Al Green – Gets Next To You

Al Green was one of the greatest soul singers of the 1970s. His emotive voice crooned some of the greatest love ballads of the decade, particularly during his peak period between 1971-75. His big breakthrough was his third album Al Green Gets Next to You (1971), which included "Tired of Being Alone."

Much like fellow soul superstar Marvin Gaye, Al Green always struggled to reconcile his pop-star lifestyle with the religious values instilled in him as a child. A turning point occurred in October 1974, when a spurned girlfriend poured boiling grits on him as he bathed, and then shot herself to death in his bedroom. Green took this as a sign from God, and by 1976 had become an ordained pastor. After an on-stage accident in 1979, where Green fell off a Cincinnati stage and was almost injured badly, he turned away from secular music, focusing solely on gospel for the next decade.