S.O.D. "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge
4/16/2015 Mr Sledge passed away due to liver cancer on Tuesday April 14th at his home in Baton Rouge, LA. This song as you might imagine, was his most famous and successful work, going to the top of the charts rather quickly in the U.S. and UK. Sledge did not get a writing credit although he stayed up all night at one point rearranging the lyrics and music, later claiming that he allowed the song's composers, Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright to keep the writing credits because they gave him the opportunity to sing his heart out. In another interview he stated that it was more than just him and his idea for the song. It was the musicians, producer, background singers and everybody coming together at the right time for a song that was meant to be.
It was also the first #1 hit to be recorded at Muscle Shoals Studios. Burton Cummings from The Guess Who and Bette Midler were among several artists that did their own versions with the most successful being Michael Bolton's in 1991 for which he received a Grammy award. This version went to #1 on the U.S. Pop and Adult Contemporary charts and was the last song in history to chart on the old Billboard Hot 100 charting System which relied on sales and airplay reports before switching to Soundscan.
Sledge's Version was the first Gold selling record released by Atlantic. Before Sledge made it as a singer he worked at agricultural jobs and then as a hospital orderly. He received many awards and several inductee honors including four different music Halls of Fame consisting of Louisiana, Alabama, Carolina Beach and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.