

Votes

He voted against the creation of the U.S. Department of Education, citing his concern over budget deficits and expansion of the federal government, and claiming that the Department was an encroachment on states' rights. He voted against funding Head Start, but reversed his position in 2000.

Cheney supported Bob Michel’s (R-IL) bid to become Republican Minority Leader. In April 1980, Cheney endorsed Governor Ronald Reagan for President, becoming one of Reagan's earliest supporters.

In 1986, after President Ronald Reagan vetoed a bill to impose economic sanctions on South Africa for its policy of apartheid, Cheney was one of 83 Representatives to vote against overriding Reagan's veto. In later years, he articulated his opposition to unilateral sanctions against many different countries, stating "they almost never work" and that in that case they might have ended up hurting the people instead.

In 1986, Cheney, along with 145 Republicans and 31 Democrats, voted against a non-binding Congressional resolution calling on the South African government to release Nelson Mandela from prison, after the Democrats defeated proposed amendments that would have required Mandela to renounce violence sponsored by the African National Congress (ANC) and requiring it to oust the communist faction from its leadership; the resolution was defeated. Appearing on CNN, Cheney addressed criticism for this, saying he opposed the resolution because the ANC "at the time was viewed as a terrorist organization and had a number of interests that were fundamentally inimical to the United States."

The federal building in Casper, a regional center of the fossil fuel industry, is named the Dick Cheney Federal Building.

Secretary of Defense

President George H. W. Bush nominated Cheney for the office of Secretary of Defense immediately after the U.S. Senate failed to confirm John Tower for that position. The senate confirmed Cheney by a vote of 92 to 0 and he served in that office from March 1989 to January 1993. He directed the United States invasion of Panama and Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East. In 1991 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bush.

Early tenure

Cheney worked closely with Pete Williams, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, and Paul Wolfowitz, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, from the beginning of his tenure. He focused primarily on external matters, and left most internal Pentagon management to Deputy Secretary of Defense Donald J. Atwood, Jr.

Budgetary practices

Cheney's most immediate issue as Secretary of Defense was the Department of Defense budget. Cheney deemed it appropriate to cut the budget and downsize the military, following President Ronald Reagan's peacetime defense buildup at the height of the Cold War. As part of the fiscal year 1990 budget, Cheney assessed the requests from each of the branches of the armed services for such expensive programs as the B-2 stealth bomber, the V-22 Osprey tilt-wing helicopter, the Aegis destroyer and the MX missile, totaling approximately $4.5 billion in light of changed world politics. Cheney opposed the V-22 program, which Congress had already appropriated funds for, and initially refused to issue contracts for it before relenting. When the 1990 Budget came before Congress in the summer of 1989, it settled on a figure between the Administration's request and the House Armed Services Committee's recommendation. In subsequent years under Cheney, the proposed and adopted budgets followed patterns similar to that of 1990. Early in 1991, he unveiled a plan to reduce military strength by the mid-1990s to 1.6 million, compared with 2.2 million when he entered office. Cheney's 1993 defense budget was reduced from 1992, omitting programs that Congress had directed the Department of Defense to buy weapons that it did not want, and omitting unrequested reserve forces.

Over his four years as Secretary of Defense, Cheney downsized the military and his budgets showed negative real growth, despite pressures to acquire weapon systems advocated by Congress. The Department of Defense's total obligational authority in current dollars declined from $291 billion to $270 billion. Total military personnel strength decreased by 19 percent, from about 2.2 million in 1989 to about 1.8 million in 1993.

Political climate and agenda

Cheney publicly expressed concern that nations such as Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, could acquire nuclear components after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The end of the Cold War, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the disintegration of the Warsaw Pact obliged the first Bush Administration to reevaluate the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) purpose and makeup. Cheney believed that NATO should remain the foundation of European security relationships and that it would remain important to the United States in the long term; he urged the alliance to lend more assistance to the new democracies in Eastern Europe.

Cheney's views on NATO reflected his skepticism about prospects for peaceful social development in the former Eastern Bloc countries, where he saw a high potential for political uncertainty and instability. He felt that the Bush Administration was too optimistic in supporting General Secretary of the CPSU Mikhail Gorbachev and his successor, Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Cheney worked to maintain strong ties between the United States and its European allies.

Cheney persuaded the Saudi Arabian aristocracy to allow bases for US ground troops and war planes in the nation. This was an important element of the success of the Gulf War, as well as a lightning-rod for Islamists who opposed having non-Muslim armies near their holy sites.

International situations

Using economic sanctions and political pressure, the United States mounted a campaign to drive Panamanian ruler General Manuel Antonio Noriega from power after he fell from favour. In May 1989, after Guillermo Endara had been duly elected President of Panama, Noriega nullified the election outcome, drawing intensified pressure. In October, Noriega suppressed a military coup, but in December, after soldiers of the Panamanian army killed a US serviceman, the United States invasion of Panama began under Cheney's direction. The stated reason for the invasion was to seize Noriega to face drug charges in the United States, protect US lives and property, and restore Panamanian civil liberties. Although the mission was controversial, US forces achieved control of Panama and Endara assumed the Presidency; Noriega was convicted and imprisoned on racketeering and drug trafficking charges in April 1992.

In 1991, the Somali Civil War drew the world's attention. In August 1992, the United States began to provide humanitarian assistance, primarily food, through a military airlift. At President Bush's direction, Cheney dispatched the first of 26,000 US troops to Somalia as part of the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), designed to provide security and food relief. Cheney's successors as Secretary of Defense, Les Aspin and William J. Perry, had to contend with both the Bosnian and Somali issues.

