Soul singer Percy Sledge epitomized Southern soul in ballads like “When A Man Loves A Woman,” which became a massive international hit when it came out in 1966. Sledge died Tuesday morning of natural causes in East Baton Rouge, La. He was 74.
When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, Sledge told the audience about having been born in tiny Leighton, Ala., in 1940, and about growing up working in the cotton fields.
“[I was] 10 years old, singing my songs in the fields, picking and chopping cotton. And my boss man tells me one day, he said, ‘Perce?’ He said, ‘That voice that you use comin’ out of your throat, the whole world is gonna hear one day.’ ”
Later, as a hospital orderly, Sledge continued singing for his patients, who made the same prediction. On weekends, he sang with a group called the Esquires Combo. One night in 1966, he was performing at an Elks Club, where DJ and record producer Quinn Ivy happened to be in the audience. Sledge told NPR in 2004 that he hummed a melody for Ivy, who told him to go home and turn it into a song.
“So I went home and stayed home for two or three weeks,” Sledge said, “and came back and he asked me, he said, ‘Percy, have you come up with any lyrics on “Why’d You Leave Me Baby”?’