Born in Arkansas, Al Green grew up with one foot in the church singing in the choir and one foot in the nightclub singing soul music. From age nine, he sang in a gospel group with his brothers (The Green Brothers) until, as the story goes, his father caught him listening to a Jackie Wilson album and kicked young Al out of the family business.
As if banished form the gates of Eden, Al Green went all the way in the other direction, forming an R&B group that toured in the same towns he traveled with his brothers. In the early 1970s when he teamed up with producer Willie Mitchell to create a series of hit records, including iconic songs like “Let’s Stay Together,” “Tired of Being Alone,” and “Love and Happiness.”
And what a voice, so smooth, full of passion and intent. Perhaps he had a voice that came from the divine, but it surely is full of carnal delights. How could one resist?
In 1974, this world caught up with the singer. In the midst of a torrid affair with Mary Woodson, she turned on him one night in a motel. While he relaxed in a tub, she poured boiling grits on him, causing second-degree burns. She then took her own life using Green’s gun.
He responded by turning back to god and giving up his secular career. He became Reverend Green leading a church outside Memphis. He returned to the stage years later, starting with a duet recording of “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” with Annie Lenox.
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YouTube: https://youtu.be/XXx6RDzR6eM?si=kZIOy1zlDCNjBZFb
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