Soul Survivor: A Biography of Al Green

Description

With songs like "Love and Happiness," "I'm Still in Love with You," and "Tired of Being Alone," Al Green is considered by many to be the greatest soul singer of all time. He has sold more than 20 million records, been sampled by countless hip-hop artists, and even had President Obama singing his tunes. One of the most intricate and elusive figures in popular music, Green has never been scrutinized in print successfully-until now. SOUL SURVIVOR is the biography of a man whose life is the embodiment of the collision between the sacred and the profane, traversing the tortured road Green roamed from gospel to secular and back again. Readers bear witness to some of the greatest music ever recorded and the never-before-told story of Green's label, Hi Records.

Jimmy McDonough is a journalist and biographer who is perhaps best known for his biographies of Russ Meyer, Andy Milligan, Neil Young, and Tammy Wynette. Over the span of his career he has written for a number of publications including The Village Voice, Film Comment, and Variety. McDonough lives in Portland, Oregon.

Soul Survivor's primary virtue is McDonough's tough-minded but ultimately compassionate portrait of one of the giants of 20th century popular music in all his unfathomable complexity.--Living Blues [Soul Survivor] does an admirable job reconciling Green's complicated nature with his untouchable, influential catalog.--Salon.com, ?The 30 must-read music books of Fall 2017? A gripping read. --Memphis Flyer By combining wildly imaginative prose with thorough research and musical and historical expertise, the scribe-and his compelling subject-hold one's attention happily hostage.--MOJO Deacon McDonough scrutinizes the inscrutable and finds many Al Greens. The man revealed may not be as beautiful as his voice, but he's every bit as astonishing. McDonough dives deep, bringing us the songs, the players, the loves, and the tragedies. This is a book where the surprises never end.--Robert Gordon, author of Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion In great detail, journalist McDonough traces Green's career...[His] sharp critical insights into Green's albums and songs energize the book. --Publishers Weekly Incisive. --Kirkus Making the complexities of past subjects like Neil Young seem quaint by comparison, Jimmy McDonough has taken on the challenge of a lifetime: explaining the enduring mystery of Al Green. A compulsively readable and often disquieting tale, Soul Survivor helps us understand the mass of contradictions that comprise the Reverend's life story, as well as the warring factions that continue to battle within his heart and mind. A truly remarkable look at Al Green's soul--the music and the man.--Bob Mehr, author of Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements McDonough, a tireless journalist, explores this enigmatic and at times unlikable genius in greater depth than ever before.--Chicago Tribune McDonough's career has been defined by not only a string of inscrutable subjects, but an ability to kick up a fuss wherever he goes...It feels as if Soul Survivor could be his defining work...[it] is about the most comprehensive and rewarding account of an endlessly intriguing life imaginable. --Record Collector McDonough's riveting, richly detailed book dives into the deep, complex, tangled, tortured history of the man considered by many as one of the towering soul artists of the 20th century.--Parade Readers who love the music (and who doesn't?) will enjoy the book.--Library Journal Soul Survivor covers every twist and turn in the life and times of [Al Green]....a compelling and exhaustively detailed account. --Pop Matters Soul Survivor is masterful and exhaustively researched, and will be as close as a reader gets to knowing a practically unknowable artist. --Houston Press Strap yourself in for a jolting ride of love, happiness, betrayal, cruelty, musical enrichment, and ultimately, loneliness.--Soul Tracks This thrilling biography not only takes you to the river, it'll wash you in the water as well. --The Morton Report Wildly entertaining.--Wall Street Journal