Al Green
A soul pioneer whose silken voice defined 1970s romance, he later traded secular stardom for a life as a gospel-preaching pastor.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American soul singer, songwriter and pastor·Birthday: April 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Al Green's journey is a story of two callings. The first was to music. Discovered by bandleader Willie Mitchell in Texas, Green was brought to Memphis and forged a sound that was the very essence of early-70s soul: intimate, vulnerable, and impossibly smooth. Hits like 'Let's Stay Together' and 'Love and Happiness' were not just songs; they were emotional blueprints, with Green's voice—a fragile falsetto giving way to a gritty shout—conveying both ecstasy and profound doubt. His life took a dramatic turn in 1974 when a former girlfriend assaulted him and then died by suicide. This trauma, coupled with a spiritual awakening, led him to purchase the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis and become an ordained pastor. He largely turned his back on pop, dedicating himself to gospel music, which earned him multiple Grammys. For decades, Reverend Green has presided over his church, only occasionally revisiting his secular classics, a living bridge between the pulpit and the chart-topping pleasures of the body and heart.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Al was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Al Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Al's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- He recorded the timeless soul standard 'Let's Stay Together,' which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.
- He won 11 Grammy Awards, primarily in gospel categories, after his shift to sacred music.
- He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
- His album 'Call Me' (1973) is consistently ranked among the greatest soul albums of all time.
Did You Know?
He was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2014 for his contributions to American culture.
President Barack Obama famously sang a snippet of 'Let's Stay Together' during a fundraiser in 2012.
A pot of hot grits thrown by his girlfriend was the cause of the severe burns he suffered in 1974.
“You can't make people love you, but you can give them something to love you for.”
