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.
Ride Sally Ride
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sally was a girl that lived in Memphis
Was down on all the latest dances
I found the groove and Sally start to move
And all the guys taking chances and everybody would say
Ride Sally ride, is all you gotta do wipe your weepin' eyes
Shake it to the west now, baby, hey, baby just
Shake now, shake it, shake, shake it, yeah
Sally would dance all night long, this is what I say to you, yeah
How we fly we doin' till we die
We dancin' till the night is through
Everybody sing
Ride Sally ride, oh, make me feel good
Wipe your weeping eyes, all you gotta do is
Tell you just shake it to the east now, baby, I'd keep on sayin'
Shake it to the west now, baby, gettin' good, I said
Shake it, shake it, babe
Shake it, yeah, shake it, yeah
Early in the morning yeah
In the evenin' go on and shake it, hey, hey baby
Ride Sally ride
Lord, have mercy
Wipe your weeping eyes
Ride Sally ride
Al Green's song "Ride Sally Ride" is an upbeat and groovy track that tells the story of a girl named Sally who loves to dance. The lyrics paint a picture of a lively and fun-loving girl who is down on all the latest dances in Memphis. Sally is a hit among the guys who take chances just to dance with her. The singer finds his groove and Sally starts to move. The chorus, "Ride Sally ride, is all you gotta do wipe your weeping eyes, Tell you just shake it to the east now, baby, yeah just Shake it to the west now, baby, hey, baby just Shake now, shake it, shake, shake it, yeah," encourages Sally to keep dancing and enjoying herself.
The song's lyrics are basically telling Sally to keep dancing, shake it to the east, and shake it to the west. It is a timeless song that encourages listeners to let loose and dance, no matter how good or bad one is at the art. The chorus of the song is catchy and emphasizes the "ride" Sally should take in her dance moves. Al Green's soulful voice adds another layer of groove to the song that is hard to resist. Overall, "Ride Sally Ride" is a fun, energetic, and lively song that celebrates dancing and having a good time.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, again
This is a repetition of previous experiences with Sally
Sally was a girl that lived in Memphis
Sally is hometown girl who lives in Memphis
Was down on all the latest dances
Sally was aware of all the latest dance moves
I found the groove and Sally start to move
Al Green found rhythm, and Sally started moving according to the rhythm
And all the guys taking chances and everybody would say
All the guys wanted to dance with Sally, and everybody talked about her dancing skills
Ride Sally ride, is all you gotta do wipe your weepin' eyes
Sally just needs to let go and enjoy the music, and forget her past sorrows
Tell you just shake it to the east now, baby, yeah just
Sally needs to shake her hips to the east
Shake it to the west now, baby, hey, baby just
Then shake her hips to the west
Shake now, shake it, shake, shake it, yeah
The message is clear, Sally needs to keep shaking
Sally would dance all night long, this is what I say to you, yeah
Sally would dance all night long, just as Al Green is now telling us about it
How we fly we doin' till we die
We are living life to the fullest, but we're not afraid of death
We dancin' till the night is through
We will keep dancing until the night ends
Everybody sing
Everyone is enjoying the music and wants to join in
Ride Sally ride, oh, make me feel good
The music and the rhythm are making Al Green feel good, and he wants Sally to enjoy it too
Wipe your weeping eyes, all you gotta do is
Sally should forget her past and enjoy the present moment
Tell you just shake it to the east now, baby, I'd keep on sayin'
Once again, Sally should shake her hips to the east
Shake it to the west now, baby, gettin' good, I said
And then shake them to the west; it's only getting better
Shake it, shake it, babe
Al Green is encouraging Sally to keep up the shaking
Shake it, yeah, shake it, yeah
Again, keep dancing and shaking
Early in the morning yeah
Even in the early morning hours, Sally should keep dancing
In the evenin' go on and shake it, hey, hey baby
She should shake it in the evening too, with enthusiasm
Ride Sally ride
Sally should let go and let the music ride her to a beautiful journey
Lord, have mercy
The music is powerful, and it deserves a higher power's mercy
Wipe your weeping eyes
Just forget your past sorrows and let the music heal them
Ride Sally ride
Once again, Sally should let the music ride her to a beautiful journey
Contributed by Michael N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
siemon j. franken
'Yeah, again
Sally was a girl that lived in Memphis
Was down on all the latest dances
I found the groove and Sally start to move
And all the guys taking chances and everybody would say
Ride Sally ride, is all you gotta do wipe your weepin' eyes
Tell you just shake it to the east now, baby, yeah just
Shake it to the west now, baby, hey, baby just
Shake now, shake it, shake, shake it, yeah
Sally would dance all night long, this is what I say to you, yeah
How we fly we doin' till we die
We dancin' till the night is through
Everybody sing
Ride Sally ride, oh, make me feel good
Wipe your weeping eyes, all you gotta do is
Tell you just shake it to the east now, baby, I'd keep on sayin'
Shake it to the west now, baby, gettin' good, I said
Shake it, shake it, babe
Shake it, yeah, shake it, yeah
Early in the morning yeah
In the evenin' go on and shake it, hey, hey baby
Ride Sally ride
Lord, have mercy
Wipe your weeping eyes
Ride Sally ride...'
; 7 ]
mzruben1
I hope you guys know Al Green is still very much alive. GO AL. Love you.
WhoSmokesThaBlunts
Late 2021 update, still alive
Bertha Antoinetta Mason
Early 2022 update, still alive
R H
Nope
ROBERT FINCH
ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS FROM AL GREEN THANKYOU AND GOD BLESS YOU ALWAY'S.
Allstarall
LOVE IT!!!!!
doug harvey
He is the man, all music should have this groove
siemon j. franken
'Yeah, again
Sally was a girl that lived in Memphis
Was down on all the latest dances
I found the groove and Sally start to move
And all the guys taking chances and everybody would say
Ride Sally ride, is all you gotta do wipe your weepin' eyes
Tell you just shake it to the east now, baby, yeah just
Shake it to the west now, baby, hey, baby just
Shake now, shake it, shake, shake it, yeah
Sally would dance all night long, this is what I say to you, yeah
How we fly we doin' till we die
We dancin' till the night is through
Everybody sing
Ride Sally ride, oh, make me feel good
Wipe your weeping eyes, all you gotta do is
Tell you just shake it to the east now, baby, I'd keep on sayin'
Shake it to the west now, baby, gettin' good, I said
Shake it, shake it, babe
Shake it, yeah, shake it, yeah
Early in the morning yeah
In the evenin' go on and shake it, hey, hey baby
Ride Sally ride
Lord, have mercy
Wipe your weeping eyes
Ride Sally ride...'
; 7 ]
mzruben1
Just sit back and let this RAM do his thing. No one can do it like him but him. love you baby. Go on Sally. Haha.
Jason Zerbe
Ilove it