Twenty-ten, like any other year, was eventful, and several of those events were deaths in the black music industry. Although there were many, the most notable were the romantic Teddy Pendergrass, legendary actress/singer Lena Horne, the “Queen of Gospel” Albertina Walker, and the “Ivory Queen of Soul” Teena Marie. Who were these singers, and what were their contributions to black music over the years?

Theodore DeReese “Teddy” Pendergrass began his career as a lead singer in Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, an R&B group famous for the songs “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and “Wake Up Everybody.” Born in Philadelphia, Pendergrass began a solo career in the mid-seventies and went on to deliver several consecutive platinum albums. “Love T.K.O,” “Close the Door,” and the sensational “Turn Off the Lights” are just a few of his most memorable hits. A 1982 car accident left Pendergrass paralyzed from the waist down, but the singer continued to record albums that received Grammy nominations. Avant, Nelly, and Kanye West are just a few of today’s artists who have used Pendergrass’ music. The singer died January 13. He was 59.

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne, the famous “Stormy Weather” singer, rose to fame for her acting roles in 1943 all-black musical Stormy Weather, and movies Till The Clouds Role By, Cabin in the Sky, and The Wiz, a 1978 all black version of The Wizard of Oz where Horne sang “If You Believe” as the good witch of the North, Glinda. Born in New York, Horne was known for her dramatic singing scenes, beauty, and as one of the first blacks to have a long-term movie studio contract. Along with a prominent acting career, Hollywood’s first black glamour girl was also a passionate civil rights activist who found herself blacklisted from television in the 1950s during the McCarthy era. During this time, Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria in 1957 became RCA Victor’s best-selling album for a female singer. Later in her life, Horne went on to have the longest running solo Broadway performance, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music in the early 1980s, for which she received a Tony Award and others. The Grammy-Award-winning singer appeared sporadically on television and recorded into the 1990s. She died Mother’s Day, May 9. She was 92.

Albertina Walker, also known as the “Queen of Gospel,” got her start on the road to fame as a part of the gospel group The Caravans. The group was popular during the fifties and sixties with hits “Mary Don’t You Weep,” “No Coward Soldier,” “Tell the Angels,” and “Sweeping Through the City.” The group broke up in the late 1960s and Walker made her solo debut in 1975 with the album Put a Little Love in Your Heart. In time, Walker would have hit songs “Please Be Patient With Me,” “I Can Go To God in Prayer,” “Joy Will Come,” and the classic “Lord Keep Me Day by Day,” among others. The singer also sang for President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, and South Africa President Nelson Mandela. Other well acclaimed albums were Spirit and I’m Still Here. The Chicago-born singer was a Grammy Award recipient. She died on October 8 at the age of 81.

Mary Christine Brockert is better known as Teena Marie, or even “Lady T.” The white R&B singer from California was partly known for her relationship with her mentor Rick James, who died in 2004. Grammy nominated, Teena was also reputed to be the “Ivory Queen of Soul” because of such hits as “Ooo La La La,” “Square Biz,” “Lover Girl,” and the classic duet with Rick James, “Fire and Desire.” The singer began with Motown where her first album, which spawned her 1979 hit song “I’m Just A Sucker For Your Love,” did not show her face due to concerns on how blacks would perceive a white woman singing R&B. Teena was also known for her infamous lawsuit against Motown, which produced the Brockert Initiative, known in the music industry as the Teena Marie Law. The law helps artists under record labels who are not being paid according to their contracts get out of those contracts. Lady T’s career continued into the early 1990s, where she took hiatus and reemerged in 2004 with the Grammy-nominated hit “I’m Still in Love” and duet “Rose by Any Other Name” with Gerald Levert, who died in 2006. The “Ivory Queen of Soul” would release three well-received albums between 2004 and 2010 before her death on December 26. Neyo, The Fugees, Ciara, and Ludacris are some of today’s artists who have used Teena Marie’s music. She was 54.

Those were only four of the talents the black music industry lost in 2010, but perhaps the most influential. Others were Robert Wilson of The Gap Band, Jamaican Reggae musician Gregory Isaacs, rapper Guru (formally of Gangstarr), Marvin Isley of the legendary Isley Brothers, “King of Rock and Soul” Solomon Burke, Bernie Wilson of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and “Oh Happy Day” gospel singer Bishop Walter Hawkins. Several contributors to black music passed on in 2010, leaving behind roads they helped pave. They will be missed not only by their fans, but also by the musicians they helped to inspire.

Author Bio:
George Dwight Murff is an accounting major and Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Indiana. Born and raised in Indianapolis, he is an avid reader and heavy listener to music of all kinds.

email:  gdmurff@yahoo.com