Percy Sledge
Percy Sledge will forever be associated with "When a Man Loves a Woman," a pleading, soulful ballad he sang with wrenching, convincing anguish and passion. Sledge sang all of his songs that way, delivering them in a powerful rush where he quickly changed from soulful belting to quavering, tearful pleas. It was a voice that made him one of the key figures of deep Southern soul. Sledge recorded at Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama, where he frequently sang songs written by Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn. Not only did he sing deep soul, but Sledge was among the pioneers of country-soul, singing songs by Charlie Rich and Kris Kristofferson in a gritty, passionate style. During the '70s, his commercial success faded away, but Sledge continued to tour and record into the '90s.
While he worked as a hospital nurse in the early '60s, Sledge began his professional music career as a member of the Southern soul vocal group the Esquires Combo. On the advice of local disc jockey Quin Ivy, he went solo in 1966. Ivy fancied himself a record producer and he agreed to help shape Sledge's song "When a Man Loves a Woman" into a full-fledged single, hiring Spooner Oldham to play a distinctive, legato organ phrase. Ivy released the single independently and quickly licensed it to Atlantic Records, who quickly bought out Sledge's contract. "When a Man Loves a Woman" became a huge hit in the summer of 1966, topping both the pop and R&B charts. It was quickly followed that year by two Top Ten R&B hits, "Warm and Tender Love" and "It Tears Me Up," which were both in the vein of his first hit. Although few of his subsequent singles were hits -- only "Take Time to Know Her" reached the R&B Top Ten in 1968 -- many of the songs, which were often written by Dan Penn and/or Oldham, were acknowledged as classics among soul aficionados.
Despite his strong reputation among deep soul fans, Sledge's sales had declined considerably by the early '70s, and he headed out on the club circuit in America and England. In 1974, he left Atlantic for Capricorn Records, where he returned to the R&B Top 20 with "I'll Be Your Everything." Instead of re-igniting his career, the single was a last gasp, as far as chart success was concerned. Over the next two decades he continued to tour, and in the late '80s "When a Man Loves a Woman" experienced a resurgence in popularity, due to its inclusion in movie soundtracks and in television commercials. Following its appearance in a 1987 Levi's commercial in the U.K., the single was re-released and climbed to number two. Two years later, he won the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Career Achievement Award. Sledge was able to turn this revived popularity into a successful career by touring constantly, playing over 100 shows a year into the '90s. In 1994, he released Blue Night, his first collection of new material in over a decade, to uniformly positive reviews, and after the turn of the millennium he returned with Shining Through the Rain in 2004. The following year, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Percy Sledge died in April 2015 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the age of 73.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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It Tears Me Up
Soul - Pubblicato da Sound and Vision il 24 feb 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rhino Hi-Five: Percy Sledge
Rock - Pubblicato da Rhino Atlantic il 15 mar 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of: Percy Sledge
R&B - Pubblicato da HHO il 10 gen 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Out Of Left Field
Soul - Pubblicato da Vanilla OMP il 6 dic 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Percy Sledge The Hits
Soul - Pubblicato da No Milk Today - OMP il 21 feb 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Iconic Collection
Soul - Pubblicato da Vanilla OMP il 14 ago 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Percy Sledge Live
Soul - Pubblicato da Vanilla OMP il 14 lug 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All Time Greatest Hits
Soul - Pubblicato da Stardust Records il 15 mag 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Warm And Tender Love
Musica vocale (sacra e profana) - Pubblicato da Freewings il 4 gen 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
When A Man Loves A Woman
Soul - Pubblicato da Synergie OMP il 3 lug 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ultimate Performance - When A Man Loves A Woman
Soul - Pubblicato da Goldenlane Records il 20 feb 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ultimate Percy Sledge Collection
Soul - Pubblicato da Carter Lane - OMiP il 11 nov 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
When A Man Loves A Woman (Single Remixed / Remastered Version)
Elettronica - Pubblicato da Hypnotic il 1 giu 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fall Inside Your Eyes
Rock - Pubblicato da Sunset Blvd. Records il 14 feb 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
When A Man Loves A Woman - Greatest Hits (Re-Recorded / Remastered)
Soul - Pubblicato da Goldenlane Records il 1 giu 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
When A Man Loves A Woman: Percy Sledge Hits
Soul - Pubblicato da Vanilla OMP il 14 ago 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of Percy Sledge
R&B - Pubblicato da Baierle records il 2 gen 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Soulman
Soul - Pubblicato da 2015 Autarc Media GmbH, CH. il 19 feb 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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R&B Legends Percy Sledge & Wilson Pickett
Soul - Pubblicato da Platinum Collection il 5 giu 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Urban Soul Series - Percy Sledge
Soul - Pubblicato da Three Kids Music il 23 mar 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo