The Gospel According to Al Green

Okay as you have noticed I’m getting really musical on you right?...Well, its all in keeping with my ‘Discover’ Documentary, just to show you ,that yes, music is a universal language and one I appreciate very much, and would encourage others to appreciate.

So as you’ve noticed it’s all about soul giant Al Green. This documentary/film was captured by Robert Mugge of Al in 1984 performing and discussing his career with a lot of honesty and insight. It has to be one of the most real interviews there is about a celebrity anywhere, there is no sense of fakeness or scriptedness about it. Green is candid about his change from sexy soul to spirituality in his music.

Being a fan, and having only truly understood Green through this documentary I am truly and honestly kept at the edge of my seat just waiting to hear what he is going to say next.
The Green I see is one that has grown spirituality and in wisdom, I am captivated by he’s performance’s and moved by his ministering. Though way older than me….I can understand the commotion about him by the sisters, brother sure was fine!He had a lean body ,a cute little pampered afro and always wore suits. He carried the look of a handsome gentle man quite well. Which is a look you don’t get to see in brothers now-a-days…SOS for all the sisters!

The doc starts with him playing his guitar singing ‘I love you’ with ease and passion in.
His southern accent had me laughing at times, he seemed to be a person who doesn’t take himself or life too seriously.My kinda guy !;-)..lol

Al takes us through how he started out as a musician…with a song ‘I’m so tied of being alone’ a song his girlfriend at the time hated. We then meet Willie Mitchell, record producer who spotted Green and was moved by his singing instantly.Who then invited im to came make hit records in Memphis. And that’s when it all started. Mitchell walks us through their studio where many of Green’s songs were recorded. Green has me in stiches when lamenting on how ‘I’m so Tied of being Alone’ where he goes “Sherah,Sherah!” at the success of the song.

The capturing of the interviews is conducted in videos, the lighting in the documentary is not that great, but I am convinced that this was on purpose. As there is a cosiness to this documentary, a warmness and inviting feel about it. It almost looks like an archive footage, which I wonder if was made on purpose, or if it is because of when it was made.

One of my favourites, he performs ‘People get ready!’ reminding us of the anointing in his voice and delivery. Ken Tucker, rock critic explains that one of the reasons of Al Green being important “is because he is sexy and that he’s music is so sensuous.”
He then describes him as one of the legends of the blues and soul music, which he drew from other legends but not copying any of them, but was drawing from the different styles. We get to see Green in action showing his background singers which notes to sing.

Green walks us through his conversion to being a born again Christian in 1973, where he had just done a gig in Disneyland. When right after that day, at night he was woken up, where he was in a motion of prayer and worshipping while he’s girlfriend was in bed. With a million dollar career as you can imagine, him having received a calling to sing gospel alone, came at a time when everything was selling for him and having to tell his recording producer of his decision couldn’t have been easy. But he points out that it was a decision that was made for him by God and one he just had to follow as whenever he sang a song about making love he felt impulses from above. This conviction for change in his life was so strong that at a concert while singing ‘free at last’ he felt the Holy spirit on him and he couldn’t stop crying and the song kept going on for so long the band and the people were confused as to what was happening.

He had to make a choice though, because he couldn’t sing about getting people saved while singing love songs to people who are drunk and tipsy. As he says theres a difference between singing about companion love ordained by God and actually singing to entertain to a group of people in the club.

Green, details that the choice of deciding to leave the fame , money and girls is one that came with the conviction that he was now ment to be doing what we was ment to do! He sees this a privilege, for many have died and did not do what they were ment to do!

Tucker, then explains that with this change, 20 years of pop music just shuddered as the new sound of spirituality emerged from Green.

Green though explains that the force by which he sang all the love songs was influenced by the gospel tracks that he listen to, that his father owned that influenced the inspiration and electricity he used to sing with. That he now though, had taken all the technics of pop,rock,blues…their ingenuity, the class, the charisma, the steps, the movement, the hesitation the wait and the creation curiosity.
He explains though, that with all that taken and using it to the best of your advantage, however doesn’t give you the fire, “you can’t create a charisma for fire, either you have the fire or you don’t have the fire. The spiritual fire. ”

AL GREEN a phenomenal character, that carries with him such joy and revelation. He is honest in how he tells his story even dwelling into the incident of a married woman who poured boiling water on him all with grit in it, because she felt that she could not be without him and couldn’t bare to see him with someone else. Who then shot herself with a pistol, Green though to this day still has problems believing this woman’s actions and the truth of the incidents happening.


The documentary ends on a note of Greens calling to ministry, where he buys a church and starts preaching two weeks after. His own is an amazing story of change, and amazing determination to follow what is the Truth. He recently just released a grammy awards winning album "Lay it down."

If anything I am greatly inspired by his life.

Green Today

That’s my view: