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Percy Sledge (born November 25, 1940) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 R&B
Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music first created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s....
 and soul
Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the African American culture through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, Secularity testifying." The genre occasion...
 performer.

y Sledge worked in a series of blue-collar jobs in the fields in Leighton, Alabama
Leighton, Alabama

Leighton is a town in Colbert County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Florence, Alabama - Muscle Shoals, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals"....
 before taking a job as an orderly at Colbert County
Colbert County, Alabama

Colbert County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of brothers George Colbert and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Native Americans in the United States chiefs....
 Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama
Sheffield, Alabama

Sheffield is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, Alabama, United States, and is included in The Shoals MSA. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 9,652....
. Through the mid 1960s, he toured the Southeast
Southeastern United States

The US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region of the United States, and organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a "Southeast" region to fit their needs....
 with the Esquires Combo on weekends while working at the hospital during the week. A former patient and mutual friend of Sledge and record producer
Record producer

In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
 Quin Ivy introduced the two.






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Percy Sledge (born November 25, 1940) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 R&B
Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music first created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s....
 and soul
Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the African American culture through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, Secularity testifying." The genre occasion...
 performer.

Biography


Early career

Percy Sledge worked in a series of blue-collar jobs in the fields in Leighton, Alabama
Leighton, Alabama

Leighton is a town in Colbert County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Florence, Alabama - Muscle Shoals, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals"....
 before taking a job as an orderly at Colbert County
Colbert County, Alabama

Colbert County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of brothers George Colbert and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Native Americans in the United States chiefs....
 Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama
Sheffield, Alabama

Sheffield is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, Alabama, United States, and is included in The Shoals MSA. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 9,652....
. Through the mid 1960s, he toured the Southeast
Southeastern United States

The US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region of the United States, and organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a "Southeast" region to fit their needs....
 with the Esquires Combo on weekends while working at the hospital during the week. A former patient and mutual friend of Sledge and record producer
Record producer

In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
 Quin Ivy introduced the two. An audition followed, and Sledge was signed to a recording contract
Recording contract

A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote....
.

Sledge's soulful voice
Human voice

The human voice consists of sound Voice production by a human being using the vocal folds for Speech communication, singing, Laughter, crying, screaming, etc....
 was perfect for the series of soul ballad
Ballad

A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative story and set to music. Ballads were characteristic of particularly British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the nineteenth century and used extensively across Europe and later north America, Australia and north Africa....
s produced by Ivy and Marlin Greene, which rock
Rock music

Rock music is a loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950's. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country music and other influences....
 critic
Music journalism

Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'....
 Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh

Dave Marsh is an United States music critic who briefly attended Wayne State University, became a co-founder of Creem magazine, wrote for various publications such as Newsday, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone , and also edited Rock and Roll Confidential, a newsletter about rock music and social issues....
 called "emotional classics for romantics of all ages."

"When a Man Loves a Woman
When a Man Loves a Woman (song)

"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966 near Muscle Shoals, Alabama in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts....
" was Sledge's first song recorded under the contract, and was released in 1966. The song's inspiration came when Sledge's girlfriend left him for a modeling career after he was laid off from construction job in late 1965. It reached #1 in the U.S.
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and went on to become an international hit. The song was also the first gold record
Music recording sales certification

Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music Sound recording has shipped a certain number of copies.Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after the precious materials gold, platinum and diamond ....
 released by Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records

Atlantic Records is an United States record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm & blues, rock and roll, and jazz. Long one of the most important American independent labels, Atlantic now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group, which consolidated Atlantic Records and the Elektra Entertainment Group into one...
. The soul anthem became the cornerstone of Sledge's career, and was followed by "Warm and Tender Love" (Covered by UK songstress Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks

Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe , and later a solo artist. Known for her powerful husky voice....
 in 1981), "It Tears Me Up", "Take Time to Know Her" (his second biggest U.S. hit, reaching #11), and "Cover Me".

Sledge charted with "I'll Be Your Everything" and "Sunshine" during the 1970s, and has become an international
International

International or internationally most often describes interaction between nations, or encompassing two or more nations, constituting a group or association having members in two or more nations, or generally reaching beyond national boundaries....
 concert
Concert

A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. The music may be performed by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band....
 favorite throughout the world, especially in the Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
, Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, and on the African continent
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
, and South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
 in particular.

Later career

Sledge's career enjoyed a renaissance in the 1980s when "When a Man Loves a Woman" re-entered the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being printed in Music Week magazine , ChartsPlus , and published online on various sites ....
 after being used in a Levi's commercial
Television advertisement

A 'television advertisement' or television commercial is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organisation that conveys a message....
.

In 1994, Saul Davis and Barry Goldberg produced his new album, the Grammy nominated Blue Night, which featured Bobby Womack
Bobby Womack

Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40 years and has spanned a repertoire in the style...
, Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper

Steve "The Colonel" Cropper is an United States guitarist, songwriter and producer....
, and Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor

Michael "Mick" Kevin Taylor and another performance from the Old Grey Whistle Test seem to be the only material available from this brief collaboration....
 among others.

In 2004, Davis and Goldberg also produced Shining Through the Rain.

