Percy Sledge

Southern soul singer Percy Sledge cemented his place in music history with his very first single, the raw and passionate 1966 classic “When a Man Loves a Woman.” • Born in Leighton, Alabama, Sledge began his music career in the vocal group The Esquires Combo while working as a hospital orderly and nurse.

• In 1965, Sledge caught the eye of DJ and producer Quin Ivy.

There are varying accounts of how they met, but Ivy invited Sledge to come and record at his Alabama studio.