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Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
-- inducted 1995
Al Green has been called 'the quintessential soul man'
and certainly his highly distinctive vocal style has not only
assured him a permanent place in contemporary history but inspired a whole generation of young singers.
 An eight-time Grammy winner and
inductee into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Al Green has been thrilling
audiences the world over with his emotive blend of gospel and R&B
for close to three decades now. Making great music is
nothing new for Al Green, who was ordained as the pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis in 1976.
Born in Forrest City, Arkansas, Al's earliest years
were steeped in gospel: he toured with his father Robert Green as part
of the family group The Green Brothers. Moving to Grand Rapids,
Michigan in the mid-'60s, he formed his own group Al Green and the
Creations before becoming lead singer with another group known as
The Soul Mates. It was with this musical team that Al first tasted
chart success when the song "Back Up Train" became a Top 5
R&B hit and Top 50 single as 1967 became 1968.
Two years later, Al Green began his solo career, singing with Memphis-based Hi Records. Teaming
with producer and noted instrumentalist Willie Mitchell in 1970, Al
spent the next eight years racking up an unprecedented eight
million-selling singles including "Tired Of Being Alone,"
"Let's Stay Together," "Look What You Done For Me," "I'm Still In Love With
You," "You Ought To Be With Me," "Call Me (Come Back Home)," "Here I
Am (Come And Take Me)" and "Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)."
In all, Al enjoyed six R&B chart-toppers out of some
twenty-six hit singles from 1970 to 1979. Fourteen of Al's albums
appeared on the nation's Top 200 charts, five of which were certified
gold. Al's exciting 'live' performances garnered rave reviews and won
him a loyal fan base throughout the world.
Other triumphs included a stint in the Broadway
musical "Your Arm's Too Short To Box With God" (with Patti
LaBelle), and in 1983, Al recorded his first all-gospel album
"The Lord Will Make A Way." Over the next six years, the
right Reverend Green recorded nine best selling gospel albums,
returning to the secular music charts in 1987 with "Everything Is
Gonna Be Alright." A year later, a duet with Annie Lennox
covering the '70s classic, "Put A Little Love In Your Heart"
(featured on the soundtrack for the movie "Scrooged") gave
Al a Top 20 pop hit. In 1989, "As Long As We're Together,"
featuring singer Al B. Sure!, took Al Green back to the R&B Top 30 for
the first time in ten years.
While continuing with his ministry in
Memphis, Al Green has taken time to tour worldwide over the past few years.
Performing a mixture of gospel and R&B favorites, his global
audience has continued to expand and in 1993, he began recording for
BMG International. That year, his first album for the company
"Don't Look Back" was released in different territories
outside of the U.S. and eight of the tracks form the basis for "Your
Heart's In Good Hands."
Al Green's association with MCA Records began as a result
of his participation on the company's platinum-plus "Rhythm,
Country and Blues." His duet with Lyle Lovett on "Funny How
Time Slips Away" was one of the album's standouts, prompting Al
Teller, CEO of MCA's Music Entertainment, a longtime admirer of Al
Green's soulful vocal style to work with BMG International to secure
the U.S. release of Al's first all-secular album since 1977's
"Belle" set.
With a "Greatest Hits" album on the
nation's Top 200 album chart, 1995 appearances on major television
shows (including "The Tonight show with Jay
Leno" and "The
David Letterman Show") and a show-stopping performance with soul
queen Aretha Franklin at the opening of The Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame, Al's career is reaching a new plateau. Al Green
is a one-of-a-kind artist, a soul legend whose music bridges
generations, and is quite simply timeless.
Hit songs include --
- Full Of Fire
- I'm Still In Love With You
- L-O-V-E (Love)
- Let's Stay Together
- Livin' for You
- You Ought To Be With Me
- Call Me (Come Back Home)
- Here I Am (Come And Take Me)
- Look What You Done For Me
- Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)
- Let's Get Married
- Keep Me Cryin'
Al Green may be available for your next special event!
For booking information, click
HERE!
Genre: ..R&B, ..Gospel
Styles:
..Smooth Soul
..Memphis Soul
..Pop-Soul
..Contemporary Gospel
..R&B
..Soul
Years active:
..70s, ..80s, ..90s, ..00s
Born: ..in Arkansas
..in Forrest City
Apr 13, 1946
Raised: ..in Michigan
..in Grand Rapids
Based: ..in Tennessee
..in Memphis
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