Another loss

(This post is dedicated to Artie Friedman).

As reported within the last hour by KATC.com:

Percy Sledge, the soul singer who took "When a Man Loves a Woman" to the top of the charts in 1966, died this morning at his Baton Rouge home. He was 73. 

Prior to becoming a recording artist, Sledge worked as a hospital nurse. He caught his big break when he recorded "When a Man Loves a Woman." Sledge took the track, his debut single, to number one on both the Billboard Hot 100, where it spent two weeks at the summit, and on the Billboard R&B Chart, where it held the top spot for six weeks. The song also reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom twice--going to #4 upon its original release and reaching #2 when it was re-released in 1987. The song found new life in the United States in 1991 when Michael Bolton's cover of "When a Man Loves a Woman" topped the Billboard Hot 100. 

Thursday will mark the 49th anniversary of the release of "When a Man Loves a Woman" as a single. 

His other hits included "Warm and Tender Love" (Pop #17, R&B #5), "It Tears Me Up" (Pop #20, R&B #7), and "Take Time to Know Her" (Pop #11, R&B #6).

 Even after his chart success fizzled, Sledge remained a fixture in the music industry, releasing albums and touring the United States to perform live in concert.

 

His contributions to the music industry earned him a number of awards, including a Blues Music Award, a Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award, and induction into the Delta Music, Louisiana Music, and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame. 

"He was a wonderful guy in a terrible business," said Steve Green with Artists International Management, Inc., the talent agency that represented Sledge. "He was truly a standout."

 Sledge is survived by his wife and children. Funeral arrangements are pending.

For my part, two comments: like most everyone, I thought "When a Man Loves a Woman" was a wonderful song, an instant classic. But I hated one of its lines: "... turn his back on his best friend if he puts her down." I always thought best friends were more important than girlfriends.

But then I would, wouldn't I?

Also, the list above leaves out a favorite Sledge song: "Out of Left Field." (Listen to it here). It, the ones named above, and 99 others are found on one of my favorite box sets: Percy Sledge The Atlantic Recordings (pictured right). Hardly a loser in the group.

And finally, two minutes eleven seconds into his iconic song, what does he really sing: "When a man loves a woman / he can do her no wrong / he can never ___ some other girl." For my money, the word is "hump."

True that.