Biofile Al Green Interview

By Scoop Malinowski

STATUS: Recording artist won eleven Grammy Awards including one for “Lifetime Achievements.”
DOB: April 13, 1946 IN: Forrest City, Arkansas.
CHILDHOOD HEROES: Dionne Warwick, Sam Cooke.
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Farm life in Memphis, write music, play and write music [smiles].
FAVORITE MOVIES: My favorite movies really are nature movies. Anything about nature is good, I like that – Old Yeller, White Fang.
MUSICAL TASTES: Everybody on the radio. Those making great headway in the music sector – Hip-hop, pop, R&B, jazz, gospel, Pink, Branford Marsalis.
EARLY MUSIC MEMORY: Childhood memories of singing at Chrismastime, singing Silent Night with my family.

PRE-PERFORMANCE FEELING: Jitters.
GREATEST CAREER MOMENT: The greatest moment of my career is seeing someone actually get something out of what we do. And the songs we do. If the song means something to them. The greatest moment for me is if there was a great moment for them.
MOST PAINFUL MOMENT: Is when I couldn’t go to Los Angeles with Willie Mitchell (bandleader, producer and VP of Hi Records) and Ann Peebles. And I couldn’t go because they didn’t have enough room in the bus to carry me. So I couldn’t go. And I cried. Oh my God, it was 1970. I was just starting. They were going to California to play a tour and I wanted to go. But I didn’t have a record then.
FUNNY MUSIC MEMORY: This is like one of those psychological questionnaires [laughs]! My funny memory? Let me see…when I…I really had a lucky career. A blessed career. I take every day as a wonderful day and as a chance. So I take every day as a blessing for me.
PEOPLE MOST ADMIRED: To me, the ultimate is to be of some value, some use to someone else. I like people who are able to serve the people, bearing a positive message.
CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1995; sold over 40,000,000 albums; his smash hits include ‘Let’s Stay Together’, ‘Love & Happiness’, ‘I’m Still In Love With You’, ‘Call Me.’

Al Green “I’m Still In Love With You”