Al Green

Al Green, born Albert Greene in Forrest City, Arkansas, is one of the defining voices of soul music, whose career embodies the genre's deep roots in gospel and its crossover into secular popular song. His family moved to the Grand Rapids, Michigan area during the Great Migration, and he began singing in church before pursuing a career in R&B, eventually settling in Memphis, where his partnership with producer and bandleader Willie Mitchell at Hi Records defined his signature sound. Together they crafted a smoother, more languid alternative to the faster, punchier arrangements associated with Motown, built around Green's extraordinary falsetto and gospel-inflected phrasing.

That sound produced some of the most enduring recordings in soul history, including «Let's Stay Together», «Love and Happiness», «Tired of Being Alone», «I'm Still in Love with You» and his version of «Take Me to the River». Green's vocal style — full of ecstatic cries, moans and improvisational flourishes drawn directly from gospel tradition — set him apart from his soul contemporaries and made his 1970s output some of the most influential and widely covered material in popular music.

Over the course of his career Green moved between secular soul stardom and a deepening commitment to gospel and ministry, a tension that has long been central to how his music and biography are understood. Widely regarded as one of the last great soul singers of his era, he remains a foundational figure whose influence extends across R&B, gospel and beyond.