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait

On August 1, 1990, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein sent invading forces into neighboring Kuwait, a small petroleum-rich state long claimed by Iraq as part of its territory. An estimated 140,000 Iraqi troops quickly took control of Kuwait City and moved on to the Saudi Arabia/Kuwait border. The United States had already begun to develop contingency plans for the defense of Saudi Arabia by the US Central Command, headed by General Norman Schwarzkopf, because of its important petroleum reserves.

US and world reaction

Cheney and Schwarzkopf oversaw planning for what would become a full-scale US military operation. According to General Colin Powell, Cheney "had become a glutton for information, with an appetite we could barely satisfy. He spent hours in the National Military Command Center peppering my staff with questions."

Shortly after the Iraqi invasion, Cheney made the first of several visits to Saudi Arabia where King Fahd requested US military assistance. The United Nations took action as well, passing a series of resolutions condemning Iraq's invasion of Kuwait; the UN Security Council authorized "all means necessary" to eject Iraq from Kuwait, and demanded that the country withdraw its forces by January 15, 1991. By then, the United States had a force of about 500,000 stationed in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf. Other nations, including Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Syria, and Egypt, contributed troops, and other allies, most notably Germany and Japan, agreed to provide financial support for the coalition effort, named Operation Desert Shield.

On January 12, 1991, Congress authorized Bush to use military force to enforce Iraq's compliance with UN resolutions on Kuwait.

Military action

The first phase of Operation Desert Storm, which began on January 17, 1991, was an air offensive to secure air superiority and attack Iraq's forces, targeting key Iraqi command and control centers, including Baghdad and Basra. Cheney turned most other Department of Defense matters over to Deputy Secretary Atwood and briefed Congress during the air and ground phases of the war. He flew with Powell to the region (specifically Riyadh) to review and finalize the ground war plans.

After an air offensive of more than five weeks, the UN coalition launched the ground war on February 24. Within 100 hours, Iraqi forces had been routed from Kuwait and Schwarzkopf reported that the basic objective—expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait—had been met on February 27. After consultation with Cheney and other members of his national security team, Bush declared a suspension of hostilities.

Aftermath

A total of 147 U.S. military personnel died in combat, and another 236 died as a result of accidents or other causes. Iraq agreed to a formal truce on March 3, and a permanent cease-fire on April 6. There was subsequent debate about whether the UN coalition should have driven as far as Baghdad to oust Saddam Hussein from power. Bush agreed that the decision to end the ground war when they did was correct, but the debate persisted as Hussein remained in power and rebuilt his military forces. Arguably the most significant debate concerned whether U.S. and coalition forces had left Iraq too soon. In an April 15, 1994 interview with C-SPAN, Cheney explained that occupying and attempting to take over the country would have been a "bad idea" and would have led to a "quagmire."

Cheney regarded the Gulf War as an example of the kind of regional problem the United States was likely to continue to face in the future.

We're always going to have to be involved [in the Middle East]. Maybe it's part of our national character, you know we like to have these problems nice and neatly wrapped up, put a ribbon around it. You deploy a force, you win the war and the problem goes away and it doesn't work that way in the Middle East it never has and isn't likely to in my lifetime.

Private sector career

Between 1987 and 1989, during his last term in Congress, Cheney was a director of the Council on Foreign Relations foreign policy organization.

With the new Democratic administration under President Bill Clinton in January 1993, Cheney left the Department of Defense and joined the American Enterprise Institute. He also served a second term as a Council on Foreign Relations director from 1993 to 1995. From 1995 until 2000, he served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Halliburton, a Fortune 500 company and market leader in the energy sector.

Cheney's record as CEO was subject to some dispute among Wall Street analysts; a 1998 merger between Halliburton and Dresser Industries attracted the criticism of some Dresser executives for Halliburton's lack of accounting transparency. Although Cheney is not named as an individual defendant in the suit, Halliburton shareholders are pursuing a class-action lawsuit alleging that the corporation artificially inflated its stock price during this period; the United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on whether the case can continue to be litigated. Cheney was named in a December 2010 corruption complaint filed by the Nigerian government against Halliburton, which the company settled for $250 million.

During Cheney's tenure, Halliburton changed its accounting practices regarding revenue realization of disputed costs on major construction projects. Cheney resigned as CEO of Halliburton on July 25, 2000. As vice president, he argued that this step removed any conflict of interest. Cheney's net worth, estimated to be between $30 million and $100 million, is largely derived from his post at Halliburton, as well as the Cheneys' gross income of nearly $8.82 million.

He was also a member of the board of advisors of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) before becoming vice president.

2000 election

In early 2000, while serving as the CEO of Halliburton, Cheney headed then-Governor of Texas George W. Bush's vice-presidential search committee. On July 25, after reviewing Cheney's findings, Bush surprised some pundits by asking Cheney himself to join the Republican ticket. Halliburton reportedly reached agreement on July 20 to allow Cheney to retire, with a package estimated at $20 million.

A few months before the election Cheney put his home in Dallas up for sale and changed his drivers' license and voter registration back to Wyoming. This change was necessary to allow Texas' presidential electors to vote for both Bush and Cheney without contravening the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which forbids electors from voting for someone from their own state for both President and Vice-President.

