Percy Sledge

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  • Year:
    2005
  • Inducted by:
    Rod Stewart (Faces/Small Faces)
  • Category:
    Performers
percy_sledge

Introduction

The sorrowful, soulful voice behind the soul classic “When a Man Loves a Woman.”

Percy Sledge delivered soul with a conviction and emotion that still resonate today. His imploring, anguished ballads made him a Southern soul hero.

Hall of Fame Essay

2005

Tom Silverman

It was 1966. The year was best known for the release of the historic Pet Sounds album, but it also saw the first Number One hit for Simon and Garfunkel, with “Sounds of Silence”; the Monkees, with “Last Train to Clarksville”; and Tommy James and the Shondells, with “Hanky Panky.”

In fact, more than one third of that year’s Number One hits were by artists who had never before charted. One of these, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” would go on to become the most remembered rhythm & blues record of that year. Percy Sledge’s powerful voice, coupled  with his Sunday-go-to-meeting innocence, rang true to millions of listeners worldwide.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Program Cover 2005
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