Sledge, Percy

Sledge, Percy , soul singer who earned the first gold record for Atlantic records; b. Leighton, Ala., Nov. 25, 1940. Percy Sledge’s first record was undoubtedly his most famous. “When a Man Loves a Woman,” wrought with soul, passion, and emotion, topped the pop charts for two weeks in 1966, sent four weeks atop the R&B charts, and became the first gold record on the walls of Atlantic records. In the process, Sledge helped establish the entire Muscle Shoals, Ala. music scene.

In the early 1960s, Sledge was working on the family farm and as a hospital orderly by day; at night, he sang in a gospel group at the Galilee Baptist Church and with the Esquires, a popular local act in Ala. Ala. music business impresario Quinn Ivy was impressed by Sledge’s voice and took him into his studio. Ivy released “When a Man Loves a Woman” independently, then licensed the song to Atlantic records, which ultimately bought Sledge’s contract. Over the course of 1966, he put out two more chart singles, “Warm and Tender Love” (#17) and “It Tears Me Up” (#20). However, in 1967, his “Love Me Tender” barely scraped into the Top 40, and in 1968, he had his last pop hit, “Take Time to Know Her,” which rose to # 11. After that, Sledge all but fell by the pop music wayside. He recorded for Atlantic for another six years without a great deal of success, moving to Capricorn records in the early 1970s. There he scored a minor R&B hit with “I’ll Be Your Everything.” He split most of the 1970s and 1980s between various day jobs and stints on the road.

In 1987 his version of “When a Man Loves a Woman” turned up as the soundtrack to a commercial for jeans and the soundtrack to the Oliver Stone film Platoon. This led to a minor revival that saw him appear on Saturday Night Live and other TV shows. In 1989 the R&B foundation made him one of their first Career Achievement winners. Michael Bolton revived “When a Man” again in 1991. Bolton won a Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male Grammy, but somehow managed to forget to acknowledge the original performer and writer of the song while accepting his award. However, the renewed visibility led to Sledge signing with Virgin’s Pointblank blues imprint. In 1994, he released Blue Light, his first new album in over 20 years. It featured Bobby Womack, Steve Cropper, and Mick Taylor. Four years later, he was recording for a small independent label, issuing the Wanted Again album.

Discography

Warm & Tender Soul (1966); When a Man Loves a Woman (1966); The Percy Sledge Way (1967); Take Time to Know Her (1968); Golden Voice of Soul (1974); I’ll Be Your Everything (1974); It Tears Me Up (1992); Percy Sledge (1994); Blue Light (1994); Wanted Again (1998).

—Hank Bordowitz