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Patrick Barry Gordon, 64, loved to sing

Patrick Barry Gordon not only sang on stage, he sang as he strolled along the street. Pat was one of those people who just have to express themselves in song, whether in front of an audience, a microphone, or just in his own head.

Patrick Barry Gordon not only sang on stage, he sang as he strolled along the street.

Pat was one of those people who just have to express themselves in song, whether in front of an audience, a microphone, or just in his own head.

"You could always see Pat coming down the street singing," his family said.

And the ladies loved him, as he tooled along the street in one of the many Cadillacs he owned in his life.

"He loved those cars," his family said. "His first car was a Cadillac and his last car was a Cadillac.

"He always had something to say to a pretty woman," his family added.

Pat Gordon, who gained some fame in the '60s as the lead singer of the soul group "Pat and the Blenders," died May 11.

He was 64 and lived in South Philadelphia.

The group cut records for his friend Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff for their Philadelphia International Records, legendary creators and dispensers of the "Philadelphia Sound."

The Blenders' major hits were "Just Because" and "Candy Man."

Robert Bosco, writer and music historian, said he has a copy of "Just Because" and said of the group, "They were fantastic. They could really harmonize."

Pat worked for 40 years for Peirce Junior College, at 1420 Pine St., as a maintenance man.

He never took any time off and would walk to work in rain, sleet or snow from his South Philadelphia neighborhood.

People would see him striding along to his job and call out, "What's up, Mr. Paddy?"

"Pat was a very friendly person who loved people," his family said.

He is survived by a daughter, Chrisey; a son, Van; and two granddaughters.

Services: 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Slater Funeral Home, 1426 Fitzwater St. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be in Old Cathedral Cemetery. *