Cheney campaigned against Al Gore's running mate, Joseph Lieberman, in the 2000 presidential election. While the election was undecided, the Bush-Cheney team was not eligible for public funding to plan a transition to a new administration. So, Cheney opened a privately funded transition office in Washington. This office worked to identify candidates for all important positions in the cabinet. According to Craig Unger, Cheney advocated Donald Rumsfeld for the post of Secretary of Defense to counter the influence of Colin Powell at the State Department, and tried unsuccessfully to have Paul Wolfowitz named to replace George Tenet as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Vice Presidency

First term

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Cheney remained physically apart from Bush for security reasons. For a period, Cheney stayed at an undisclosed location, out of public view. He also utilized a heavy security detail, employing a motorcade of 12 to 18 government vehicles for his daily commute from the Vice Presidential residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory to the White House.

On the morning of June 29, 2002, Cheney served as Acting President of the United States under the terms of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, while Bush was undergoing a colonoscopy. Cheney acted as President from 11:09 UTC that day until Bush resumed the powers of the presidency at 13:24 UTC.

Iraq War

Following 9/11, Cheney was instrumental in providing a primary justification for entering into a war with Iraq. Cheney helped shape Bush's approach to the "War on Terrorism", making numerous public statements alleging Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, and made several personal visits to CIA headquarters, where he questioned mid-level agency analysts on their conclusions. Cheney continued to allege links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, even though President Bush received a classified President's Daily Brief on September 21, 2001 indicating the U.S. intelligence community had no evidence linking Saddam Hussein to the September 11th attacks and that "there was scant credible evidence that Iraq had any significant collaborative ties with Al Qaeda." Furthermore, in 2004, the 9/11 Commission concluded that there was no "collaborative relationship" between Iraq and al Qaeda.

Following the US invasion of Iraq, Cheney remained steadfast in his support of the war, stating that it would be an "enormous success story", and made many visits to the country. He often criticized war critics, calling them "opportunists" who were peddling "cynical and pernicious falsehoods" to gain political advantage while US soldiers died in Iraq. In response, Senator John Kerry asserted, "It is hard to name a government official with less credibility on Iraq [than Cheney]."

In a March 24, 2008 extended interview conducted in Ankara, Turkey with ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz on the fifth anniversary of the original U.S. military assault on Iraq, Cheney responded to a question about public opinion polls showing that Americans had lost confidence in the war by simply replying "So?" This remark prompted widespread criticism, including from former Oklahoma Republican Congressman Mickey Edwards, a long-time personal friend of Cheney.

Second term

Bush and Cheney were re-elected in the 2004 presidential election, running against John Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards. During the election, the pregnancy of his daughter Mary and her sexual orientation as a lesbian became a source of public attention for Cheney in light of the same-sex marriage debate. Cheney has stated that he is in favor of gay marriages but that each individual state should decide whether to permit it.

Cheney's former chief legal counsel, David Addington, became his chief of staff and remained in that office until Cheney's departure from office. John P. Hannah served as Cheney's national security adviser. Until his indictment and resignation in 2005, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Jr. served in both roles.

On the morning of July 21, 2007, Cheney once again served as acting president for about two and a half hours. Bush transferred the power of the presidency prior to undergoing a medical procedure, requiring sedation, and later resumed his powers and duties that same day.

After his term began in 2001, Cheney was occasionally asked if he was interested in the Republican nomination for the 2008 elections. However, he always maintained that he wished to retire upon the expiration of his term and he did not run in the 2008 presidential primaries. The Republicans nominated Arizona Senator John McCain.

Disclosure of documents

Cheney was a prominent member of the National Energy Policy Development Group (NEPDG), commonly known as the Energy task force, which comprised energy industry representatives, including several Enron executives. After the Enron scandal, the Bush administration was accused of improper political and business ties. In July 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that the US Department of Commerce must disclose NEPDG documents, containing references to companies that had made agreements with the previous Iraqi government to extract Iraq's petroleum.

Beginning in 2003, Cheney's staff opted not to file required reports with the National Archives and Records Administration office charged with assuring that the executive branch protects classified information, nor did it allow inspection of its record keeping. Cheney refused to release the documents, citing his executive privilege to deny congressional information requests. Media outlets such as ''Time'' magazine and CBS News questioned whether Cheney had created a "fourth branch of government" that was not subject to any laws. A group of historians and open-government advocates filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, asking the court to declare that Cheney's vice-presidential records are covered by the Presidential Records Act of 1978 and cannot be destroyed, taken or withheld from the public without proper review.

CIA leak scandal

On October 18, 2005, ''The Washington Post'' reported that the vice president's office was central to the investigation of the Valerie Plame CIA leak scandal, for Cheney's former chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was one of the figures under investigation. Following an indictment, Libby resigned his positions as Cheney's chief of staff and assistant on national security affairs.

On September 8, 2006, Richard Armitage, former Deputy Secretary of State, publicly announced that he was the source of the revelation of Plame's status. Armitage said he was not a part of a conspiracy to reveal Plame's identity and did not know whether one existed.

In February 2006, ''The National Journal'' reported that Libby had stated before a grand jury that his superiors, including Cheney, had authorized him to disclose classified information to the press regarding intelligence on Iraq's weapons .

On March 6, 2007, Libby was convicted on four felony counts for obstruction of justice, perjury, and making false statements to federal investigators.

