Birthday Greetings Percy Take Time to Know Her Sledge
🍾Percy Tyrone Sledge (aka Percy Sledge), born November 25, 1940 in Leighton, Alabama, was an R&B, soul and gospel singer. He was best known for his 1966 million selling hit song “When a Man Loves a Woman“. The inspiration for this song came when ercy’s girlfriend left him. He gave the songwriting credits to bassist Calvin Lewis and organist Andrew Wright for helping him to write most of the lyrics. His second biggest hit “Take Time to Know Her” followed two years later, hitting #11 on the Billboard 100. His recording success continued throughout the 1960s and 70s reaching the record charts with songs like “I’ll Be Your Everything” and “Sunshine.”
Percy was a favorite on the international touring circuit especially in Germany, the Netherlands, and on the African continent. He averaged 100 concerts a year in South Africa. He was so popular in the country, he recorded Percy Sledge In South Africa (Atlantic Records 1970).
Percy was a down right soul singer with a bluesy definitive sound holding onto his southern twang dipped in a honey smoked timbre. Blues and soul were the underpinnings of his repertoire no matter what song he sang — the listener either danced or was pulled into a heartfelt emotional moment. Whether Sledge sang a specific song written for him or covered songs like Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, the Temptations “My Girl”, Wilson Pickett’s “Knock on Wood”, Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me” or even the song “Spooky”, his groove just tailored them into his own unique sound and that was it. He was one of the real soul men dancing in the blues of life, no doubt!
Sledge received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation’s Career Achievement Award and he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
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