Al Green Biography Quotes 5 Report mistakes
| 5 Quotes | |
| Born as | Albert Leornes Greene |
| Known as | Reverend Al Green |
| Occup. | Musician |
| From | USA |
| Born | April 13, 1946 Forrest City, Arkansas, USA |
| Age | 79 years |
Albert Leornes Greene was born on April 13, 1946, in Forrest City, Arkansas, and grew up in a large, musically inclined family that later moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Gospel music formed the bedrock of his early life; as a child he sang with siblings in a family group and soaked up church harmonies as naturally as breathing. By his mid-teens, he was captivated by the supple phrasing of Jackie Wilson and the crossover brilliance of Sam Cooke, inspirations that pushed him toward secular music. The shift strained household rules, and as a teenager he struck out on his own, determined to make his way as a singer. He formed groups on the Midwest circuit, eventually fronting Al Greene and the Soul Mates. In 1967 the group landed a modest national hit with Back Up Train, a signal that his voice could travel far beyond local stages.
Move to Memphis and Hi Records
Touring behind Back Up Train brought Greene into contact with producer and bandleader Willie Mitchell, a Memphis master of groove and atmosphere. Mitchell invited him to record at Royal Studios for Hi Records, a move that would define the next decade of American soul. Greene tightened his stage surname to Green and began a patient apprenticeship under Mitchell, who coaxed intimacy and control from the singer's remarkable range. Recording with the Hi Rhythm Section at Royal Studios gave Green a sonic home: spare, warm arrangements that let a whisper or sigh feel as powerful as a shout.
Breakthrough and Classic Era
The first real breakthrough came with Al Green Gets Next to You (1971), anchored by Tired of Being Alone, a lean statement of longing that revealed his gift for conversational phrasing. Then came the song that placed him in the pop pantheon: Let's Stay Together (1971), produced with Willie Mitchell and drummer Al Jackson Jr. Its seamless blend of tenderness and resolve topped the pop and R&B charts. A run of albums followed at extraordinary pace and consistency. I'm Still in Love with You (1972) yielded Love and Happiness and Look What You Done for Me, and Call Me (1973) offered Here I Am (Come and Take Me), You Ought to Be with Me, and the heartbreak torch title track. Green's records from this period defined sensual soul with a spiritual undertow, the voice both confiding and ecstatic.
Songcraft and Collaborators
Much of the magic came from a close circle at Royal Studios. Guitarist Mabon "Teenie" Hodges, with his brothers Charles (organ) and Leroy (bass), formed the core of the Hi Rhythm Section, while drummers Howard Grimes and Al Jackson Jr. shaped the pocket. Teenie Hodges co-wrote several of Green's signature songs, including Take Me to the River and Love and Happiness, marrying minimalist riffs to melodies that unfurled like prayers. Willie Mitchell's production philosophy favored air and space: muted horns, softly percolating organ, a relaxed bassline, the snare just behind the beat. In this setting, Green could bend a syllable into a story, turning restraint into drama. The team's consistency made his early 1970s albums feel like chapters of one long suite.
Turning Toward Ministry
Success brought pressures, and Green's life was marked by turbulence in the mid-1970s. In 1974, an incident at his Memphis home involving Mary Woodson, who scalded him with hot grits and then died by suicide, left him badly injured and shaken. The trauma deepened an inner struggle between the sacred call he had felt since childhood and the demands of pop stardom. He was ordained a pastor in 1976 and soon took the pulpit at the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis, a church he would shepherd for decades. An onstage injury later in the decade reinforced his decision to steer away from the secular spotlight. The Belle Album (1977), recorded with a more stripped-down, personal approach, sounded like a bridge between sensual soul and sanctified testimony.
Gospel Years and Honors
In the late 1970s and 1980s, Green channeled his voice into gospel, releasing a sequence of albums that won multiple Grammy Awards in gospel categories and affirmed his standing as a messenger of faith. Titles such as The Lord Will Make a Way and Precious Lord showcased a gentler, prayerful phrasing that placed congregation before crowd. At the Full Gospel Tabernacle, he balanced pastoral duties with recording and touring, leading services that often drew visitors from around the world. Critical recognition kept pace: he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, a nod not only to chart success but to the depth and originality of his contribution to American music.
Return to Secular Soul
Beginning in the 1990s, Green occasionally revisited secular material while maintaining his ministry. He reached a new generation with the 1988 duet Put a Little Love in Your Heart with Annie Lennox, then, in the 2000s, reunited with Willie Mitchell for I Can't Stop (2003) and Everything's OK (2005), albums that honored the Hi sound without embalming it. Lay It Down (2008) connected him to contemporary soul, produced by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and James Poyser, with sympathetic appearances from John Legend, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Anthony Hamilton. The project framed his still-supple voice in modern textures while preserving the quiet urgency that had always set him apart.
Personal Life and Relationships
Green's private life informed the vulnerability of his songs. His marriage to Shirley Kyles in the late 1970s ended in divorce, and she later described a difficult relationship. Despite turmoil, he sustained deep ties to his church community and the musicians who had shaped his sound. The Full Gospel Tabernacle remained a constant, with Green often leading services even while recording and touring. His circle from the Hi era, especially the Hodges brothers and Howard Grimes, remained integral to his musical identity, symbols of a craft built on trust as much as talent.
Artistry and Legacy
Al Green's legacy rests on a near-unmatched ability to merge intimacy and exaltation. He could turn a love song into liturgy and a hymn into a whispered confession, bridging Sunday morning and Saturday night without apology. The Hi Records collaborations with Willie Mitchell and the Hi Rhythm Section defined the sound of Memphis soul in the 1970s, their economy of means allowing feeling to sit at the center. The durability of his catalog is evident in the lives of his songs: Let's Stay Together became a standard across genres; Take Me to the River found new life in the hands of Talking Heads; Love and Happiness remains a template for simmering groove. Honors continued to gather, including a Kennedy Center Honor in 2014, but the truest measure of his impact is the way singers still study his phrasing and producers still chase the living-room warmth of Royal Studios. Whether in a sanctuary on a quiet Memphis morning or on a stage before thousands, Al Green made the private moment public and, in doing so, reshaped the language of soul.
Our collection contains 5 quotes who is written by Al, under the main topics: Parenting - Faith - Soulmate - Gratitude.
Other people realated to Al: Chris Bell (Politician)