Awards

Sledge was an inaugural Rhythm and Blues Foundation
Rhythm and Blues Foundation

The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent United States nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music....
 Pioneer Award honoree in 1989. In 2005, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Cleveland, Ohio, United States, dedicated to recording the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, and other people who have in some major way influenced the music industry, particularly in the are...
.

In May 2007, Percy Sledge was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame for his contributions to the state's music. Sledge is also an inductee of the Delta Music Museum
Delta Music Museum

The Delta Music Museum in Ferriday, Louisiana in Concordia Parish in eastern Louisiana offers exhibits on sixteen rock and roll and blues musicians from the Mississippi River river delta country....
 in Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday, Louisiana

Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish, Louisiana in eastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 United States Census....
.

Trivia

  • Singer-songwriter
    Singer-songwriter

    File:Joan Baez Bob Dylan crop.jpgSinger-songwriter is a term that refers to performers who Lyricist, composer and singing their own Musical piece including lyrics and melody....
     Robin Gibb
    Robin Gibb

    Robin Hugh Gibb Order of the British Empire is a singer and songwriter. He was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, to English parents, the twin brother of Maurice Gibb , and younger brother to Barry Gibb....
     wrote the lyrics
    Lyrics

    Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song, either by speaking or singing. The word 'lyric' comes from the Greek word ,lyricos, meaning "singing to the lyre"....
     to the song "I've Gotta Get a Message to You
    I've Gotta Get a Message to You

    "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" is a song recorded by the Bee Gees in 1968, which became their second #1 single on the UK Singles Chart, and reached #8 in the U.S....
    ", with Sledge in mind, however, Robin, and his brothers, The Bee Gees recorded the song, and went to #1 on the UK Singles Chart
    UK Singles Chart

    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being printed in Music Week magazine , ChartsPlus , and published online on various sites ....
     in 1968. Sledge did record the song in February, 1970 (Atlantic matrix #18674), but it has only been released 3 times; the Atlantic European-only lp, My Special Prayer (Atlantic 588 220), the German best of from the 1980's (Atantic 50747) and on the Soul of The Bee Gees CD (The Right Stuff 7243-8-35600-2-8) from 1996.


  • Sledge recorded a Christmas single ("Silent Night" b/w 'Christmas Wish") during his Atlantic years (in 1969) specially for South Africa. It was subsequently released in Europe, but not in the US.


  • Lee Atwater
    Lee Atwater

    Harvey LeRoy "Lee" Atwater was an American political consultant and strategist to the United States Republican Party party. He was an advisor of President of the United States Ronald Reagan and George H....
    , a Republican
    Republican Party (United States)

    The Republican Party is one of the two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party . It is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP....
     political strategist who worked for Ronald Reagan
    Ronald Reagan

    Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....
     and George Herbert Walker Bush and was Karl Rove
    Karl Rove

    Karl Christian Rove was Deputy White House Chief of Staff to former President of the United States George W. Bush until his resignation on August 31, 2007....
    's mentor, briefly played backup guitar for Percy Sledge during the 1960s.


  • His cousin Jimmy Hughes hit the top 20 on Billboard's pop charts in 1964 with the hit "Steal Away".


Selected discography


Singles

Release date Title Chart Positions
US Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
 US R&B Canada UK
1966 "When a Man Loves a Woman
When a Man Loves a Woman (song)

"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966 near Muscle Shoals, Alabama in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts....
"		#1#1#1#4
1966 "Warm and Tender Love"#17#5#10#34
1966 "It Tears Me Up"#20#7#12
1967 "Baby, Help Me"#87#44
1967 "Out Of Left Field"#59#25
1967 "Love Me Tender
Love Me Tender (song)

"Love Me Tender" is a song sung by Elvis Presley, to the tune of "Aura Lee" , a sentimental American Civil War ballad with music by George R. Poulton and words by W.W....
" (A-Side)		#40#35#35
1967? "What Am I Living For" (B-Side)#91
1967 "Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)"#66
1967 "Cover Me"#42#39
1968 "Take Time to Know Her"#11#6#5
1968 "Sudden Stop"#63#41
1968 "You're All Around Me"#109
1969 "My Special Prayer"#93#44
1969 "Any Day Now" (A-Side)#86#35
1969? "The Angels Listened In" (B-Side)#126
1969 "Kind Woman"#116
1969 "True Love Travels On A Gravel Road"
1970 "Many Rivers to Cross
Many Rivers to Cross

"Many Rivers to Cross" is a song songwriter in 1969 by Jimmy Cliff....
"
1970 "Help Me Make It Through the Night
Help Me Make It Through the Night

"Help Me Make It Through the Night" is a country music ballad composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album Kristofferson ....
"
1971 "Stop The World Tonight"
1972 "Rainbow Road"
1972 "Sunday Brother"
1973 "Sunshine"#89
1974 "I'll Be Your Everything"#62#15
1987 "When a Man Loves a Woman" (Re-issue)#2


Compilation albums

1987 When a Man Loves a Woman (The Ultimate Collection) UK
UK Albums Chart

The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus....
 #36


Footnotes


External links

  • at Allmusic
  • at Discogs
    Discogs

    Discogs, short for discography, is a website and database of information about music recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and Bootleg recording or off-label releases....