Calvin Lewis

“When a Man Loves a Woman” was co-written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright. Both writers played with the timeless and incredibly talented Percy Sledge, the original artist to perform the song and make it famous. “When a Man Loves Woman” made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts and was a top ten hit in the UK, peaking at number four on its initial release and then at number two in 1987 (after it was featured in a Levi’s 501 Jeans commercial). The song was 54th in the List of Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest songs of all time.

The song came into the spotlight yet again in 1991, when it was covered by Michael Bolton. His version hit number one on both the U.S. Pop and Adult Contemporary Singles charts, and he also received a Grammy Award for it. The legendary Barbara Mandrell recorded a Country version of “When a Man Loves a Woman” that same year. Over the years it has also been covered by Marvin Gaye, Jerry Butler, Art Garfunkel, Bette Midler, and countless other artists.