Al Green

Albert Leornes Greene was born on April 13, 1946, in Forrest City, Arkansas, as the sixth of ten children born to Cora Lee and sharecropper Robert G. Greene Jr. At around the age of ten, Al began performing with his sister in a group called the Greene Brothers. During the late 1950s, the Greene family relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan. While still a teenager, Al was kicked out of the family home after his devoutly religious father caught him listening to Jackie Wilson. "[I listened to] Mahalia Jackson, all the great gospel singers. But the most important music to me was those hip-shakin' boys: Wilson Pickett and Elvis Presley. When I was 13, I just loved Elvis Presley. Whatever he got, I went out and bought." In high school, Al formed a vocal group called Al Greene & the Creations. Two of the group's members, Curtis Rodgers and Palmer James, formed an independent label called Hot Line Music Journal. In 1966, having changed their name to Al Greene & the Soul Mates, they recorded the song "Back Up Train", releasing it on Hot Line Music. The song was a hit on the R&B charts and peaked at No. 46 in the Cashbox Top 100. However, the group's subsequent follow-ups failed to chart, as did their debut album Back Up Train (1967). While performing with the Soul Mates, Green came into contact with Memphis record producer Willie Mitchell, who hired him in 1969 to be a vocalist for a Texas show with Mitchell's band. Following the performance, Mitchell asked Green to sign with his Hi Records label. ==Career==

Early success Having noted that Green had been trying to sing like Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, and James Brown, Mitchell became his vocal mentor, coaching him into finding his own voice. Before releasing his first album with Hi Records, Green removed the final "e" from his name. Subsequently, he released Green Is Blues (1969), which was a moderate success. His follow-up album, Al Green Gets Next to You (1971), featured the hit R&B cover of the Temptations' "I Can't Get Next to You", recorded in a slow blues-oriented style. '' in 1973 Green's next album, ''Let's Stay Together (January 1972), solidified his place in soul music. The album became his first to be certified gold. His follow-up, I'm Still in Love with You (October 1972), went platinum with the help of the singles "Look What You Done for Me" and the title track, both of which went to the top 10 on the Hot 100. His next album, Call Me (April 1973), produced three top-10 singles: "You Ought to Be with Me", "Call Me (Come Back Home)", and "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)". His last Hi Records album, Truth n' Time'', was released in 1978 and failed to chart in the top 40. Gospel recordings Continuing to record R&B, Green saw his sales start to slip and drew mixed reviews from critics. In 1979, he injured himself falling off the stage while performing in Cincinnati and took this as a message from God. He then concentrated on pastoring his church and gospel music. In 1982, Green co-starred with Patti LaBelle in the Broadway play Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. In 1984, director Robert Mugge released a documentary film, Gospel According to Al Green, including interviews about his life and footage from his church. In 1985, he reunited with Willie Mitchell along with Angelo Earl for He Is the Light, his first album for A&M Records. His 1987 follow-up, Soul Survivor, featured the minor hit "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", which reached No. 22 on the Billboard R&B chart, his first top-40 R&B hit since "I Feel Good" in 1978. In 1993, he signed with RCA and with Baker again as producer, released the album, ''Don't Look Back''. Green received his ninth Grammy award for his collaboration with Lyle Lovett for their duet of "Funny How Time Slips Away". Green's 1995 album, ''Your Heart's In Good Hands'', was released around the time that Green was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The one single released from the album, "Keep On Pushing Love", was described as "invoking the original, sparse sound of his [Green's] early classics". In 2000, Green released his autobiography, Take Me to the River. Two years later, he earned the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and recorded a hit R&B duet with Ann Nesby on the song, "Put It On Paper". Green again reunited with Willie Mitchell in 2003 for the album, ''I Can't Stop''. A year later, Green re-recorded his previous song, "Simply Beautiful", with Queen Latifah on the latter's album, The Dana Owens Album. In 2005, Green and Mitchell collaborated on ''Everything's OK''. Green's 2008 album, Lay It Down, was produced by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and James Poyser. It became Green's first album to reach the top 10 since the early 1970s. The album features a minor R&B hit with the ballad, "Stay with Me (By the Sea)", featuring John Legend, and also includes duets with Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae. During an interview for promotion of the album, Green admitted that he would have liked to duet with Marvin Gaye: "In those days, people didn't sing together like they do now." In 2009, Green recorded "People Get Ready" with Heather Headley on the album Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration. In 2010, Green performed "Let's Stay Together" on Later... with Jools Holland. On September 13, 2018, Al Green released his first new recording in almost over ten years, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls", most famously recorded by Freddy Fender in 1975. It was produced by Matt Ross-Spang and is part of Amazon Music's new "Produced By" series. In 2026, Green featured on "Goodbye Henry" with Raye on her album This Music May Contain Hope. ==Personal life==

On October 18, 1974, Green's girlfriend, Mary Woodson, assaulted him and then died by suicide at his Memphis home. Although unbeknownst to Green she was already married with three children, Woodson became upset when Green refused to marry her. She doused him with a pot of boiling grits as he was preparing for bed in the bathroom, causing second-degree burns on his back, stomach, and arms which required skin grafts. Police found an apparent suicide note inside Woodson's purse that declared her intentions and her reasons. A few days prior, Green had sent Woodson to convalesce at the home of his friend after she had taken a handful of sleeping pills and slit her wrists. Green refused to press charges. In 1976, Green established the Full Gospel Tabernacle church in Memphis. Green resides in Millington, and preaches near Memphis. He is a member of the Prince Hall Masons, the African-American wing of Freemasonry, at the thirty-third degree. In September 2013, Green's sister Maxine Green was reported missing from her assisted living home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. According to her daughter Lasha, Green has not reached out to the family about his sister. As of April 2026, she is still missing. Marriages and children On June 15, 1977, Green married his first wife Shirley Green (née Kyles) in Memphis. Originally from Chicago, she was one of his backing vocalists and an employee at his church. Together they have three daughters. Shirley first filed for divorce in 1978 on the ground of cruelty and irreconcilable differences. She filed again in 1981, charging that Green had subjected her to domestic violence throughout their marriage. According to Shirley, they separated several times when the beatings became "too frequent and too severe". Alva, Rubi, and Kora were born to Green and his ex-wife Shirley. Green was reportedly remarried by the 1990s. The civil suit was dropped because of "conflicting testimony", but in 1975, they settled a $100,000 lawsuit for assault and battery charges. In 1977, Green and his former organ player Larry Robinson were arrested for assault on Memorial Day in Irving, Texas. According to Robinson, Green and his bodyguards jumped him when he confronted Green about owed money from previous gigs. They both posted bond on a misdemeanor charge. In 1978, Green was charged with assault and battery for allegedly beating a woman unconscious with a tree limb. The charges were dismissed after the woman, who had moved, did not receive a subpoena and therefore missed the court date. ==Discography==

Green has been nominated for 21 Grammy Awards, winning 11, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2004, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame. That same year, he was inducted into The Songwriters Hall of Fame. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 65 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 BET Awards on June 24, 2008. On August 26, 2004, Green was honored as a BMI Icon at the annual BMI Urban Awards. He joined a list of previous Icon honorees that included R&B legends James Brown, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley. Green was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2009. He was recognized on December 7, 2014, as a Kennedy Center Honors recipient. In his signature song "Walking In Memphis", singer/songwriter Marc Cohn mentions Green by name. Cohn's inspiration for the song came from a trip to Memphis, including listening to a sermon by Green. ==See also==