Percy Sledge

Percy Sledge was born in Leighton, Alabama in 1941. He worked as a hospital orderly and construction worker before finding his way to a small recording studio in Sheffield, Alabama in 1966. There, with producer Quin Ivy, he recorded 'When A Man Loves A Woman,' a song that would become his signature.

That recording became a national sensation and led to a contract with Atlantic Records. Sledge followed it with other songs like 'My Special Prayer' and 'Dark End Of The Street,' though none matched the cultural footprint of his first hit. His voice had a particular quality that felt both raw and tender, especially on ballads.

In 1974, his wife Rosa Nell was murdered in their home. The tragedy coincided with personal struggles that affected his career momentum in the following years. He continued to perform and record, but the industry landscape had shifted by the late 1970s.

It wasn't technically perfect or particularly complex, but something in his delivery made it stick. People still know it today, even if they don't know much else about the man who sang it.