What is it about Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" that sounds so good? If you could figure out the formula, there'd be many an interested party knocking at your door.
Though I'd heard R&B and soul on the radio, it was early-70s Al Green who opened up these genres for me, and likely others, too. A great example of his music seeping into popular music: Talking Heads' covering Green's "Take Me To The River".
As an historical achievement, there's perhaps no greater honor than having a sitting president sing a few bars from a song of yours, in public, and President Obama's rendition ("Let's Stay Together" at the Apollo Theater in New York in Jan. 2012) was actually quite good.
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Each band or performer is graded on four things:
1. Innovation
2. Influence in my life--as a typical American
3. Integrity: the band's approach to music (just making a buck or honing a craft?)
4. Immortality--am I, a typical American--still eager to hear their music
6/5/4/4 = 19 out of a perfect 40
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From the man himself: Green cites Jackie Wilson, Wilson Pickett and Elvis Presley as the music he listened to when growing up.
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