Assassination attempt

On February 27, 2007, at about 10 a.m., a suicide bomber killed 23 people and wounded 20 more outside Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan during a visit by Cheney. Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack and said Cheney was its intended target. The Taliban claimed that Osama Bin Laden supervised the operation. The bomb went off outside the front gate, however, while Cheney was inside the base and half a mile away. He reported hearing the blast, saying "I heard a loud boom...The Secret Service came in and told me there had been an attack on the main gate." The purpose of Cheney's visit to the region had been to press Pakistan for a united front against the Taliban.

Policy formulation

Cheney has been characterized as the most powerful and influential Vice President in history. Both supporters and detractors of Cheney regard him as a shrewd and knowledgeable politician who knows the functions and intricacies of the federal government. A sign of Cheney's active policy-making role was then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert's provision of an office near the House floor for Cheney in addition to his office in the West Wing, his ceremonial office in the Old Executive Office Building, and his Senate offices (one in the Dirksen Senate Office Building and another off the floor of the Senate).

Cheney has actively promoted an expansion of the powers of the presidency, saying that the Bush administration’s challenges to the laws which Congress passed after Vietnam and Watergate to contain and oversee the executive branch—the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Presidential Records Act, the Freedom of Information Act and the War Powers Resolution—are, in Cheney's words, "a restoration, if you will, of the power and authority of the president."

In June 2007, the ''Washington Post'' summarized Cheney’s vice presidency in a Pulitzer Prize-winning four-part series, based in part on interviews with former administration officials. The articles characterized Cheney not as a "shadow" president, but as someone who usually has the last words of counsel to the president on policies, which in many cases would reshape the powers of the presidency. When former Vice President Dan Quayle suggested to Cheney that the office was largely ceremonial, Cheney reportedly replied, "I have a different understanding with the president." The articles described Cheney as having a secretive approach to the tools of government, indicated by the use of his own security classification and three man-sized safes in his offices.

The articles described Cheney’s influence on decisions pertaining to detention of suspected terrorists and the legal limits that apply to their questioning, especially what constitutes torture. U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as Colin Powell's chief of staff when he was both Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the same time Cheney was Secretary of Defense, and then later when Powell was Secretary of State, stated in an in-depth interview that Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld established an alternative program to interrogate post-9/11 detainees because of their mutual distrust of CIA.

The Washington Post articles, principally written by Barton Gellman, further characterized Cheney as having the strongest influence within the administration in shaping budget and tax policy in a manner that assures "conservative orthodoxy." They also highlighted Cheney’s behind-the-scenes influence on the administration’s environmental policy to ease pollution controls for power plants, facilitate the disposal of nuclear waste, open access to federal timber resources, and avoid federal constraints on greenhouse gas emissions, among other issues. The articles characterized his approach to policy formulation as favoring business over the environment.

In June 2008, Cheney allegedly attempted to block efforts by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to strike a controversial US compromise deal with North Korea over the communist state's nuclear program.

In July 2008, a former Environmental Protection Agency official stated publicly that Cheney's office had pushed significantly for large-scale deletions from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on the health effects of global warming "fearing the presentation by a leading health official might make it harder to avoid regulating greenhouse gases." In October, when the report appeared with six pages cut from the testimony, The White House stated that the changes were made due to concerns regarding the accuracy of the science. However, according to the former senior adviser on climate change to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson, Cheney's office was directly responsible for nearly half of the original testimony being deleted.

On February 14, 2010, in an appearance on ABC's This Week, Cheney reiterated his support of waterboarding and enhanced interrogation techniques for captured terrorist suspects, saying, "I was and remain a strong proponent of our enhanced interrogation program." At the time, Cheney still enjoyed strong support from voters in the Republican Party.

Post Vice-Presidency

Political activity

The ''Washington Post'' reported in 2008 that Cheney purchased a home in McLean, Virginia (Washington suburbs), which he was to tear down for a replacement structure. He also maintains homes in Wyoming and on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Said to be writing a book, his memoirs are likely to be published in spring 2011. ''The Washington Post'' reported that the book will charge that in his second term George W. Bush ignored Cheney's advice and, in a word, went "soft". According to the article, Cheney "felt Bush was moving away from him." Cheney said Bush was "shackled by public reaction and the criticism he took." The article characterized the Cheney doctrine as "cast iron strength at all times—never apologize, never explain" while Bush moved towards a conciliatory approach. Personal factors also contributed to the growing distance between the two men. Cheney was dismayed when Mr. Bush forced his old friend and mentor Donald Rumsfeld out of the Pentagon in 2006. Cheney reportedly further accused Bush of abandoning Lewis "Scooter" Libby, likening his action to "leaving a soldier on the battlefield".

Cheney will be subject of an HBO television mini-series based on Barton Gellman's 2008 book ''Angler'' and the 2006 documentary "The Dark Side"^video, produced by the Public Broadcasting System.

Cheney maintained a visible public profile after leaving office, being especially critical of Obama administration policies on national security. In May 2009, Cheney spoke of his support for same-sex marriage, becoming one of the most prominent Republican politicians to do so. Speaking to the National Press Club, Cheney stated: "People ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish. I do believe, historically, the way marriage has been regulated is at a state level. It's always been a state issue, and I think that's the way it ought to be handled today."

Although, by custom, a former Vice President receives unofficial six month protection from the United States Secret Service, President Obama reportedly extended the protection period for Cheney.

