Who Is Shirley Kyles? Al Green’s Ex-Wife, Her 1977 Marriage, 1983 Divorce and Three Daughters
Shirley Kyles is best known as the ex-wife of soul and gospel singer Al Green. Her name comes up whenever people talk about Green’s life in the late 1970s, a time when he left pop fame behind and turned toward the church. But Shirley was more than a name in a famous man’s story. She was a singer, a pastor’s daughter, a mother of three, and a woman who spoke about the hard parts of her marriage.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Shirley Anne Watts Kyles Green (as reported) |
| Known as | Shirley Kyles |
| Famous for | Being the first and only publicly known wife of Al Green |
| Profession | Singer, mainly in gospel and church music |
| Husband | Al Green, soul and gospel singer and pastor |
| Wedding year | 1977 |
| Divorce year | 1983 |
| Children | Three daughters: Alva, Rubi and Cora |
| Family background | Reported to be the daughter of a Baptist preacher in Chicago |
| Where she met Al Green | A Baptist church in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1976 (reported) |
| Current public profile | Very private, with few verified updates |
Who Is Shirley Kyles?
Shirley Kyles was born Shirley Anne Watts. She later used the names Kyles and Green during her life. Some reports say her father was a Baptist preacher in Chicago, which fits with the strong church background that shaped her later life.
She is mostly known through her marriage to Al Green. Green is a singer who became famous in the early 1970s with songs like “Call Me,” “Here I Am” and “Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy).” He was later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
Shirley did not come from the world of pop stardom. Her story is closer to the world of church choirs, Sunday services and gospel music. That is an important part of why she and Green connected.
How Shirley Kyles Met Al Green
According to several reports, Shirley met Al Green in 1976 at a Baptist church in Memphis. At that time, Green was changing his life. In 1976, he was ordained and became the pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle, a church he bought in Memphis. He was still making records, but his focus was moving from pop and soul toward faith.
One report says that Green asked Shirley to join his musical group as a background singer. She sang with him, and they grew close. This was her second marriage, according to the same report, which means she had been married before she met Green.
A few small details about their early time together are told in different ways. For example, some stories about the wedding day are told as dramatic personal moments, but those stories are hard to check, so it is safer not to repeat them as fact.
The 1977 Marriage
Al Green and Shirley Kyles married in 1977. Most sources agree on the year. The exact date is not clear. One site lists June 15, 1977 and another lists June 17, 1977, so the safest thing to say is that they married in mid-June 1977.
The marriage began while Green was changing his public image. He was less of a chart-topping soul star and more of a pastor and gospel singer. Shirley was part of that new chapter, both at home and in his musical life.
Songfacts also notes that Green married only once in public record, and that wife was Shirley Kyles. That is why she is often called his first wife, or his only official wife, in articles about him.
Life Before and Around the Marriage
To understand the marriage, it helps to know a little about what Al Green had been through. In 1974, a tragic and well-known event happened at his Memphis home. A woman he was seeing, Mary Woodson, attacked him with boiling grits and then took her own life. Green was badly burned. Many people say this event pushed him closer to religion.
Then, in 1979, Green fell off a stage during a concert. He later said he believed God was telling him to leave secular music and focus on gospel. After that, he made gospel albums, and his career took a new direction.
Shirley’s marriage to Green happened right in the middle of these big changes. It is easy to see how much pressure a family could be under during years like these, though that is only a general observation, not a claim about their private life.
Domestic Violence Allegations
The most serious part of Shirley’s public story is the abuse she said she faced in the marriage. Reliable sources such as BlackPast say she filed for divorce after years of domestic violence. Songfacts also says Shirley later said she suffered abuse throughout the marriage.
Other reports give more detail. One says that Shirley first filed for divorce in 1978, only about a year after the wedding. It also says she filed again in 1981. A less formal source says that she told people she was hit while she was five months pregnant, and that Green once hit her with a boot, which caused a cut that needed stitches. These details come from secondary websites, so it is best to treat them as claims reported by those sites and not as court-proven facts.
One report also says that Green first denied physical cruelty, but later admitted that he had hurt Shirley. Because this comes from a less reliable site, it should be read with care.
What the better sources do agree on is simple. Shirley said she suffered domestic violence, and that was a main reason the marriage ended.
The 1983 Divorce
The marriage ended officially in 1983. BlackPast says Shirley filed for divorce that year. Other sources, including Songfacts, also give 1983 as the divorce year.
Some websites say the first divorce filing was in 1978 and that the final settlement came later in 1983. This fits with the idea that the couple went through a long and messy process, not a quick split.
