Day Tripping: November 25

Hit Maker

Percy Sledge was born in Leighton, Alabama in 1940. As a young man, he worked in the fields of agricultural Alabama with a tune that kept running in his head.

In the early 1960s, he took a job as an orderly in a local hospital and toured on weekends, singing with the Esquires. A former patient and friend introduced Sledge to record producer Quin Ivy.

“I keep my feet on the ground because of my roots and the way I was raised.”

Percy was hired to sing soul ballads, but his first recording was the tune from his field working days. His inspiration for the lyrics came when a girlfriend left him for a modeling career the year before.

In 1966, When A Man Loves A Woman launched Percy’s singing career. The song became a hit in the UK twice, and his greatest success came in the Netherlands, Germany, and South Africa where he performed 100 dates each year.

Today is:

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women — another day that needs at least a generation of daily practice to take hold.

Musical Ride

Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, The Staple Singers, Ronnie Hawkins, and Dr. John were all featured performers with The Band in the greatest farewell concert of all time in 1976.

The Last Waltz film was directed by Martin Scorcese and it stands the test of time.

Interesting Notes

The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie opened at the Ambassadors Theatre in London in 1952. Sixty-nine years and still going, it is the longest continuously running play in history.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Fidel Castro was one of the most polarizing figures of the 20th century. The Cuban revolutionary led the island nation for five decades. Castro died in 2016 at 90.

Notable Births

1920 — Ricardo Montalbán: “It is to TV that I owe my freedom from bondage of the Latin lover roles. Television came along and gave me parts to chew on. It gave me wings as an actor.”

1971 — Christina Applegate: “There is something about laughter that can take away all the darkness.”

K. Barrett Maria Rattray Maryam Merchant Dr. Mehmet Yildiz Tree Langdon Myriam Ben Salem Phil Truman Chelsea Mandler MAT Terry Mansfield Hollie Petit, Ph.D. Terry Trueman Dr. Preeti Singh John Gruber Bill Abbate James G Brennan ScienceDuuude Marcus Liam Ireland Claire Kelly Noorain Hassan, BMS Amy Pierovich David Acaster Nora Thewriteyard David Perlmutter Joe Luca Holly Kellums Michael Burg, MD Lucy Dan Dave Logan

All previous Day Tripping entries are available at the following links:

The Story Of Day Tripping Through History What’s Past Is Often Present

A comprehensive directory for Day Tripping