Sheffield in Colbert County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Percy Sledge
"When A Man Loves A Woman"
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Producer Quin Ivy
NORALA and Quinvy Studios
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, April 15, 2015
1. Percy Sledge Marker - Side 1
Percy Sledge
"When A Man Loves A Woman"
Hospital orderly Percy Sledge recorded 'When a Man Loves a Woman' at Quin Ivy's studio in 1966. Sledge's breakup with a girlfriend inspired the lyrics credited to songwriters Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright.
The release featured Marlin Greene (guitar), Spooner Oldham (Farfisa organ), Albert 'Junior' Lowe (bass), Roger Hawkins (drums), Jack Peck (trumpet), Bill Cofield (tenor sax), and Don Pollard (alto sax). Greene and Ivy produced the cut. At the request of Roger Hawkins, Ivy played the recording for Rick Hall, owner of FAME Studios. Hall felt it had hit potential and contacted Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler, who released it. The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was Atlantic's first certified gold record. Rolling Stone magazine ranks it number 54 among the best songs of all time.
Percy Sledge was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Spooner Oldham followed in 2009. Donna Jean Thatcher Godchaux, who sang backup on the hit, was inducted in 1994 with husband Keith Godchaux and other members of the Grateful Dead.
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Producer Quin Ivy
NORALA and Quinvy Studios
Record store owner and WLAY disc jockey Quin Ivy established North Alabama Recording Studio (NORALA) at 104 E. Second Street in Sheffield in 1965. He purchased used equipment, including Ampex 351 and Berlant mono tape recorders and a radio station console. Ivy mounted egg cartons on the studio walls to deaden stray frequencies.
The first song recorded at NORALA was Florence native Donna Jean Thatcher's "I'm Out of Touch." Several months later Percy Sledge cut the classic "When A Man Loves A Woman." With proceeds from the Sledge session, Ivy completed a better equipped studio across town in 1968 and named it Quinvy.
Ivy also produced Tony Borders, Buddy Causey, Jeanie Green, Z.Z. Hill, Ben E. King, Mickey Buckings and The New Breed, Don Varner, the U.S. Male and the Wee Juns.
Erected 2014 by Alabama Tourism Department.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Tourism Department series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1966.
Location. 34° 45.583′ N,
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, April 15, 2015
2. Producer Quin Ivy Norala and Quinvy Studios- Side 2
Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama and in the Shoals. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); History of Sheffield (about 500 feet away); In Memory of Our Comrades of Sheffield (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Singing River Sculpture
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, April 15, 2015
3. Percy Sledge/Producer Quin Ivy Norala and Quinvy Studios Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 16, 2015, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 1,865 times since then and 75 times this year. Last updated on May 18, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 16, 2015, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
