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.
Sweet Sixteen
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's walking round the house in a complete disguise
I don't know just how to tell you, just how she changed so fast
But she's the prettiest thing in my life at last
I'm ? a sliver moon, baby
I can't stand to see you in my bedroom
I'm moving with
I can't believe the way you hold me
I can't believe the way you console me
Oh, I wanna dance with my sweet love sixteen
Oh, the fellows wanna just touch her or hold her hand real tight
But she is the prettiest thing out here tonight, gentlemen
If the dancing gets good to you, lay down in your shawl
You try to move your body, you might lose control, tell you one thing
I don't believe the way you hold me
The way you console me
Oh god, I wanna dance with
My sweet love sixteen, alright
Tell you what I'll do, just talk with
Tell what I'll do unless you walk with
I believe I'll let ya sing baby
I don't want you to hold me
In Al Green's song Sweet Sixteen, the singer describes his love for a girl who has suddenly blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Despite her young age, she exudes both innocence and maturity as she walks around the house in a "complete disguise," garnering attention from all around her. The singer is clearly smitten, waking up early just to see her eyes and feeling as though she is the prettiest thing in his life at last. The chorus of the song expresses his desire to dance with her, to enjoy her company and feel her loving embrace. Even though other men may be interested in her, the singer feels lucky to have her by his side, and he wants to enjoy every moment with her.
Line by Line Meaning
You get up early in the morning just to see her eyes
You wake up early to admire her beauty as she walks around the house
She's walking round the house in a complete disguise
She's covering herself up in a way that makes her appear different
I don't know just how to tell you, just how she changed so fast
I'm not sure how to explain how quickly she transformed into the most beautiful thing in my life
But she's the prettiest thing in my life at last
Despite not knowing what happened, she has become the love of my life and is the most beautiful thing to me
Oh, I wanna dance with my sweet love sixteen
I want to dance with my beloved, who just turned 16
I can't believe the way you hold me
I'm amazed at how well you hold and comfort me
I can't believe the way you console me
I'm in disbelief at how much support you offer me
Oh the fellows wanna just touch her or hold her hand real tight
Other guys desire to get physically close to her
But she is the prettiest thing out here tonight, gentlemen
Despite their desires, she's the most beautiful one here
If the dancing gets good to you, lay down in your shawl
If the music and dancing are enjoyable, take a break in your shawl
You try to move your body, you might lose control, tell you one thing
Be careful while dancing, you might lose control
Tell you what I'll do, just talk with
Let's talk rather than dance all night
Tell what I'll do unless you walk with
I might leave unless we take a walk together
I believe I'll let ya sing baby
I might let you sing instead of dance
I don't want you to hold me
I don't need anyone else to hold me, only you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AL GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lacy DeBerry
Soul slamming jam! Get it Rev. Green!!!
D'Nale
REAL SOUL the Best Uncle Al Mr. Green
Mrpachuko13
Sure he was. Snorted just as much cocaine as little richard!! And would sing all night into the morning!!!
Felicia Rose
This is the song... Love and happiness was kool but this right here.