Percy Sledge Recorded 'When a Man Loves a Woman' — Then Gave the Whole Song Away

Description:
A hospital orderly walked into a tiny Alabama studio and sang one of the greatest love songs ever recorded. Then he did something almost no one has ever understood. In the spring of 1966, in a small room above a drugstore in Sheffield, Alabama, Percy Sledge recorded 'When a Man Loves a Woman' in nearly a single take. It became a number one record and one of the first gold records Atlantic ever earned. But when it came time to put names on the song, Percy Sledge made a quiet choice that would cost him a fortune he never saw — and never asked to keep. This is the forgotten story of the man behind the song, the melody born from heartbreak on a smoky bandstand, and the loyalty that mattered to him more than money. Featuring Percy Sledge, Quin Ivy, Jerry Wexler, Atlantic Records, the Muscle Shoals sound, Sheffield, Alabama, Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, and one of the defining moments of 1960s classic soul. 00:00 — A small studio above an Alabama drugstore, 1966 01:45 — The hospital orderly who sang to the sick 04:15 — The heartbreak and the bandstand where the melody was born 06:30 — One take at Quin Ivy's studio and the choice that followed 09:00 — A number one record and the fortune he gave away 11:00 — What the song revealed about the man who sang it