Born on November 25th: Percy Sledge, soul singer guided by faith...

It's often said that the Lord's ways are inscrutable, but even when he's tackling secular subjects, you know exactly where you stand with Percy Sledge. His preaching clothes are never tucked away far from his stage costumes. In 2015, his official obituary reminded us of the importance of Galilee Baptist Church in his hometown of Leighton. 

Although he had always practiced singing and music in his spare time, notably with the Esquires, who specialized in covers of Tamla Motown standards, this didn't nourish his man. For years, he worked at odd jobs in the building trade and in a hospital. It was here, however, that his first miracle occurred. Hearing her sing beautifully while working, a patient decided to introduce her to Quin Ivy, a songwriter and producer instrumental in the emergence of the Muscle Shoals sound in the 60s. Composed by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright (too magnanimous Percy would have given them the rights to his composition), “When A Man Loves A Woman” was the first song he was offered to record. Percy Sledge didn't have to strain to get such a heart-rending vocal. His girlfriend had just left him to move out West.

A second miracle: the 45t climbed to number one on the rhythm'n blues charts in 1966. Percy Sledge thus entered not only the annals of Southern Soul, but also the history of popular music worldwide. Even today, his performance still brings tears to the eyes of many...

In the 60's, with some success, he signed four albums for the Atlantic label, with titles such as “Warm & Tender Soul” Love and above all the mystical “My Special Prayer”, a separation that the singer hoped to resolve positively by sending a few Ave Maria's to heaven! But nothing of the calibre of “A Man Loves A Woman”...

In the 70s, his star continued to fade. It would be two decades, between 1974 and 1994, before he returned to the studio for the Grammy-nominated album “Blue Night”, which was also his swan song, apart from the touching but rather anecdotal “Shilling Through The Rain” in 2004. Percy Sledge embarked on his final journey on April 14, 2015 in Baton Rouge. He was 74 years old.

(Stéphane Soupart - Transl.: MH - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: Percy Sledge at the Diamond Awards held at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp (Belgium) on December 6, 1986.