On July 11, 2009 CIA Director Leon E. Panetta told the Senate and House intelligence committees that the CIA withheld information about a secret counter-terrorism program from Congress for eight years on direct orders from Dick Cheney. Intelligence and Congressional officials have said the unidentified program did not involve the CIA interrogation program and did not involve domestic intelligence activities. They have said the program was started by the counter-terrorism center at the CIA shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but never became fully operational, involving planning and some training that took place off and on from 2001 until this year. Wall Street Journal reported, citing former intelligence officials familiar with the matter, that the program was an attempt to carry out a 2001 presidential authorization to capture or kill al Qaeda operatives.

Criticism of President Obama

Cheney has publicly criticized President Obama since the 2008 presidential election. On December 29, 2009, four days after the attempted bombing of an international passenger flight from Netherlands to United States, Cheney criticized Obama: "[We] are at war and when President Obama pretends we aren't, it makes us less safe. [...] Why doesn't he want to admit we're at war? It doesn't fit with the view of the world he brought with him to the Oval Office. It doesn't fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency—social transformation—the restructuring of American society." In response, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer wrote on the official White House blog the following day, "[I]t is telling that Vice President Cheney and others seem to be more focused on criticizing the Administration than condemning the attackers. Unfortunately too many are engaged in the typical Washington game of pointing fingers and making political hay, instead of working together to find solutions to make our country safer."

During a February 14, 2010 appearance on ABC's ''This Week'', Cheney reiterated his criticism of the Obama administration's policies for handling suspected terrorists, criticizing the "mindset" of treating "terror attacks against the United States as criminal acts as opposed to acts of war".

In a May 2, 2011, interview with ABC News, Cheney praised the Obama administration for the operation that resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Memoir

In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir is a memoir written by former Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney with Liz Cheney. The book was released on August 30, 2011 and outlines Cheney's version of 9/11, the War on Terrorism, the 2001 War in Afghanistan, the run-up to the 2003 Iraq war, enhanced interrogation techniques and other events.

Health problems

Cheney's long histories of cardiovascular disease and periodic need for urgent health care raised questions of whether he was medically fit to serve in public office. Once a heavy smoker, Cheney sustained the first of five heart attacks in 1978, at age 37. Subsequent attacks in 1984, 1988, 2000, and 2010 have resulted in moderate contractile dysfunction of his left ventricle. He underwent four-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting in 1988, coronary artery stenting in November 2000, urgent coronary balloon angioplasty in March 2001, and the implantation of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in June, 2001.

On September 24, 2005, Cheney underwent a six-hour endo-vascular procedure to repair popliteal artery aneurysms bilaterally, a catheter treatment technique used in the artery behind each knee. Cheney was hospitalized for tests after experiencing shortness of breath five months later. In late April 2006, an ultrasound revealed that the clot was smaller. CBS News reported that during the morning of November 26, 2007, Cheney was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and underwent treatment that afternoon.

On July 12, 2008, Cheney underwent a cardiological exam; doctors reported that his heartbeat was normal for a 67-year-old man with a history of heart problems. As part of his annual checkup, he was administered an electrocardiogram and radiological imaging of the stents placed in the arteries behind his knees in 2005. Doctors said that Cheney had not experienced any recurrence of atrial fibrillation and that his special pacemaker had neither detected nor treated any arrhythmia. On October 15, 2008, Cheney returned to the hospital briefly to treat a minor irregularity.

On January 19, 2009, Cheney strained his back "while moving boxes into his new house". As a consequence, he was in a wheelchair for two days, including his attendance at the 2009 United States presidential inauguration.

On February 22, 2010, Cheney was admitted to George Washington University Hospital after experiencing chest pains. A spokesperson later said Cheney had experienced a mild heart attack after doctors had run tests. On June 25, 2010, Cheney was admitted to George Washington University Hospital after reporting discomfort.

In early July 2010, Cheney was outfitted with a left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) at Inova Fairfax Heart and Vascular Institute to compensate for worsening congestive heart failure. The device pumps blood continuously through his body. He was released from Inova on August 9, 2010, and will have to decide whether to seek a full heart transplant. This pump is centrifugal and as a result he is alive without a pulse.

Public perception

In the beginning of the Bush administration, Cheney's public opinion polls were more favorable than unfavorable. In the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, both Bush's and Cheney's approval ratings rose, with Cheney reaching 68 percent and the president with 90 percent. The polling numbers for both men declined after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, however. Cheney's Gallup poll figures are consistent with those from other polls:

April 2001 – 63% approval, 21% disapproval

January 2002 – 68% approval, 18% disapproval

January 2004 – 56% approval, 36% disapproval

January 2005 – 50% approval, 40% disapproval

January 2006 – 41% approval, 46% disapproval

July 2007 – 30% approval, 60% disapproval

March 2009 – 30% approval, 63% disapproval

In April 2007, Cheney was awarded an honorary doctorate of public service by Brigham Young University, where he delivered the commencement address. His selection as commencement speaker was controversial. The college board of trustees issued a statement explaining that the invitation should be viewed "as one extended to someone holding the high office of vice president of the United States rather than to a partisan political figure". BYU permitted a protest to occur so long as it did not "make personal attacks against Cheney, attack (the) BYU administration, the church or the First Presidency".

Cheney has often been compared to Darth Vader, a characterization originated by his critics but later adopted humorously by Cheney himself as well as members of his family and staff.

Personal life

Cheney is a member of the United Methodist Church and was "the first Methodist Vice President to serve under a Methodist president."

