Al Green - Southern Soul Superstar

I have had large issues figuring out what to do with Al since he is so obvious and it feels like you should all already have these. Still...

This is a poppachubby music contribution, and a KC review.

In 1968 Willie Mitchell was the moderately successful leader of a super tight instrumental group that had become the 'House Band' of Memphis based Hi Records. He had begun to really blossom, however, as the 'in-house producer / AR guy / talent scout' role that eventually made him a partner in the label. Ann Peebles was one of his first successes in that role.

While on the road with his band at a club in Midland, Texas, a 22 year old singer from Arkansas opens up for him and immediately Mitchell hears something that convinces him that he has a star in the making. He invites the young man to Memphis, promising to make him a star, but all the young man seems to be interested in is how long it would take to realize actual money from the effort and when told it would be at least a year, the young singer seems ready to walk, citing the need to make immediate money to handle some family crisis in Detroit. (the family had moved there after the war like so many others)

After some further discussion, Mitchell takes a significant gamble and fronts he young man something like $3,000 to go home and handle his business and then return to Memphis. Incredibly, he lets the singer leave without giving him any idea how to find or contact him in Detroit. Mitchell's account seems to indicate that he expected his investment to return to Memphis in a time frame like 2 weeks to a month. A month passes with no word, then two, three, and eventually 11 months pass and Mitchell has written off the bad gamble in his mind when the young man appears at the door of Hi Studio ready to begin. Mitchell never mentions what it was that took so long, it appears he wasn't offered an explanation.

Of course the young singer was Al Green and he would become the 3rd genuine superstar of Southern Soul (I count Ray and Aretha as the first two, but you may have to include James Brown as well, he is something of a unique situation). This first album is fascinating, in part, for what isn't there yet. Al is certainly recognizable here but not at all fully formed yet, his style is still a mish-mash of Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Dave Ruffin and anyone else he admired. Still the elements of what came later are all there, the unique phrasing with the small groans at the start of lines, the effortless and smooth falsetto cries as compared to a Wilson Pickett or a Little Willie John who have more shriek to their falsetto. Green's sound blended the smoothness of Motown and Philly with the rhythms and passions of Southern Soul.

By the second album Mitchell and Green have found the sweet spot, the rest is history.