Monday was Al Green Day all day on Apple Music Hits, with dedicated programming celebrating the singer’s music and influences. Fresh off the heels of the 50th anniversary of his essential album, ‘Let’s Stay Together,’ legendary soul singer Al Green joins The Estelle Show and reflects on his iconic career, his transition to Reverend Al Green, being reintroduced to new generations, his opinion on Snoop Dogg and Nelly, and more. Listen to the episode in-full anytime on-demand on Apple Music here.
Al Green Tells Apple Music About His Transition To Reverend Al Green
That wasn’t my calling, and that wasn’t my job, and that wasn’t something that Al did. See, I wanted to keep on singing what I was singing. I was enjoying that. I don’t know nothing else. I started trying to run from it. I did the RV for seven years, and so I’ve been doing this here for, I guess, 40 years or more. So, I mean, it’s not your doing, it’s not my doing, it’s not our doing. Three years, I tried to run from this. And I couldn’t run no more and I got tired and I couldn’t sleep. So I prayed and asked him, said, “Please, could you let me sleep a little while?” I got to sleep for a day, and I felt so good. I said, “Well.” “Fine, I’ll do whatever he want me to do.”
Al Green Tells Apple Music About His Music Being Reintroduced To New Generations
Estelle: I was introduced to your music by my whole family, and my mom. It’s been generations of listening to your music. Sir you are a legend and a whole classic. How do you feel now when you hear your music through the ages continually just reintroduced? How does that make you feel?
Rev. Al Green: I kind of smile and duck my head behind the seat of the car and laugh a little bit and then try to straighten up and go ahead on.
Estelle: So you’re like, “Ah, cool. That’s all right. That’s nice.”
Rev. Al Green: Yeah, kind of like that.
Al Green Tells Apple Music About His Favorite Performance
I can’t pick [a favorite performance], and the reason I can’t pick because all the songs are my children. And I can’t pick Tired Of Being Alone over Let’s Stay Together. I can’t pick “I’m Still In Love With You” over “Let’s Stay Together” because they’re all my kids. And so I have to… I love them all, so I hug them all and say… So somebody will say, “Well, you can’t sing this stuff in church. I mean, you’re not going to be able to…” I say, “I’m not trying to make you accept anything that I am or am not. I’m just doing what I’m called to do. And I’m not trying to push anything over on you. I don’t care about that. You can believe what you want to believe.”
Al Green Tells Apple Music About the “Memphis Sound” and Isaac Hayes
Rev. Al Green: Memphis Sound had to be about two silly guys. One is Al Green and the other one is Isaac Hayes trying to out-sing one another, and we on the same label. When we found that out, we hugged one another, in Washington, we hugged one another, slapped hands and did one another, and said, “Man, wasn’t we stupid?” We said, “Yeah, man, we sold a lot of records.”
Estelle: Wait. Okay. So you knew each other back then?
Rev. Al Green: Yeah.
Estelle: How was that? How was the first time you met him?
Rev. Al Green: Yeah. Well, with all these chains and things, I was wondering, “Hey man, did you just get out of prison? What’s wrong with you?”
Estelle: Oh my goodness, that’s incredible. So you and Isaac Hayes were essentially trying to out-sing each other and made a whole sound.
Rev. Al Green: Yeah, I mean, I sang, “One Woman.” He sang, “One Woman.” I sang, “I Stand Accused.” He sang, “I Stand Accused.” I said, “What are you trying to do?”
Al Green Tells Apple Music About “I’ll Be There Before the Next Teardrop Falls.”
Estelle: Do you have any more plans for recording music?
Rev. Al Green: Yeah.
Estelle: You do?
Rev. Al Green: Yeah.
Estelle: Oh, that means you’re writing songs. This means there’s new music.
Rev. Al Green: Yeah. I’ll do a country and western song called “I’ll Be There Before the Next Teardrop Falls.”
Estelle: Wow. And it’s a country and western record?
Rev. Al Green: Yeah.
Estelle: I cannot wait to hear this record, “I’ll Be There Before the Next Teardrop Falls.”
Rev. Al Green: By the time the teardrop falls, believe me, I’ll be standing right there.
Al Green Tells Apple Music About “Tired Of Being Alone” Success
We cut some record. This was before ‘Let’s Stay Together,’ a year before. “Tired of Being Alone” is actually our first million seller. So it wasn’t doing any big numbers or big things. So Willie Mitchell and I decided to go to London. Now why we decided that, I do not know, but the record label is in London and the record label is named London Record.
So we went to London and spoke to a guy that was head of London Records. About our song that’s- It’s doing all right. He told us to come in and his wife fixed some steaks and we talked and talked. And he said, well, you guys have a good day. I said, “Willie, did you get to ask him you wanted to ask him?” He said, “Yeah, I think I’m coming over here, asked him what he wanted to ask him.” Before we got back to the states, we had a top 10 record, I guess. Now why or how that is, I can’t claim no magic qualms or anything. It just was… That’s the way it was.
[The song] says, “Help me, Donna. Help me girl. As soon as you can. Help.”
Al Green Tells Apple Music About Singing “Let’s Get Married” Live and Shares His Opinion on Snoop Dogg and Nelly
Rev. Al Green: In LA the other day I sung “Let’s Get Married.” Everybody went, “Ahh.”
Estelle: You did?
Rev. Al Green: I love it, though.
Estelle: Oh, my goodness. You sang that?
Rev. Al Green: Oh yeah. (Singing). “Woo.” The little girls are going, “Woo.”
Estelle: I mean, can I get invite next time? Was this at a wedding?
Rev. Al Green: No, it was at a concert with Snoop Dogg and Nelly and all them.
Estelle: How do you feel about Snoop Dogg and Nelly, and those types of artists, just in general? They love you, of course. You’re Al Green. How do you feel about their music and how do you feel about them as artists? Those kinds of artists?
Rev. Al Green: I think they’re wonderful. They’re doing what they do. Everybody was out on stage, at the back of the stage when I came out to watch the show, I guess. So all of them was out there looking, so I guess I feel good about what they do. Because, I mean, Snoop has been around a long time like I have, and Nelly too.