His wife, Lynne Cheney, was Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 1986 to 1996. She is now a public speaker, author, and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The couple have two children, Elizabeth and Mary, and six grandchildren. Elizabeth, his elder daughter, is married to Philip J. Perry, former General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security. Mary Cheney, a former employee of the Colorado Rockies baseball team and Coors Brewing Company, a campaign aide to the Bush re-election campaign, and an open lesbian, currently lives in Great Falls, Virginia with her longtime partner Heather Poe.

Hunting incident

On February 11, 2006, Cheney accidentally shot Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old Texas attorney, in the face, neck, and upper torso with birdshot pellets when he turned to shoot a quail while hunting on a southern Texas ranch.

Whittington suffered a mild heart attack and atrial fibrillation due to a pellet that embedded in the outer layers of his heart. The Kenedy County Sheriff's office cleared Cheney of any criminal wrongdoing in the matter, and in an interview with Fox News, Cheney accepted full responsibility for the incident. Whittington was discharged from the hospital on February 17, 2006. Later, Whittington stated, "My family and I are deeply sorry for all that vice president Cheney has had to go through this past week."

References

Further reading

;Works by

''Professional Military Education: An Asset for Peace and Progress : A Report of the Crisis Study Group on Professional Military Education (Csis Report)'' 1997. ISBN 0-89206-297-5

''Kings of the Hill: How Nine Powerful Men Changed the Course of American History'' 1996. ISBN 0-8264-0230-5

;Works about

Andrews, Elaine. ''Dick Cheney: A Life Of Public Service''. Millbrook Press, 2001. ISBN 0-7613-2306-6

Gellman, Barton. ''Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency''. Penguin Press, 2008. ISBN 9781594201868

Goldstein, Joel K. "Cheney, Vice Presidential Power and the War on Terror," APSA 2009 Toronto Meeting Paper, ''available at'' http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1450601

Hayes, Stephen. ''Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President''. HarperCollins, 2007. ISBN 0060723467

Mann, James. ''Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet''. Viking, 2004. ISBN 0-670-03299-9

Nichols, John. ''Dick: The Man Who is President''. New Press, 2004. ISBN 1-56584-840-3

External links

US Department of State from the Internet Archive

'' The New York Times'' — Dick Cheney archives

Vice Presidential Debate, October 5, 2004: Transcript text, 1, 2004&endDate;=&s; Audio and Video (RealPlayer or MPG format)

{{U.S. Cabinet Official box | before= Donald Rumsfeld | after= Hamilton Jordan | years= 1975–1977 | president= Gerald Ford | office= White House Chief of Staff}} {{U.S. Secretary box |before=Frank C. Carlucci |after=Les Aspin |years=1989–1993 |president= George H. W. Bush |department= Secretary of Defense}}

Category:1941 births Category:American anti-communists Category:American chief executives Category:American Enterprise Institute Category:American Methodists Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American people of French descent Category:Attempted assassination survivors Category:Cheney family Category:Ford Administration personnel Category:United States congressional aides Category:Living people Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Wyoming Category:People from Casper, Wyoming Category:People from Jackson, Wyoming Category:People from Lincoln, Nebraska Category:People of Huguenot descent Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:Republican Party Vice Presidents of the United States Category:United Methodists Category:United States Secretaries of Defense Category:United States vice-presidential candidates, 2000 Category:United States vice-presidential candidates, 2004 Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Category:University of Wyoming alumni Category:White House Chiefs of Staff Category:Wyoming Republicans

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Coordinates	52°24′29″N1°30′38″N
name	Teddy Pendergrass
background	solo_singer
birth name	Theodore DeReese Pendergrass
alias
born	March 26, 1950Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
died	January 13, 2010Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States
instrument	Vocals, piano, guitar, drums
genre	R&B;, soul, gospel, jazz
occupation	Singer, songwriter, composer
years active	1970–2006
label	Philadelphia InternationalAsylumElektraSurefire/Wind Up
associated acts	Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
website	}}

Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American R&B;/soul singer and songwriter. Pendergrass first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade. In 1982, he was severely injured in an auto accident in Philadelphia, resulting in his being paralyzed from the waist down. After his injury, the affable entertainer founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a foundation that helps those with spinal cord injuries. Pendergrass commemorated 25 years of living after his spinal cord injury with star filled event, Teddy 25 - A Celebration of Life at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center. His last performance was on a PBS special at Atlantic City's Borgata Casino in November 2008.

Early life

Pendergrass was born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass at Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the only child of Jesse Pendergrass and Ida Geraldine Epps. When Pendergrass was still very young, his father left the family; Jesse Pendergrass was murdered when Teddy was 12. Pendergrass grew up in a Philadelphia slum and sang often at church. He dreamed of being a pastor and got his wish when, at 10, he was ordained a minister (according to author Robert Ewell Greene). He also took up drums during this time and was a junior deacon of his church. Pendergrass attended Thomas Edison High School for Boys in North Philadelphia (now closed). He sang with the Edison Mastersingers. He dropped out in the eleventh grade to enter the music business, recording his first song "Angel With Muddy Feet." The recording, however, was not a commercial success.

