By Keefer
May 28, 2021
1966 - Percy Sledge started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "When A Man Loves A Woman". Before the recording session, the song had no title or lyrics. When it came time to record the vocals, Sledge improvised the lyrics with minimal pre-planning, using the melody as a guide for rhythm and phrasing. Percy Sledge said that when he originally sang this, he had in mind Lizz King, his girlfriend of three years who left him for a modeling job in Los Angeles. Said Sledge: "I didn't have any money to go after her, so there was nothing I could do to try and get her back."