Al Green

I've been a huge fan of Al Green for what seems like forever.

Actually I was in high school when I first heard him. I think the word is smitten, yeah that's it, I was smitten with him.

Al Green has been one of my go-tos since way before I had headphones and an I-phone. Blissfully riding down the street with the radio blasting some Al.

That was me.

Later in life I met him and I was beside myself. He was gracious, cool, and I couldn't believe I was actually talking to him.

One of my favorite songs of his is Love and Happiness and I told him that. He then proceeded to tell me this story.

The studio he used for recording was in a bad part of town so he would get winos (yes, they were called that back then) to watch the doors. The night they were working on Love and Happiness they kept trying to figure out how to count off the song for the band to come in. They tried everything until one of the winos casually said, "Use your foot on the Coke box."

Back then a case of Cokes was delivered in a wooden crate. When he said that everything stopped. Then Al turned the wooden crate over and did just that.

Free wine goes a long way. 

Listen to it and don't forget to listen to the countdown on the wooden Coke case early in the song.

One day I found myself and my crew in a church in Memphis. He was the Reverend Al Green then and had his own congregation. 

How about your pastor being Al Green? 

My crew was two cameramen, a producer, a sound guy and we were in the basement of the church conducting an interview. When we're done, as we're wrapping up, I'm talking to Al when here it comes.

One of my camera guys tells Al he's a huge fan and says, "Could you give us a little of Tired of Being Alone?"

I gasp.

Al looks at him, smiles, and says, "Okay." He throws his head back, closes his eyes and begins to sing. "I'm so tired of being alone, so tired of on my own, won't you help me girl as soon as you can..."

 He stops, laughs, and says, "I've got to get to work."

Off he went with me thinking we just saw something really special.

Al Green. Something really special.

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