Al Green on his awards, hits and ministry

This piece originally aired on December 12, 2014.

The Kennedy Center Honorees represent the best in American arts and culture. But this year, the most soulful of them all is the legendary Al Green, reports CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason.

At 68 years old, his voice still seduces and he said there's nothing to keeping it sounding as good as it is.

"Some people's voice change as they get older or different ages. But mine is still about the same," Green said. "I can hit higher notes now. Only thing you gotta do is step on my foot," he said laughing.

One of the great soul singers of his time, the Reverend Al Green's career has taken him from gospel to R&B and back, winning him the 11 Grammy awards that decorate his church office in Memphis.

The son of an Arkansas sharecropper, Green grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and said he pretty much always knew he wanted to be a singer.

After his father kicked him out of the house for playing Jackie Wilson records, he formed a group. Al Green & the Soul Mates had a modest hit with "Back up Train" in 1968. Then Green's voice caught the ear of producer Willie Mitchell.

"So Willie said, 'I wonder if you can come down and look at the studio?' I said, 'No.' So I went back to Grand Rapids," Green said.

There was a reason he didn't go.

"Cause I didn't know what he wanted. And I didn't see the vision that he saw," Green said. "He discovered Al Green. I didn't. I was tryin' to sing like Wilson Pickett and James Brown and all these other folks. You know, they were great people to me. Not Al Green. I mean Al Green, who's Al Green? Come on now."

But he changed his mind and went down to Royal Studios in Memphis, where Mitchell would push his protégé.

"And then he goes, 'Al.' I said, 'Yeah?' 'You're tryin' too hard. Relax and sing Al Green.' And I said, 'You see, I don't know how Al Green sounds,'" he recalled. "I said, 'Okay, now what do you want me to sing? I'm not even gonna try to put no emphasis in it at all.' He said, 'Well, okay.'"

It was 1970 and the next four years would be Al Green's golden era. He and Mitchell would score eight gold singles. You could say he had it all.

"But I wouldn't accept that. I don't want it all, 'cause that scares me," Green said. "Well, I don't wanna feel accomplished, like I've accomplished everything and so I don't have nothin' to worry about. You know, you gotta stay hungry all the time."

At the peak of his success, after a concert in Disneyland in 1973, Green had a dream and woke up born-again.

"I was scared to ask why it happened then that night. 'Cause I don't want nothin' to change. I said, 'Whatever your will is for me, I'll accept it,'" he said.

So for nearly 38 years now, the Baptist bishop has been preaching to his Memphis congregation at the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church.

But he never gave up recording, and after eight gospel Grammys, he finally won his first for R&B in 2009. That year he also filled in at the last minute with Justin Timberlake after Rihanna and Chris Brown cancelled.

"Me and Justin did 'Let's Stay Together.' And we saved the world! Not really, but you know, we like to kinda fluff on it and think that we did help out a little bit," he said.

Green said he's working on more music, a gospel album. After that, the Reverend Al Green wants to go back to the American songbook.