Percy Sledge
| Percy Sledge | |
|---|---|
 Sledge at the 2010 Alabama Music Hall of Fame Concert | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Percy Tyrone Sledge |
| Born |
November 25, 1940 Leighton, Alabama, United States |
| Died |
April 14, 2015 (aged 74) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | R&B, soul, traditional pop |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | Atlantic, Capricorn, Monument, Point Blank, Diablo, Sledgehammer, Virgin |
| Website |
psledge |
Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an African American R&B, soul, gospel, and traditional pop 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.
Having previously worked as a hospital orderly in the early 1960s, Sledge achieved his strongest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a series of emotional soul songs. In later years, Sledge received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Career Achievement 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.[1][2] He worked in a series of agricultural jobs in the fields in 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,[3] while working at the hospital during the week. A former patient and mutual friend of Sledge and record producer Quin Ivy introduced the two. An audition followed, and Sledge was signed to a recording contract.[4]
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.[3] According to Sledge, the song's inspiration came when his girlfriend left him for a modelling career after he was laid off from a construction job in late 1965,[5] and, because bassist Calvin Lewis and organist Andrew Wright helped him with the song, he gave all the songwriting credits to them.[6] It reached No. 1 in the US and went on to become an international hit. "When a Man Loves a Woman" was a hit twice in the UK, reaching No. 4 in 1966 and, on reissue, peaked at No. 2 in 1987. The song was also the first gold record released by Atlantic Records.[7] 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".[3][6]
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 South Africa.[8][9]
Later career
Sledge's career enjoyed a renaissance in the 1980s when "When a Man Loves a Woman" re-entered the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 2 behind the reissued Ben E. King classic "Stand by Me," after being used in a Levi's commercial.[3] In the early 1990s, Michael Bolton brought "When a Man Loves a Woman" back into the limelight again on his hit album Time, Love, & Tenderness. On the week of 11/17/1991 to 11/23/1991, Bolton's version also hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, exactly 25 and 1/2 years to the week after Percy's did in 1966.
In 1994, Saul Davis and Barry Goldberg produced Sledge's album, Blue Night, for Philippe Le Bras' Sky Ranch label and Virgin Records. It featured Bobby Womack, Steve Cropper, and Mick Taylor among others.[3] Blue Night received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album, Vocal or Instrumental, and in 1996 it won the W.C. Handy Award for best soul or blues album.
In 2004, Davis and Goldberg also produced the Shining Through the Rain album, which preceded his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Songs on the CD were written by Mikael Rickfors, Steve Earle, the Bee Gees, Carla Olson, Denny Freeman, Allan Clarke and Jackie Lomax.[10]
In May 2007, Percy was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame in his home city of 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 were 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".[11]
Personal life
Sledge married twice and was survived by his second wife, Rosa Sledge, whom he married in 1980.[12] He had 12 children, two of whom became singers.[13]
Sledge died of liver cancer at his home in Baton Rouge on April 14, 2015 at the age of 74.[14][15] His interment was in Baton Rouge's Heavenly Gates Cemetery.[16]
Accolades
- Sledge was an inaugural Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award honoree in 1989.[17]
- In 1996, he was the recipient of the Blues Music Award in 1996 for best Soul/Blues album of the year with his record Blue Night.[17]
- In November 2004, Percy Sledge was inducted into the Carolina Beach Music Hall Of Fame.[18]
- In 2005, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[9]
- In May 2007, Percy Sledge was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame for his contributions by the State of Louisiana.[17]
- Sledge was an inductee of the Delta Music Museum in Ferriday, Louisiana.[17]
- In 1993, Sledge was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. See http://www.alamhof.org/inductees/timeline/1993/percy-sledge/
Selected discography
Albums
| Release date |
Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | When a Man Loves a Woman | Atlantic 8125 |
