It was announced today that Percy Sledge passed away in his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana following complications from liver cancer. He was 73 years old.
Sledge is best known for his massive hit, “When A Man Loves A Woman”, a song that went to #1 in 1966 and remains one of the most recognizable soul ballads of all time. While he did have other hits, “When A Man Loves A Woman” was his first and far more known than the rest of his catalogue combined.
The song came directly from his heart as he wrote it based on the heartache he felt from an ex-girlfriend. Although he wrote the lyrics, he gave the songwriting credits to bassist, Calvin Lewis and keyboardist, Andrew Wright. The two did have a large contribution to the song, as they were aided Sledge with the composition but Sledge would later state, he should have at least retained co-writing credits and the mistake cost him millions.
Percy would have other hit songs, three of which would make the Top Ten on the R&B chart. “When A Man Love A Woman” would have a resurgence in the 80’s when used for a successful Levi’s campaign and gave the song renewed attention. Later, he would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an accolade, which saw him inducted by Rod Stewart in 2005.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of Percy Sledge at this time.
Comments powered by CComment