Darryl Chambers, music marketing
whiz
IT WAS 16 months ago that doctors gave Darryl A. Chambers
three to six months to live.
But they didn't factor in Chambers' tenacity
and love of life. Besides, he had things to do. There was a visit to Ohio to see
his big sister, Loretta, and he had to walk down the aisle at the wedding of his
twin sister, Carol, in California.
But debilitating illnesses, including
sclerosis of the liver and pancreatic cancer, finally took their toll. He died
Thursday. He was 45 and lived in Logan.
Music was Chambers' life. He worked
for several record stores in Center City since high school, promoting R&B,
hip-hop and soul records, visiting local disc jockeys, entertaining performers
when they came to town.
"It was street-marketing promotion," said
Greg "Boo" Jenkins, one of Chambers' mother's godsons. "He loved
it."
Chambers received a number of awards from record labels, like
MCA, ARISTA, La Face and Universal, for most sales in a market area.
He
would drop in to see Butterball or Tony Brown at WDAS and other local DJs and
stations that play his kind of music.
Chambers knew his music inside and
out. All you had to do was hum a few bars of a song and he would tell you the
artist, the record company and the writer who made it. That kind of knowledge
made him invaluable to people who make their living promoting and selling records.
He
was born to Gloria P. White and Andrew Mattox, but was raised by Walter Lee Pendergrass.
He attended Germantown High School.
"From a young child he was always
helpful to me," his mother said. "I was a single mother and he made
himself head of the household. He had paper routes, he trimmed hedges, he baby-sat
and ran errands for the neighbors. He put food on the table."
Greg
Jenkins' wife, Yolanda, told how Chambers decided he wanted to save his soul when
he was told that his time was short.
"He called me up and said he wanted
to go to church with me," she said. "We went to the Missionary Baptist
Church and told the pastor, Robert Preston, he wanted to be saved 'today.'
"He
was welcomed with open arms. He inspired other people."
After high
school, Chambers worked for the former Radio 437 record and electronics store
on Chestnut Street in Center City, his first job in record promotions. He later
worked for Golla's and Armond's record stores in Center City.
"Darryl
was a social butterfly in the Philadelphia and international night scenes which
gained him many awards and accolades," Jenkins said.
With the big afro
he sported at the time, people told him he looked like Michael Jackson (pre-surgery).
From
an early age, Chambers had a fondness for little animals. In fact, as his family
said, "for all living and breathing things, from people to plants, birds,
cats, dogs and any kind of animal he could get his hands on."
As a
result, many of these small creatures wound up in his home.
"If you
didn't like animals, you didn't visit Darryl," Jenkins said.
Chambers
had a sharp wit that sometimes rubbed people the wrong way, but his charm quickly
overcame any animosity.
"If you met him, you loved him forever,"
Jenkins said. "He had tons of friends. Even enemies would become his friends."
Despite
his love of music, Chambers himself wasn't able to create any. He played no instrument,
and his attempts to sing fell short. However, Jenkins said, he didn't let a mere
lack of talent stop him from singing.
Chambers cherished his nephews and
nieces, and they loved him in return. They enjoyed visiting him and seeing his
various pets, and he always had tasty snacks for them.
He also is survived
by another sister, Stephany; a brother, Stevie, and his life partner, William
"Billy" Ralph.
Services: 11 a.m. today at Universal Missionary
Baptist Church, 4401 Germantown Ave. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be
in Northwood Cemetery, 15th and Haines streets.