| 1966 | Warm & Tender Soul | Atlantic 8132 |
| 1967 | The Percy Sledge Way | Atlantic 8146 |
| 1968 | Take Time to Know Her | Atlantic 8180 |
| 1968 | The Best of Percy Sledge | Atlantic 8210 |
| 1974 | I'll Be Your Everything | Capricorn CP 0147 |
| 1994 | Blue Night | Sky Ranch Records/Virgin |
| 2004 | Shining Through the Rain | Varèse Sarabande |
| 2013 | The Gospel of Percy Sledge | Elevate |
Singles
| Release date | Title | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US R&B | Canada | UK Singles Chart[19] | ||
| 1966 | "When a Man Loves a Woman" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| "Warm and Tender Love" | 17 | 5 | 10 | 34 | |
| "It Tears Me Up" | 20 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 1967 | "Baby, Help Me" | 87 | 44 | ||
| "Out of Left Field" | 59 | 25 | |||
| "Love Me Tender" (A-Side) | 40 | 35 | 35 | ||
| → "What Am I Living For" (B-Side) | 91 | ||||
| "Just Out of Reach (of My Two Empty Arms)" | 66 | ||||
| "Cover Me" | 42 | 39 | |||
| 1968 | "Take Time to Know Her" | 11 | 6 | 5 | |
| "Sudden Stop" | 63 | 41 | |||
| "You're All Around Me" | 109 | ||||
| 1969 | "My Special Prayer" | 93 | 44 | ||
| "Any Day Now" (A-Side) | 86 | 35 | |||
| → "The Angels Listened In" (B-Side) | 126 | ||||
| "Kind Woman" | 116 | ||||
| "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road" | |||||
| 1970 | "Many Rivers to Cross" | ||||
| 1970 | "Help Me Make It Through the Night" | ||||
| 1971 | "Stop the World Tonight" | ||||
| 1972 | "Rainbow Road" | ||||
| "Sunday Brother" | |||||
| 1973 | "Sunshine" | 89 | |||
| 1974 | "I'll Be Your Everything" | 62 | 15 | ||
| 1987 | "When a Man Loves a Woman" (Re-issue) | 2 | |||
1994 "I Wish It Would Rain" (Sky Ranch / Virgin, Sweden) duet with Mikael Rickfors produced by Saul Davis & Barry Goldberg
1994 "You Got Away with Love" (Pat Robinson & Rocky Burnette) / "Why Did You Stop?" (Carla Olson) (Sky Ranch / Virgin, France) produced by Saul Davis & Barry Goldberg
Compilation albums
| Release date | Title | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[19] | ||
| February 1987 | When a Man Loves a Woman (The Ultimate Collection) | 36 |
In Popular Culture
Sledge is credited with having unknowingly given his name to the Australian language term "to sledge", meaning "to put someone off their game", first used in Test cricket and now a universal Australianism. (See Sledging (cricket).)
References
- ↑ State of Alabama website. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
- ↑ MuseumoftheGulfcoast.com- Retrieved December 12, 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 892–893. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
- ↑ Aswell, Tom. "Louisiana Music Hall of Fame - Percy Sledge - 2007". Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 25, 2008..
- ↑ "Percy Sledge, Who Sang 'When A Man Loves a Woman,' Dies". ABCnews. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Percy Sledge". www.rockhall.com. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
- ↑ Murielle, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 213. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ↑ "Percy Sledge, When a Man Loves a Woman singer, dead at 74". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Soul singer Percy Sledge dies aged 74". BBC News. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ Campbell, Al. "Shining Through the Rain". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ Michael Hann (October 27, 2011). "Cliff Richard – review". The Guardian. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ Paul Farrell. "Percy Sledge Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know - Heavy.com". Heavy.com.
- ↑ Frank Roberts, "Sledge's 'When a Man Loves a Woman' hit it big", HamptonRoads.com, September 18, 2008.
- ↑ Coscarelli, Joe (April 14, 2015). "Percy Sledge, Who Sang ‘When a Man Loves a Woman,’ Dies at 74". nytimes.com. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ McArdle, Terence (14 April 2015). "Percy Sledge, soul balladeer of ‘When a Man Loves a Woman,’ dies at 74". Washington Post. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=144998457
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 "Soul singer Percy Sledge dies at 74". www.irishexaminer.com. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ "CBMA Hall of Fame". www.cammy.org. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 507. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Percy Sledge. |
- Percy Sledge at the Internet Movie Database
- Percy Sledge at AllMusic
- Percy Sledge discography at Discogs
- "Percy Sledge". Find a Grave. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
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