Percy Sledge, who
sang 'When A Man
Loves a Woman,' dies
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MUSCLE SHOALS, Alabama ? Percy Sledge, who
soared from part-time singer and hospital orderly to last
ing fame with his aching, forlorn performance on the clas
sic "When a Man Loves a Woman," died Tuesday, April
14, in Louisiana. He was 74.
His family said in a state
manager, Mark Lyman, that
he died "peacefully" at his
home in Baton Rouge after a
yearlong struggle with can
cer. The cause of death was
liver failure, Lyman said.
A No. 1 hit in 1966,
"When a Man Loves a
Woman" was Sledge's debut
single, an almost unbearably
heartfelt ballad with a reso
nance he never approached
again. Sledge said the song
was inspired by a girlfriend
who left him for a modeling
career after he was laid off
from a construction job in
1965. But in a decision that
Slwdge
likely cost him a tortune, he
gave the songwriting credits to two Esquires bandmates,
bassist Calvin Lewis
and organist Andrew
Wright, who helped
him with it.
The song was a
personal triumph for
Sledge, who seemed
on the verge of sob
bing throughout the
production, and a
breakthrough for
Southern soul. It was
the first No. 1 hit
from the burgeoning
Muscle Shoals music
scene in northern Alabama, where Aretha Franklin and the
Rolling Stones among others would record, and the first
gold record for Atlantic Records.
Recognizable by his wide, gap-toothed smile. Sledge
had a handful of other hits between 1966 and 1968,
including "Warm and Tender Love," "It Tears Me Up,"
"Out of Left Field" and 'Take Time to Know Her." He
returned to the charts in 1974 with XT11 Be Your
Everything."
While identified with Muscle Shoals, Sledge lived for
most of his career in Baton Rouge. He was inducted into
the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1993, the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 2005 and the Louisiana
Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
He is survived by his wife and 12 children, Lyman
said.
The band room name of Harry D. Wheeler is on the outside of Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy.
Program to name three high school
band rooms set for Saturday
SPECIAL TO THE
CHRONICLE
The dedication pro
gram to name three high
school band rooms in
honor of their former direc
tors will be Saturday, April
25, in the auditorium of
Carver High School, 3545
Carver School Road, from
2 to 4:30 p.m.
The rooms will be
named for Rudolph V.
Boone, Sr. (Carver High
School), Bernard T. Foy,
Sr. (Paisley IB Magnet
School) and Harry D.
Wheeler (Winston-Salem
Preparatory Academy).
The public is invited to
attend.
The program will cele
brate the long and dedicat
ed service of these music
educators. It will be like a
joint reunion of families,
former students, co-work
ers, friends and admirers.
Tickets are a $25 con
tribution per person, with
proceeds (after all expenses
are paid) to benefit scholar
ships and other community
projects of The Big 4
Alumni Association of
Forsyth County Inc., the
group sponsoring the
event.
Tickets may be pur
chased from Big 4 active
members/officers, hon
orees' families or at the
door Saturday.
The program will
include music by: The Big
4 Choir, directed by Eddie
Bines; The New South
Brass, directed by Gary
Hastings; The Healing
Force; and Keith Byrd and
Friends Jazz Ensemble.
Elected officials, for
mer students and co-work
ers of the three band direc
tors, and others will be on
the program. Nell Davis
Britton and Gary Hastings
will do special solo presen
tations. Renee Vaughn, co
host of the Tom Joyner
Morning Show, 97.1 QMG
will be the mistress of cere
mony.
Beverly F. Williams, a
graduate of Anderson High
School (336-776-1893) is
coordinator of the event.
Eric Martin is president
of the Big 4 AA of PC.
Juan Eckard, band
director at Carver, some of
his students and boosters
will assist where needed.
Travis Taylor is the
principal of Carver High
School.
The band room name of Rudolph V. Boone Sr. is on
the outside of Carver High School.
Your passion today.
Your profession tomorrow.
Training talented students, from high school to graduate school, in the
performing, visual and moving image arts to be professional artists.
Presenting more than 300 public performances and screenings annually.
UICSAP
Photography by Peter Mueller and Drew Davis
admissions@uncsa.edu
336-770-3290
www.uncsa.edu
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www.uncsaevents.com
University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, N.C.