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REICHHOLD KICKS OFF 30TH SEASON OF MUSIC WITH AL GREEN

August 11, 2008

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            The Reichhold Center for the Arts is celebrating its 30th Anniversary with one of the
biggest names in R&B. Al Green performs on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 8 p.m.
            Mixing classic soul with neo-soul, Green is still in true form on his new Billboard hit CD
Lay It Down, featuring collaborations with Corinne Bailey Rae and John Legend. Leaving his
gospel days behind, Green will perform from the new CD as well as his all-time classics: Let’s
Stay Together, Tired of Being Alone and Love and Happiness.
          The year 2008 has been great for Green. Lay It Down became his first album ever to
debut in the top 10 on the Billboard charts. The R&B legend also received a Lifetime
Achievement Award at the 2008 BET Awards.
          Lay It Down has been receiving rave reviews for its adherence to classic Al Green while
bringing in fresh musical flavor by the way of producer Amir Thompson, aka ?uestLove from
hip-hop group The Roots. The New York Times in a May, 25, 2008 story said “Al Green Pays
Tribute to the Old Al Green,” noting that “Lay It Down… is a throwback itself: an uncannily
faithful evocation of the vintage Al Green sound.”
         That vintage sound is reminiscent of Green’s musical heyday in the 1970’s when he
released a string of albums: Green is Blues (1970), Al Green Gets Next To You (1971), Let’s Stay
Together and I’m Still In Love With You (1972), Call Me and Livin’ For You (1973), Al Green
Explores Your Mind (1974), Al Green Is Love (1975), Full Of Fire and Have A Good Time
(1976), The Belle Album (1977), and Truth n’ Time (1979).
         In following years, Green focused on gospel music and preaching, but never fully left his
soul beginnings. In 1988, he released Put A Little Love In Your Heart, a duet with Annie Lennox
for the movie Scrooged. A few years later, he recorded another successful duet, Funny How Time
Slips Away with country singer Lyle Lovett.
        The album, You Heart’s In Good Hands came in 1995. That same year, Green was
inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2002, the nine-time Grammy Award winner
received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
        One year later, he released I Can’t Stop, returning to his Memphis sound and past
collaborator Willie Mitchell.
        Since early 2008, Green has taken his masterful musical collection on successful tours
throughout North America and Europe.
        Al Green and other performances during Reichhold Center’s 30th Anniversary Week are
sponsored by Theodore Tunnick and Company.
        Reichhold Center’s 2008-2009 season sponsors are: First Bank, First Insurance, Marriott
Frenchman’s Reef and Morning Star Resort, and the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts. Other
sponsors include Innovative Cable TV and the V.I. Department of Education.
        Tickets for the Al Green concert are $48, $68 and $98. Tickets are available at Modern
Music, UVI Bookstore, V.I. Bridal & Tuxedo, Urban Threadz, Essentric Shoe Boutique, Island
Video (Nisky), Home Again (Red Hook) and the Reichhold Center Box Office at 693-1559.

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