You may also see a money amount for the settlement online. One site says it was around $432,800, but that site names a celebrity gossip page as its source. Because I could not confirm that number from a strong source, I would not treat it as fact.
Shirley Kyles and Her Three Daughters
Shirley and Al Green had three daughters together. BlackPast lists their names as Alva, Rubi and Cora. Some sites spell or write the names a little differently, such as Alva Leia or Cora Lynn, so you may see small differences from page to page.
One report says Shirley had a miscarriage before the three girls were born. That detail is not widely repeated, so it should be handled gently.
Another site says all three daughters grew up to love music, like their parents. That is easy to believe given their home life, but it is not as well documented, so it is best seen as a general comment.
Al Green also has other children, including a son named Al Jr. Those children are from other relationships, not from his marriage to Shirley.
Her Music and Faith
Shirley is often described as a gospel singer. Reports say she sang as a backup vocalist for Al Green and was active in his church life. As he moved from secular music to gospel, she was part of that world.
One report says she gave credit to her faith for helping her get through the hard years of her marriage. The same report says she tried to help other women who face abuse, and that she hoped abusers would learn how deeply their actions hurt others.
It is also reported that she said she did not hold anger against Green and still prayed for him. These are personal statements, and they come from a lower-quality source, so it is fair to mention them only as what she is said to have shared.
What Happened to Shirley Kyles After the Divorce?
This is the part where facts are thin. After the divorce, Shirley kept a very low profile. She did not become a public celebrity, and there are few interviews or news stories that follow her life step by step.
Some websites say she never remarried, but I could not find a strong source to support that. Other websites offer many details about her work, her money, her looks and her daily life, but most of them do not name where the information came from. Several of these pages look like copied or low-quality content, so I would not rely on them.
You may also see claims about her death. One site says she died in Mobile, Alabama, on July 17, 2023. I was not able to confirm this with a trustworthy source, such as a verified obituary or a respected news report. Because this is a sensitive claim, it is better to say it is unconfirmed than to repeat it as fact.
You should also be careful with another “Shirley Kyles” who appears in some search results. One page describes a Shirley Kyles from Memphis who was a teacher, born in 1964, with a husband named Henry Kyles. That is a different person with the same name, and it has no link to Al Green. Mixing up people with the same name is a common problem online.
Why Her Story Still Matters
Shirley Kyles is not remembered because of fame she chased. She is remembered because her story sits at the center of a bigger conversation about domestic violence, faith and public image.
Al Green is a respected musician and a pastor. Many people only know the smooth voice and the beautiful songs. Shirley’s story reminds readers that a public image and private life can be very different.
At the same time, it is important to be fair and careful. Some facts about this marriage are well supported, and others are only claims repeated by websites. When you read about her, it helps to ask where the information came from.
What We Know and What We Do Not Know
Here is a short summary to keep things clear.
Well supported:
- Shirley Kyles married Al Green in 1977.
- They divorced in 1983.
- They had three daughters.
- She said she suffered domestic violence in the marriage.
- Green married only once, according to public record.
Reported but less certain:
- She met Green at a Baptist church in Memphis in 1976.
- She was the daughter of a Baptist preacher from Chicago.
- She was a background singer in his group.
- She filed for divorce more than once.
- Her first marriage came before Green.
Unclear or unconfirmed:
- The exact wedding date.
- The amount of the divorce settlement.
- Whether she remarried.
- Her current life, or any claim about her death.
Final Thoughts
Shirley Kyles is a woman whose public story is connected to one of soul music’s most famous voices, but her own story is about faith, family and speaking up about abuse. The solid facts are simple: she married Al Green in 1977, they had three daughters, and the marriage ended in 1983 after she described years of domestic violence.
Beyond that, many details online are unclear. If you want to learn more, look for sources that name where their information comes from, and be careful with pages that give very exact details without proof.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Shirley Kyles?
Shirley Kyles is the ex-wife of singer and pastor Al Green. She was also a gospel singer and the mother of his three daughters.
When did Shirley Kyles marry Al Green?
They married in 1977. Some websites give a specific date in June, but the exact day is not clear.
Why did Shirley Kyles divorce Al Green?
Reliable sources say she filed for divorce after years of domestic violence. The divorce was final in 1983.
How many children did Shirley Kyles have with Al Green?
They had three daughters named Alva, Rubi and Cora. The spelling of their names can vary between sources.
Where is Shirley Kyles now?
There is very little verified public information about her life today. Some sites make claims about her later life, but they are hard to confirm, so it is best to treat them with care.