Pendergrass played drums for several local Philadelphia bands, eventually becoming the drummer of the The Cadillacs. In 1970, the singer was spotted by the Blue Notes' founder, Harold Melvin (1939–1997), who convinced Pendergrass to play drums in the group. However, during a performance, Pendergrass began singing along, and Melvin, impressed by Pendergass's vocals, made him the lead singer. Before Pendergrass joined the group, the Blue Notes had struggled to find success. That all changed when they landed a recording deal with Philadelphia International Records in 1971, thus beginning Pendergrass's successful collaboration with label founders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Early career

Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes: 1972-1977

In 1972, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes released their first single, a slow, solemn ballad titled "I Miss You". The song was originally written for The Dells but the group passed on the song and noting how Pendergrass sounded like Dells lead singer Marvin Junior, Kenny Gamble decided to build the song with Pendergrass, then only 21 at the time of the recording of the song, singing much of the song in a raspy baritone wail that became his trademark. The song also featured Bluenotes member Lloyd Parks singing falsetto in the background and spotlighted Harold Melvin adding in a rap near the end of the song as Pendergrass kept singing, feigning tears. The song, one of Gamble and Huff's most creative productions, became a major rhythm and blues hit and put the Blue Notes on the map.

The group's follow-up single, "If You Don't Know Me by Now", brought the group to the mainstream with the song reaching the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 while also reaching number-one on the soul singles chart. Like "I Miss You" before it, the song was originally intended for a different artist, fellow Philadelphian native Patti LaBelle and her group Labelle but the group couldn't record it due to scheduling conflicts. Pendergrass and LaBelle developed a close friendship that would last until Pendergrass' death.

The group rode to fame with several more releases over the years including "The Love I Lost", a song which predated the upcoming disco music scene; the ballad "Hope That We Can Be Together Soon", and socially conscious singles "Wake Up Everybody" and "Bad Luck", the latter song about the Watergate scandal. One of the group's important singles was their original version of the Philly soul classic, "Don't Leave Me This Way", which turned into a disco smash when Motown artist Thelma Houston released her version in 1976. By 1975, Pendergrass and Harold Melvin were at odds, mainly over monetary issues and personality conflicts. Despite the fact that Pendergrass sung all of the group's songs, Melvin was controlling the group's finances. Pendergrass discovered this while attending a party with Melvin. At one point, Pendergrass wanted the group to be renamed "Teddy Pendergrass and the Blue Notes" because fans kept mistaking him as Melvin. Pendergrass left the group in 1977 and the Blue Notes struggled with his replacements. They eventually left Philadelphia International and by the early 1980s had disbanded for good.

Solo career

Early solo success

In 1977, Pendergrass released his self-titled album, which went platinum on the strength of the disco hit, "I Don't Love You Anymore". Its follow-up single, "The Whole Town's Laughing At Me", became a top 20 R&B; hit. It was quickly followed by ''Life Is a Song Worth Singing'', in 1978. That album was even more successful with its singles including "Only You" and "Close the Door". The disco single, "Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose" was popular in dance clubs. 1979 brought two successes, ''Teddy'' and the live release, ''Live Coast to Coast''. Hits off ''Teddy'' included "Come and Go With Me" and "Turn Off the Lights". His 1980 album, ''TP'', included his signature song, "Love TKO" and the Ashford & Simpson composition, "Is It Still Good to You". Between 1977 and 1981, Pendergrass landed five consecutive platinum albums, which was a then-record setting number for a rhythm and blues artist.

Pendergrass' popularity became massive at the end of 1977. With sold-out audiences packing his shows, Pendergrass' manager soon noticed that a huge number of his audience consisted of women of all races. They made up a plan for Pendergrass' next tour to have it with just female audiences only, starting a trend that continues today called "women's only concerts". With five platinum albums and two gold albums, Pendergrass was on his way to be what the media was calling him, "the black Elvis", not only in terms of his crossover popularity but also due to him buying a mansion akin to Elvis' Graceland, located just outside of his hometown of Philadelphia. By early 1982, Pendergrass was the leading R&B; male artist of his day usurping competition including closest rivals Marvin Gaye and Barry White. In 1980, the Isley Brothers released "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)" to compete with Pendergrass' "Turn Off the Lights", which sensed Pendergrass' influence on the quiet storm format of black music.

Accident

On March 18, 1982, in the East Falls section of Philadelphia on Lincoln Drive near Rittenhouse Street, Pendergrass was involved in an automobile accident. The brakes failed on his 1981 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, causing the car to hit a guard rail, cross into the opposite traffic lane, and hit two trees. Pendergrass and his passenger, Tenika Watson, a nightclub performer with whom Pendergrass was acquainted, were trapped in the wreckage for 45 minutes. While Watson walked away from the accident with minor injuries, Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

Later solo career

Pendergrass got well-wishes from thousands of his fans during his recovery. In August 1982, his label released ''This One's for You'', which failed to chart successfully, as did 1983's ''Heaven Only Knows''. Both albums included material Pendergrass had recorded prior to his accident. The albums completed Pendergrass' contract with Philadelphia International, in which by that time Pendergrass decided to return to the studio to work on new music and struggled to find a recording deal. Eventually signing a deal and completing physical therapy, Pendergrass released ''Love Language'' in 1984. The album included the pop ballad "Hold Me", featuring a then unknown Whitney Houston.

On July 13, 1985, Pendergrass made an emotional return to the stage at the historic Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in front of a live audience of over 99,000 and 2 billion television viewers. It was the 35-year-old's first live performance following his 1982 accident. Pendergrass tearfully thanked the audience for keeping him in their well-wishes and then performed the Ashford & Simpson classic, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". In 1988, Pendergrass scored his first R&B; number-one hit in nearly a decade when the new jack swing-styled "Joy", off his album of the same name, was released. A video of the song was in heavy rotation on BET. It was also his final Hot 100 charted single, peaking at number 77. Also, Pendergrass' voice was heard on the jingles of a back then local Philadelphia radio station, WSNI-FM.

