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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 during the late '60s. 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 quickly 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 surprisingly 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 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. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide.</font>
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01. It Tears Me Up 02. I'm Hanging Up My Heart For You 03. You've Really Got A Hold On Me 04. That's How Strong My Love Is 05. A Sweet Woman Like You 06. Love Me Tender |
07. Warm And Tender Love 08. Try A Little Tenderness 09. So Much Love 10. I Stand Accused 11. Heart Of A Child 12. Oh How Happy |
01. When A Man Loves A Woman 02. My Adorable One 03. Put A Little Lovin' On Me 04. Love Me All The Way 05. When She Touches Me 06. You're Pouring Water On A Drowning Man |
07. Thief In The Night 08. You Fooled Me 09. Love Makes The World Go Round 10. Success 11. Love Me Like You Mean It |
01. Dark End Of The Street 02. You Send Me 03. I Had A Talk With My Woman 04. What Am I Living For 05. I've Been Loving You Too Long 06. Tell It Like It Is |
07. My Special Prayer 08. Drown In My Own Tears 09. Just Out Of Reach 10. Pledging My Love 11. You Don't Miss Your Water |
01. Take Time To Know Her 02. Feed The Flame 03. Sudden Stop 04. Come Softly To Me 05. Spooky 06. Out Of Left Field |
07. Cover Me 08. Baby Help Me 09. It's All Wrong But It's Alright 10. High Cost Of Leaving 11. Between These Arms 12. I Love Everything About You |
01. When A Man Loves A Woman 02. Out Of Left Field 03. Take Time To Know Her 04. Warm And Tender Love 05. Just Out Of Reach 06. The Dark End Of The Street |
07. Cover Me 08. Sudden Stop 09. Baby Help Me 10. It Tears Me Up 11. My Special Prayer 12. You're All Around Me |
01. Walkin' In The Sun 02. Behind Closed Doors 03. Make It Good And Make It Last 04. The Good Love 05. I Believe In You |
06. I'll Be Your Everything 07. If This Is The Last Time 08. Hard To Be Friends 09. Blue Water 10. Love Among People |
01. You Got Away with Love 02. Love Comes Knockin' 03. Why Did You Stop 04. I Wish It Would Rain 05. Blue Night 06. These Ain't Raindrops |
07. Your Love Will Save The World 08. First You Cry 09. Goin' Home 10. The Grand Boulevard 11. I Got Dreams To Remember |
01. My Special Prayer 02. Cover Me 03. Take Time To Know Her 04. My Girl 05. Warm And Tender Love 06. Bring It On Home To Me 07. Out Of Left Field |
08. (sittin' on)The Dock Of The Bay 09. Goin' Home 10. The Dark End Of The Street 11. I Wish It Would Rain 12. First You Cry 13. A Whiter Shade Of Pale 14. When A Man Loves A Woman |
01. Shining Through The Rain 02. Lonely Hobo Lullaby 03. 24 - 7 - 365 04. Love Come Rescue Me 05. Misty Morning 06. A Lonely Violin 07. Big Blue Diamonds |
08. My Old Friend The Blues 09. Rubies & Diamonds 10. Change My Mind 11. Searching For My Love 12. Fall Inside Your Eyes 13. Road Of No Return |