Biography
Who is Al Green?
Early life and real name
Al Green was born Albert Leornes Greene on April 13, 1946, in Forrest City, Arkansas. He was the sixth of ten children born to Cora Lee and Robert G. Greene Jr. Around the age of ten, Al began performing with his sister in a group called the Greene Brothers. During the late 1950s, his family relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
While he was still a teenager, Al was asked to leave his family home after his father caught him listening to popular music by Jackie Wilson. In high school, Al formed a vocal group named Al Greene and the Creations. Two members of this group later helped establish Hot Line Music Journal, an independent record label where Al recorded early tracks.
How Al became famous
While performing with his group, Al came into contact with Memphis record producer Willie Mitchell in 1969. Mitchell hired him as a vocalist for a show in Texas and subsequently signed him to the Hi Records label. Mitchell became Al's vocal mentor, helping him develop his own unique singing style after initially trying to sound like other artists.
Al released his album Green Is Blues in 1969, followed by Al Green Gets Next to You in 1971. The second album featured his first significant hit, Tired of Being Alone, which sold a million copies and achieved gold certification. This success launched a string of hit singles and established Al as a major force in soul music.
Career highlights
In January 1972, Al released the album Let's Stay Together, which secured his prominent place in soul music. The title track reached number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts, becoming his biggest hit. His subsequent albums, including I'm Still in Love with You and Call Me, produced multiple top-10 singles like Love and Happiness and Take Me to the River.
Al was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. He is also the winner of 11 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, he has received the BMI Icon award and is a Kennedy Center Honors recipient.
Gospel recordings and later career
Following an accidental fall off a stage in Cincinnati in 1979, Al concentrated on pastoring his church and recording gospel music. From 1981 to 1989, he recorded a series of gospel albums, including The Lord Will Make a Way, which earned him his first Grammy Award in the Best Soul Gospel Performance category.
Al eventually returned to secular music, recording Put a Little Love in Your Heart with Annie Lennox for the movie Scrooged in 1988. He continued to release collaborative albums and new recordings in the following decades, including the 2008 album Lay It Down, which was produced by Ahmir Questlove Thompson and James Poyser.
Birthday and age
Al Green was born on April 13, 1946, which makes Al 80 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Al shares the date with 30 other famous people.
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