YEAR
1995
INDUCTED BY
Natalie Cole
CATEGORY
Performers
The silky vocals of Al Green are made from rugged soul meets Motown polish.
Whether Green is crooning to seduce, lament or celebrate, he holds nothing back. The raw power of his voice has carried him from decade to decade and genre to genre in a career that remains robust to this day.
Al Green
Natalie Cole Inducts Al Green
Al Green Acceptance Speech
"Take Me to the River"
"Funny How Time Slips Away"
"Freeway of Love"
HALL OF FAME
ESSAY
By Robert Christgau
I know all aesthetic generalizations are open to perpetual debate, but try these on for size: Al Green isn’t just the last soulman – except for James Brown, he’s the greatest; and except for Aretha Franklin, he’s also the most gifted singer ever to work the turf.
In fact he may even be the finest vocalist rock & roll has ever known — even though he retired from secular music 15 years ago.
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