Al Green
Probably the most soulful minister anyone has ever encountered. Green was lured to Memphis from his native Forrest City, Arkansas, by producer Willie Mitchell in the 1970s and racked up seven top-10 soul hits in a three-year stretch, since selling more than 20 million records. He turned to gospel music after a religious conversion in 1973 and became an ordained preacher, founding the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Whitehaven, where he still serves as pastor. A multiple Grammy Award winner, he is a member of the Rock-and-Roll, Gospel, and Songwriters Halls of Fame, with albums listed in Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time. Named one of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” by Rolling Stone (ranked 66th), he was a Kennedy Center honoree in 2014. In 2018, he released “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” his first new work in 10 years.
