Al Green: 'I can't stop' making soul music and praising God - Cover Story

Ebony, April, 2004 by Lynn Norment

EBONY: What makes you happy?

GREEN: When everything is working right. When the church is working right. When the office is working right. When the studio is working right. When the band is working right. And when Al is working right.

EBONY: What is Al Green passionate about?

GREEN: I'm passionate about love of community, about love of country. I'm passionate about work. I work--everybody should work."

EBONY: How do you maintain such a positive, upbeat mood?

GREEN: It's just me. I don't have to get stoned to perform. Never did. I've seen some guys go out there stoned. I guess the only way they could do a show is if they were stoned. I never got into anything any deeper than a little pot. Back in 1977, everybody did pot every now and then. So the preacher smoked pot back in 1977. (He laughs heartily.) That was about as heavy t wanted to get into it. And I stopped that. You can make a better assessment of how the show is going if you are not stoned.

EBONY: Where did the concept for the new album I Can't Stop come from?

GREEN: It's about loving yourself. People have been trying to get me to say that I don't love rhythm & blues, trying to get me to turn my back on the R&B fans. But I can't stop. I can't turn my back. Those people are a part of the equation, part of the puzzle. Just like I can't stop people who love gospel and the Rev. Al Green. I can't stop those who love Al Green and "Love and Happiness." A lady on the airplane showed me a picture of her little baby and started singing "lay your head on my pillow." Said she and her husband met while they were in college, they got married and then came the little one. That is special. Sometimes people play my music at weddings, and that's good. There's a lot of good in my music.