Alone among the greatest vocalists and song-writers in American music. Al Green has fused these opposing concepts into an intense and original sound that transcends the divide between the sacred and the profane. With an extraordinary appeal that has continued unabated since the mid-seventies, this quintessential soul and man remains one of the most enduring, electrifying, and enigmatic artists of our era-a man who has walked the tightrope between the devil's music and God's calling and lived to tell the tale.


Now Al Green's tale is told for the first time in Take Me to the River, his inspiring, unsparing, and ultimately transforming autobiography. From a sharecropper's shack in Jacknash, Arkansas, to the absolute pinnacle of show business success, it chronicles the career of this gifted singer in rich and never-before-revealed detail. From his early days on the gospel and R&B circuits and his fateful encounter with legendary producer Willie Mitchell to a harrowing account of the attempted murder and suicide scandal that made headlines worldwide, this is the whole story, straight from the man who knows best. But Take Me to the River is more than a standard-issue rags-to-riches saga. The epic spiritual struggle for the heart and soul of Al Green is brought to life with all the urgency and immediacy of his music. A story of repentance, redemption, and renewal, the life of Al Green is a moving account of one man's journey to personal, creative, and spiritual wholeness.