Percy Sledge | |
|---|---|
 Sledge at the 2010 Alabama Music Hall of Fame Concert | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Percy Tyrone Sledge |
| Born | November 25, 1940 Leighton, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | April 14, 2015 (aged 74) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, soul, traditional pop |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1960–2014 |
| Labels | Atlantic, Capricorn, Monument, Point Blank, Diablo Records, Sledgehammer Records, Virgin |
Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song "When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 1966. It was awarded a million-selling, Gold-certified disc from the RIAA.
After working as a hospital orderly in the early 1960s, Sledge achieved his greatest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a series of emotional soul songs. In 1989, Sledge received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.