Editing Al Green (section)

===Early success===
Having noted that Green had been trying to sing like Jackie Wilson, [[Sam Cooke]], [[Wilson Pickett]], and [[James Brown]], Mitchell became his vocal mentor, coaching him into finding his own voice. Before releasing his first album with [[Hi Records]], Green removed the final "e" from his name. Subsequently, he released ''[[Green Is Blues]]'' (1969), which was a moderate success. His follow-up album, ''[[Al Green Gets Next to You]]'' (1971), featured the hit R&B cover of [[the Temptations]]' "[[I Can't Get Next to You]]", recorded in a slow [[Blues music|blues]]-oriented style.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> The album also featured his first significant hit, "[[Tired of Being Alone]]",<ref name="LarkinSM"/> which sold a million copies and was certified gold, becoming the first of eight gold singles Green would release between 1971 and 1974.<ref name=":9">{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/|title=Al Green – Gold & Platinum|website=RIAA|language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Al Green 1973.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Al Green in an appearance on ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]'' in 1973]]

Green's next album, ''[[Let's Stay Together (Al Green album)|Let's Stay Together]]'' (January 1972), solidified his place in soul music.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> The [[Let's Stay Together (Al Green song)|title track]] was his biggest hit to date, reaching number one on both the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|R&B]] charts.<ref name=":6">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/al-green/chart-history/bsi/|title=Al Green Chart History|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> The album became his first to be certified [[Music recording sales certification|gold]]. His follow-up, ''[[I'm Still in Love with You (Al Green album)|I'm Still in Love with You]]'' (October 1972), went platinum with the help of the singles "[[Look What You Done for Me]]" and the [[I'm Still in Love with You (Al Green song)|title track]], both of which went to the top 10 on the Hot 100. His next album, ''[[Call Me (Al Green album)|Call Me]]'' (April 1973), produced three top-10 singles: "[[You Ought to Be with Me]]", "[[Call Me (Come Back Home)]]", and "[[Here I Am (Come and Take Me)]]".<ref name=":6" /> In addition to these hit singles, Green also had radio hits with songs such as "[[Love and Happiness]]", his cover of the [[Bee Gees]]' "[[How Can You Mend a Broken Heart]]", "[[Simply Beautiful]]", "What a Wonderful Thing Love Is", and "[[Take Me to the River]]" (later covered successfully by [[New wave music|new wave]] band [[Talking Heads]] and blues artist [[Syl Johnson]]).

Green's album ''[[Livin' for You]]'' (December 1973) was certified gold.<ref name=":9" /> He continued to record successful R&B hits in the next several years, including "[[Livin' for You (song)|Livin' for You]]", "Sha-La-La (Makes Me Happy)" from his album ''[[Al Green Explores Your Mind]],'' "Let's Get Married", "[[L-O-V-E (Love)]]" and "[[Full of Fire (song)|Full of Fire]]".

By the time Green released ''[[The Belle Album]]'' in 1977, however, his record sales had plummeted, partially due to Green's own personal issues during this time and his desire to become a [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=Martin C. |last2=Peel |first2=John |title=The Great Rock Discography: Complete Discographies Listing Every Track Recorded by More Than 1,200 Artists |publisher=Canongate U.S. |year=2004 |page=628 |isbn=1-84195-615-5}}</ref> His last Hi Records album, ''[[Truth n' Time]]'', was released in 1978 and failed to chart top 40.