Pendergrass kept recording through the 1990s. One of the singer's final hits was the hip-hop leaning "Believe in Love", released in 1994. In 1996, he starred alongside Stephanie Mills in the touring production of the gospel musical ''Your Arms Too Short to Box with God''. In 1998, Pendergrass released his autobiography entitled, ''Truly Blessed''.

Pendergrass did a concert at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, California on February 14, 2002 entitled "The Power of Love". The concert became the album ''From Teddy, With Love'', which was released on the Razor & Tie record label later that year. It was his second (after ''Live! Coast to Coast'') and final live album. Clips of the concert, in particular his performance of his comeback song "Joy", can still be seen on YouTube. In his later years, Pendergrass' “Wake Up Everybody” has been covered by a diverse range of acts from Simply Red to Patti LaBelle and was chosen as a rallying cry during the 2004 Presidential campaign by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds to mobilize voters. In addition, Little Brother, Kanye West, Cam'ron, Twista, Ghostface, Tyrese Gibson, 9th Wonder, DMX and DJ Green Lantern have utilized his works.

In 2006, Pendergrass announced his retirement from the music business. In 2007, he briefly returned to performing to participate in ''Teddy 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope & Possibilities'', a 25th anniversary awards ceremony that marked Pendergrass' accident date, but also raised money for his charity, The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, and honored those who helped Pendergrass since his accident.

Personal life

Pendergrass had three children, Tisha, LaDonna and Teddy II. In 1987, he married a former Philadanco dancer named Karen Still, who had also danced in his shows. Karen was Pendergrass' primary caregiver. The couple amicably divorced in 2003. Pendergrass met Joan Williams in the spring of 2006. Pendergrass proposed to Joan after four months and they married in a private ceremony officiated by Teddy's Pastor Allyn Waller of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008. A formal wedding was celebrated at The Ocean Cliff Resort in Newport, Rhode Island on September 6, 2008.

As members of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Joan Pendergrass set up The Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Youth Fund in the name of Teddy Pendergrass to provide assistance and a center for Philadelphia's inner city youth.

He published his autobiography, ''Truly Blessed'', in 1992. There are plans to make a feature film biopic of Teddy's life. Tyrese Gibson is set to star as the late singer.

Death

On June 5, 2009, Pendergrass underwent successful surgery for colon cancer and recovered to return home. A few weeks later he returned to the hospital with respiratory issues. After seven months, he died of respiratory failure on January 13, 2010, at age 59 with wife Joan by his side, while hospitalized at Bryn Mawr Hospital in suburban Philadelphia. Teddy is survived by his mother Ida, wife Joan, three children; Tisha, Teddy II, LaDonna, stepdaughters Sherilla Leftrade, Jessica Avila and four grandchildren and three stepgrandchildren.

Joan Pendergrass is the executrix of The Theodore Dereese Pendergrass Estate.

Discography

Grammy Award nominations

Pendergrass received the following five nominations for Grammy Awards.

NominationNominationNominationNominationNomination

style="background-color: #BCBCBC"	Award	Year	Result	Category	Song
rowspan=5	Grammy Award	1979	|	Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance	"Close the Door"
1982	|	Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance	"I Can't Live Without Your Love"
1989	|	Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance	"Joy"
1992	|	Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance	"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
1994	|	Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance	"Voodoo"

In popular culture

In Eddie Murphy's standup comedy, ''Delirious'', Murphy does an imitation of Pendergrass singing "Only You", saying Pendergrass' masculine voice "scares the bitches into liking him". Cedric the Entertainer references Teddy in the hit movie "The Kings of Comedy"

Teddy appeared on the dance show Soul Train on a number of occasions.

Latin Legend India, also known as The Princess of Salsa Music, recorded a cover of Teddy's song "Turn off the lights" on her 2010 album, Unica. India explained in an interview that she had grown up listening to some of this music and she had decided to do a cover to this song with a more tropical/Salsa feel to it.

In the live episode of 30 Rock, Dr. Leo Spaceman (performed by Chris Parnell) says that the last good "doing it" song is "Close the Door", and claims that the lack of such songs are the direct cause of erectile dysfunction.

On the Kanye West song "Devil in a New Dress", Rick Ross raps, "Poke County, Jacksonville, write Melbourne/whole clique appetites had tape worms/spinning Teddy Pendergrass vinyl as my J burns."

At the Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, country band Lady Antebellum paid tribute to Pendergrass, performing a medley that included "If You Don't Know Me By Now."

References

External links

The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance

Teddy Pendergrass at Philly Soul Classics

Teddy Pendergrass at Discogs

Teddy Pendergrass at WhoSampled

Obituary article at Lasting Tribute

RIP Teddy Pendergrass

Teddy Pendergrass - Daily Telegraph obituary

talking about covering Teddy's song 'Turn Off the Lights'- Interview with Salsa's Princess and a fan of Pendergrass

Category:1950 births Category:2010 deaths Category:African American singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American male singers Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:American soul musicians Category:Cancer deaths in Pennsylvania Category:Culture of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Deaths from colorectal cancer Category:Musicians from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:People with quadriplegia Category:Philadelphia International Records artists

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