Al Green: Difference between revisions

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| birth_date = {{birthBirth date and age|mf=yes|1946|4|13}}

Green's next album, ''[[Let's Stay Together (Al Green album)|Let's Stay Together]]'' (January 1972), solidified his place in soul music.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> The [[Let's Stay Together (Al Green song)|title track]] was his biggest hit to date, reaching No.number one on both the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|R&B]] charts.<ref name=":6">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/al-green/chart-history/bsi/|title=Al Green Chart History|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> The album became his first to be certified [[Music recording sales certification|gold]]. His follow-up, ''[[I'm Still in Love with You (Al Green album)|I'm Still in Love with You]]'' (October 1972), went platinum with the help of the singles "[[Look What You Done for Me]]" and the [[I'm Still in Love with You (Al Green song)|title track]], both of which went to the top 10 on the Hot 100. His next album, ''[[Call Me (Al Green album)|Call Me]]'' (April 1973), produced three top-10 singles: "[[You Ought to Be with Me]]", "[[Call Me (Come Back Home)]]", and "[[Here I Am (Come and Take Me)]]".<ref name=":6" /> In addition to these hit singles, Green also had radio hits with songs such as "[[Love and Happiness]]", his cover of the [[Bee Gees]]' "[[How Can You Mend a Broken Heart]]", "[[Simply Beautiful]]", "What a Wonderful Thing Love Is", and "[[Take Me to the River]]", (later covered successfully by [[New wave music|new wave]] band [[Talking Heads]] and blues artist [[Syl Johnson]]).

Green's album ''[[Livin' for You]]'' (December 1973) was certified gold.<ref name=":9" /> He continued to record successful R&B hits in the next several years, including "[[Livin' for You (song)|Livin' for You]]", "Sha-La-La (Makes Me Happy)" from his album ''[[Al Green Explores Your Mind]],'' "Let's Get Married", "[[L-O-V-E (Love)]]" and "[[Full of Fire (song)|Full of Fire]]".

By the time Green released ''[[The Belle Album]]'' in 1977, however, his record sales had plummeted, partially due to Green's own personal issues during this time and his desire to become a [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=Martin C. |last2=Peel |first2=John |title=The Great Rock Discography: Complete Discographies Listing Every Track Recorded by More Than 1,200 Artists |publisher=Canongate U.S. |year=2004 |page=628 |isbn=1-84195-615-5}}</ref> His last Hi Records album, ''[[Truth n' Time]]'', was released in 1978 and failed to becomechart atop success40.

Green returned to secular music in 1988 recording "[[Put a Little Love in Your Heart]]" with [[Annie Lennox]].<ref name="LarkinSM"/> Featured on the soundtrack to the movie ''[[Scrooged]]'', the song became Green's first top-10 pop hit since 1974. Green had a hit in 1989 with "The Message is Love" with producer [[Arthur Baker (musician)|Arthur Baker]]. Two years later, he recorded the theme song to the short-lived show ''[[Good Sports]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine | title = Good Sports | magazine = Entertainment Weekly | author = Tucker, Ken | url = httphttps://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,313123,00.html1991/01/25/good-sports/ | date=January 25, 1991}}</ref> In 1993, he signed with [[RCA Records|RCA]] and with Baker again as producer, released the album, ''Don't Look Back''. Green received his ninth Grammy award for his collaboration with [[Lyle Lovett]] for their duet of "[[Funny How Time Slips Away]]". Green's 1995 album, ''[[Your Heart's In Good Hands]]'', was released around the time that Green was inducted to the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].<ref name=thinice>{{cite book|last=Van Til|first=Reinder |author2=Olson, Gordon|title=Thin Ice: Coming of Age in Grand Rapids|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|year=2007|pages=225–226|isbn=978-0-8028-2478-3}}</ref> The one single released from the album, "[[Keep On Pushing Love (song)|Keep On Pushing Love]]", was described as "invoking the original, sparse sound of his [Green's] early classics".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1103846/a/Your+Heart's+In+Good+Hands.htm |title=Al Green – Your Heart's In Good Hands CD Album |website= CDuniverse.com |date=November 7, 1995 |access-date=April 18, 2014}}</ref>

In September 2013, Green's sister Maxine Green was reported missing from her assisted living home in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]]. According to her daughter Lasha, Green has not reached out to the family about his sister.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fox17online.com/2015/02/21/soul-singer-al-greens-sister-missing-18-months-family-let-the-public-know-your-sister-is-missing/|title=Soul singer Al Green's sister missing 18 months, family: "Let the public know your sister is missing"|date=February 21, 2015|website=fox17online.com}}</ref> As of March 2023, she is still missing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1ryBL-475k |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/d1ryBL-475k| archive-date=2021-12-December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Michigan Family Still Waiting for Answers 6 Years of Disappearance of Al Green's Sister|website=FOX 17 WXMI|date=November 27, 2019 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

*''[[Don't Look Back (Al Green album)|Don't Look Back]]'' (1993)

Green was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1995. In 2004, he was inducted into the [[Gospel Music Association]]'s [[Gospel Music Hall of Fame]]. That same year, he was inducted into [[The Songwriters Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C331 |title=Al Green Exhibit Home |publisher=Songwriters Hall of Fame |access-date=April 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208104750/http://songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C331 |archive-date=February 8, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Also in 2004, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine ranked him No.&nbsp;65 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.<ref name="justin">{{Cite web |last=Justin Timberlake |author-link=Justin Timberlake |title=The Immortals – The Greatest Artists of All Time: 65) Al Green |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7248227/the_immortals__the_greatest_artists_of_all_time_65_al_green |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220011031/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7248227/the_immortals__the_greatest_artists_of_all_time_65_al_green |archive-date=2008-02-February 20, 2008 |access-date=2021-04-April 28, 2021 |website=Rolling Stone Issue 946 |url-status=dead |publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 [[BET Awards]] on June 24, 2009.<ref>{{cite news| title = Al Green to scoop lifetime gong| work = BBC News| publisher = BBC| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7404146.stm | date=May 16, 2008 | access-date=January 1, 2010}}</ref>