Green was born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He started performing at age ten in a Forrest City quartet called the Greene Brothers; he dropped the final "E" from his last name years later as a solo artist. They toured extensively in the mid-1950s in the South until the Greenes moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, when they began to tour around Michigan. His father kicked him out of the group because he caught Green listening to Jackie Wilson.
In 1967 at the age of 16, Al formed an R&B group, Al Green & the Creations, with several of his high-school friends. Two Creation members, Curtis Rogers and Palmer James, founded their own independent record company, Hot Line Music Journal, and had the group record for the label. By that time, the Creations had been re-named the Soul Mates. The group's first single, "Back Up Train," became a surprise hit, climbing to number five on the R&B charts early in 1968. The Soul Mates attempted to record another hit, but all of their subsequent singles failed to find an audience. In 1969, Al Green met bandleader and Hi Records vice president Willie Mitchell while on tour in Midland, Texas. Impressed with Green's voice, he signed the singer to Hi Records, and began collaborating with Al on his debut album
He was perhaps the ideal complement to the orchestral, syrupy, strong soul production work of Hi Records wizard Willie Mitchell, who also helmed 70s classics for Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles, and himself.
On October 18, 1974, Mary Woodson, a woman who was his longtime girlfriend, threw a large pot of sticky boiling grits on him as he was preparing to shower, because he didn't want to get married. She committed suicide in minutes, which deeply affected Green to turn to God and religion. This assault from behind caused third-degree burns on his back, stomach and arm. Deeply shaken, Green continued to reaffirm and grow closer to his deeply held love for God, and became an ordained pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis in 1976.
Continuing to record R&B, Green saw his sales start to slip and drew mixed reviews from critics. 1977's The Belle Album was critically acclaimed but did not regain his former mass audience. In 1979 Green injured himself falling off the stage while performing in Cincinnati and interpreted this as a message from God. He then concentrated his energies towards pastoring his church and gospel singing, also appearing in 1982 with Patti Labelle in the Broadway musical Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. According to Glide Magazine, "by the late 70s, he had begun concentrating almost exclusively on gospel music." His first gospel album was The Lord Will Make a Way. From 1981 to 1989 Green recorded a series of gospel recordings, garnering eight "soul gospel performance" Grammys in that period. In 1985, he reunited with Willie Mitchell along with Angelo Earl for He Is the Light, his first album for A&M Records. In 1984, director Robert Mugge released a documentary film, Gospel According to Al Green, including interviews about his life and footage from his church. In 1989, Green released "I Get Joy", again with producer/guitarist Angelo Earl. In 2001, he appeared in the movie and soundtrack of On the Line featuring Lance Bass.
After spending several years exclusively performing gospel, Green began to return to Rhythm & Blues. First, he released a duet with Annie Lennox, "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" for Scrooged, a 1988 Bill Murray film. In 1989 Green worked with producer Arthur Baker writing and producing the international hit "The Message Is Love". In 1991 he created the introductory theme song for the short-lived television series Good Sports featuring Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett. In 1992, Green recorded again with Baker, the Fine Young Cannibals, and reunited with his former Memphis mix engineer (this time functioning as producer) Terry Manning, to release the album Don't Look Back. His 1994 duet with country music singer Lyle Lovett blended country with R&B, garnering him his ninth Grammy, this time in a pop music category. Green's first secular album in some time was Your Heart's In Good Hands (1995), released to positive reviews but disappointing sales, the same year Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2000, Green published Take Me to the River, a book discussing his career. Green received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
In 2001, Green's live cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" was released on the soundtrack to Will Smith's film Ali (the song plays when Muhammad Ali learns of the death of close friend Malcolm X).
By 2003 Green released a non-religious (secular) album entitled I Can't Stop, his first collaboration with Willie Mitchell since 1985's He is the Light. In March 2005 he issued Everything's OK as the follow-up to I Can't Stop. Green also collaborated with Mitchell on this secular CD.
The title of Al Green's latest album Lay It Down released May, 2008, truly tells it like it is. Conceived as a collaboration between the soul legend and a handful of gifted young admirers from the worlds of contemporary R&B and hip hop, the album is drawn from a series of inspired sessions that yielded the most high-spirited, funky and often lushly romantic songs of Green's latter-day career.
