Biography

Al Green is an American soul singer who achieved great success in the 1970s with his smooth, emotive sound. Born Albert Greene on April 13, 1946, in Forrest City, Arkansas, he was one of six children. His family relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, when he was still young. After hearing Sam Cooke on the radio, Green became interested in music and began singing in church at age nine. By the time he was a teenager, he had begun writing his own songs.

Early Career

Green moved to Memphis in 1967 and was signed to Hi Records. He released his debut album that same year, titled The Green Is Blues. Working with producer Willie Mitchell, Green continued to release albums throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. His 1971 album, Let’s Stay Together, featured the title track as well as “Tired of Being Alone” and “I’m Still in Love with You.” All three songs were hits, propelling the album to gold status.

Success

Green’s 1973 album Call Me included “You Ought to Be with Me” and “Here I Am (Come and Take Me).” It also included a cover of the Beatles’ “Let It Be” that was released as a single. That year saw him win his first Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. In 1974 he released the album Al Green Is Love; it included two Top 10 singles: “Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)” and “L-O-V-E (Love).” In 1975 he won another Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “Let’s Stay Together.”

Religious Awakening

In 1979 Green released The Lord Will Make a Way Somehow; it marked his return to gospel music following his religious conversion two years prior. He decided to focus on gospel after surviving an attack from a crazed female fan who poured boiling grits over him while he slept. He continued to record successful gospel albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s; in 2002 he released I Can't Stop. In 2004 Green released Everything’s OK; it earned him a Grammy for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album.