Percy Sledge

Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song "When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 1966. It was awarded a million-selling, gold-certified disc from the RIAA.

After working as a hospital orderly in the early 1960s, Sledge achieved his greatest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a series of emotional soul songs. In 1989, Sledge received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

Biography

Early career

Sledge was born on November 25, 1940, in Leighton, Alabama. He worked in a series of agricultural jobs in the fields near Leighton, before taking a job as an orderly at Colbert County Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama. Through the mid-1960s, he toured the Southeast with the Esquires Combo on weekends,

thumb|left|240px|Sledge performing on tour in 1974

Sledge's soulful voice was perfect for the series of soul ballads produced by Ivy and Marlin Greene, which rock critic Dave Marsh called "emotional classics for romantics of all ages". "When a Man Loves a Woman" was Sledge's first song recorded under the contract, and was released in March 1966. and, because bassist Calvin Lewis and organist Andrew Wright helped him with the song, he gave all the songwriting credits to them. The soul anthem became the cornerstone of Sledge's career, and was followed by "Warm and Tender Love" (covered by British singer Elkie Brooks in 1981), "It Tears Me Up", "Take Time to Know Her" (his second biggest US hit, reaching No. 11; the song's lyric was written by Steve Davis), "Love Me Tender", and "Cover Me".

Sledge charted with "I'll Be Your Everything" and "Sunshine" during the 1970s, and became an international concert favorite throughout the world, especially in the Netherlands, Germany, and on the African continent; he averaged 100 concerts a year in apartheid-era South Africa.

Later career

Sledge's career enjoyed a renaissance in the 1980s during which "When a Man Loves a Woman" re-entered the UK Singles Chart after being used in a Levi's commercial, peaking at No. 2 behind the reissued Ben E. King classic "Stand by Me". The same year, Percy recorded a live album with his band Sunset Drive entitled Percy Sledge and Sunset Drive – Live in Virginia on WRM Records produced by Warren Rodgers.

In May 2007, Percy was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame in Baton Rouge, LA.

In December 2010, Rhino Handmade issued a four-CD retrospective, The Atlantic Recordings, which covers all of the issued Atlantic masters, as well as many of the tracks unissued in the United States (although some are simply the mono versions of songs originally issued in stereo; Disc 1 comprises Sledge's first two LPs, which were not recorded on stereo equipment). In 2011 Sledge toured with Sir Cliff Richard during his Soulicious tour, performing "I'm Your Puppet".

Personal life

Sledge married twice and had twelve children, three of whom became singers.

Death

Sledge died of liver cancer at his home in Baton Rouge on April 14, 2015, at the age of 74. His interment was in Baton Rouge's Heavenly Gates Cemetery.

Accolades

Sledge was:

An inaugural Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award honoree in 1989.
Inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1993.
The recipient of the Blues Music Award in 1996 for best Soul/Blues album of the year with his record Blue Night.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

! width="40"| US R&B

|rowspan="3"| 1966

| "When a Man Loves a Woman"

|align="center"|1

|align="center"|4

BPI: Gold

| "Warm and Tender Love"

|align="center"|17

|align="center"|5

|align="center"|10

|align="center"|34

| "It Tears Me Up"

|align="center"|20

|align="center"|7

|align="center"|12

|align="center"|—

|rowspan="6"| 1967

| "Baby, Help Me"

|align="center"|87

|align="center"|44

|align="center"|—

| "Out of Left Field"

|align="center"|59

|align="center"|25

|align="center"|—

| "Love Me Tender" (A-Side)

|align="center"|40

|align="center"|35

|align="center"|—

|→ "What Am I Living For" (B-Side)

|align="center"|91

|align="center"|—

| "Just Out of Reach (of My Two Empty Arms)"

|align="center"|66

|align="center"|—

| "Cover Me"

|align="center"|42

|align="center"|39

|align="center"|—

|rowspan="3"| 1968

| "Take Time to Know Her"

|align="center"|11

|align="center"|6

|align="center"|5

|align="center"|—

| "Sudden Stop"

|align="center"|63

|align="center"|41

|align="center"|—

| "You're All Around Me"

|align="center"|109

|align="center"|—

|rowspan="5"| 1969

| "My Special Prayer"

|align="center"|93

|align="center"|44

|align="center"|—

| "Any Day Now" (A-Side)

|align="center"|86

|align="center"|35

|align="center"|—

|→ "The Angels Listened In" (B-Side)

|align="center"|126

|align="center"|—

| "Kind Woman"

|align="center"|116

|align="center"|—

| "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road"

|align="center"|—

|rowspan="2"| 1970

| "Many Rivers to Cross"

|align="center"|—

| "Help Me Make It Through the Night"

|align="center"|—

| 1971

| "Stop the World Tonight"

|align="center"|—

|rowspan="2"| 1972

| "Rainbow Road"

|align="center"|—

| "Sunday Brother"

|align="center"|—

| 1973

| "Sunshine"

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|89

|align="center"|—

| 1974

| "I'll Be Your Everything"

|align="center"|62

|align="center"|15

|align="center"|—

| 1987

| "When a Man Loves a Woman" (Re-issue)

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|2

| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"|Source:

In popular culture

Sledge is sometimes cited as the inspiration behind the Australian language term "to sledge", meaning "to put someone off their game", first used in Test cricket, though the phrase more probably derives from "subtle as a sledgehammer".

Biography

Early career

Later career

Personal life

Death

Accolades

In popular culture

References

External links