The American gospel and soul singer was born
as Albert Green in 1946. Al was one of ten children in the family from
Arkansas. Al sang and toured in the 50s and 60s. He had success with Al Greene and the Soul
Mates in 1967 and was heard by band leader Willie Mitchell who took him on his
record label.
In 1970 Green had an album called Al Green
Gets Next To You which produced several hit singles. Tired Of Being Alone hit
the UK single charts in 1971 at No. 4 and was a gold single. The song was
actually recorded in 1969. The follow up was also a gold single the same year.
Let’s Stay Together got as high as No. 7
and was produced by Willie Mitchell. It became the bestselling single in 1972
on the Billboard charts. 1972 gave Al two singles one at No. 44 called Look
What You Done For Me.
The second was I’m Still In love With You a
No. 1 stateside but got only as high as No. 35 in the UK, but a gold single in
the U.S. Al could do no wrong with his songs on both sides of the Atlantic. As
You Ought To Be With Me scored a top ten in the U.S. as his follow up, but did
not chart in the UK.
1973 gave Al three hit singles in the top
ten and two going gold too. But Al was about to have a shock as in 1974 he
released a single called Lets Get Married which was a minor hit in the U.S. His
girlfriend wanted to marry Al, even though she was not married. She threw hot
frying pan of oil over him and then shot herself dead. This was a lucky escape
for Al as he wounds were not too serious, but from that point he began to turn
to religion and gospel music.
Amazingly the next hit in both UK and the
States was Sha La La ( Make Me Happy) which became another Gold single in the
U.S. The last hit single in the UK would come from 1975 called L.O.V.E (Love)
which Al co-wrote with Marbon Hodges.
Al Green had eight top ten albums and
twelve top thirty singles.