The project features the sophisticated R&B voices of singer-songwriters John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae, and it was co-produced with Green by two of hip-hop's most innovative players, drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson from the Roots and keyboardist James Poyser , the go-to guy for high-profile artists ranging from Erykah Badu to Common. Add in Brooklyn's celebrated Dap-King Horns (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse), guitarist Chalmers "Spanky" Alford (Mighty Clouds of Joy, Joss Stone) and bassist Adam Blackstone (Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff), among others, and you've got a modern soul-music dream team, fronted by the most expressive voice in the business.
Driving Wheel
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And she don't have to rob and steal
Well, my baby don't have to work
And she don't have to rob and steal
Yes, I'll give her everything she needs
Cause I am her driving wheel
Yes, she left me this morning
Yes, she left me this morning
And she said she'd be back soon
Yes, she would be back early Friday mornin'
Or laid over Saturday afternoon
Yes, every time she walk
She shakes like a leaf tremblin' on a tree
Yes, when my baby walk down the street
She shakes like a leaf tremblin' on a tree
Yes, the women all hate her
But man, she's alright with me
Wo, I sent the U.N. a telegram
Don't want nobody else to break the seal
Wo, I sent the U.N. a telegram
Don't want nobody else to break the seal
I want the whole world to know
That I am my baby's driving wheel
The song "Driving Wheel" by Al Green tells a story of a man who loves his woman so much that he provides everything for her. He brags about how his woman doesn't have to steal or work because he is her driving wheel. He leaves it to the listener to interpret what exactly is meant by "driving wheel," but it's clear that he is offering himself as the backbone of the relationship.
The lyrics also mention his woman leaving him but assuring him of her return soon. He seems to trust her but also acknowledges that she may be unfaithful. He further describes his woman as shaking like a leaf when walking down the street, something that causes other women to hate her, but not him. The lyrics end with the man sending a telegram to the United Nations to declare that he is his baby's driving wheel and no one should break the seal of their relationship.
The song is a classic example of Al Green's soulful music, complete with his signature falsetto and catchy melodies. It's an upbeat and joyful ode to love, but with a hint of the reality of a turbulent relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, my baby don't have to work
My partner doesn't need to work for a living
And she don't have to rob and steal
Neither does she need to resort to unethical means to make a living
Yes, I'll give her everything she needs
I will provide her with all material requirements
Cause I am her driving wheel
I am the one who supports and motivates her to achieve her goals
Yes, she left me this morning
She went away from me earlier today
And she said she'd be back soon
She promised to return at a nearby time
Or laid over Saturday afternoon
Or she'll come back slightly later, on Saturday afternoon
Yes, every time she walk
Every time she walks
She shakes like a leaf tremblin' on a tree
She trembles and moves in a jittery manner
Yes, the women all hate her
Other women dislike her
But man, she's alright with me
But I still like her regardless
Wo, I sent the U.N. a telegram
I sent a message to the United Nations organization
Don't want nobody else to break the seal
Asking them to not interfere in our relationship
I want the whole world to know
I need to make sure everyone knows
That I am my baby's driving wheel
That I'm the one who's supporting and guiding our relationship
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ROOSEVELT SYKES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ROBERT FINCH
ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS BY REV AL GREEN THAT I GREW UP LISTENING TOO GREAT SONG 💯💯💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥👍🏽❤️😃
Serene Amani
You did. I grew up listening to the original by Little Junior Parker, Al's cousin.
gripperholmes91215
I vividly remember being seven when this album came out ( we had it on eight-track tape ) and asking my dad to turn this song up and my parents being in disbelief of my request, lol!!!
"I'm A Ram" is the ish also😁😁
Justin Paquette
I love this whole album
Dwight Hobbes
It had some grit to it.
jay john
Why was this not on the rnb stations as much as Tired of Being Alone? It sounds upbeat and positive.
Roberta un Black
Al you are definitely 👍 ❤ 💯 a Driving Wheel. Love Ro.
Ryan
Incredible re-working of an incredible Junior Parker song (which itself was a take on a 1936 song by Roosevelt Sykes).
Steve Spayde
Great stuff
Simon James Young
Closest to James Brown