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Gregg Allman
Gregg Allman's most visible contribution to rock music is as lead singer, organist, and songwriter within the Allman Brothers Band, founded by his brother Duane (d. 1971) in 1969. He has never threatened to eclipse the band that carries his family name, but he has found occasional success and popularity with his solo work, which is distinctly different, more soulful and less focused on high- wattage virtuosity.
Allman's instrument is the organ, and he is most effective, when he is in top form, as a singer. His first instrument, ironically enough, was the guitar, and he took it up before his older brother Duane did. But Duane learned it better and quickly eclipsed Gregg. Where Gregg did excel was on the organ and as a singer (a role Duane was never comfortable with), which proved important but not at the center of a group that became famous for its 40-minute instrumental jams and three-hour sets. Through their early efforts, in bands like the Allman Joys and the Hour Glass, they shared the spotlight, with Duane taking the lengthy solos and Gregg fronting the band and offering Booker T. Jones- type keyboard playing. Liberty Records signed the Hour Glass and tried making Gregg into the focus of their efforts during the late '60s, but it never quite worked.
When the Allman Brothers Band was organized, the flashy (and vital) instrumental moments belonged to his brother and Dickey Betts and, later still, Warren Haynes. Gregg's songs, however, including "Whipping Post" and "Midnight Rider," were among the group's notable originals during its classic period, 1969-1972. Beginning with Brothers and Sisters, Betts' songwriting and singing assumed increasing prominence.
It was during the period that Brothers and Sisters was burning up the charts that Gregg Allman emerged as a solo artist with his first album, the critically well-received hit Laid Back, which put the softer, more serious, soul- and gospel-tinged side of his work in sharper focus. A tour followed, which yielded a live album that was also a success. This first period of solo popularity was interrupted by a combination of professional and personal conflicts; the Allman Brothers Band toured extensively and struggled to come up with a follow-up to Brothers and Sisters, and Gregg Allman began a relationship with Cher, the ex-wife and singing partner of Sonny Bono, which resulted in a tumultuous series of marriages and divorces for the two. These activities were played out amid Allman's well-publicized drug problems, which culminated with his testifying against a band employee in a federal drug case, which, in turn, led to the temporary but extended dissolution of the Allman Brothers Band.
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Allman Brothers Band: Syria Mosque Pittsburgh, PA January 17, 1971
by Doug Collette
On the surface, The Allman Brother Band's Syria Mosque Pittsburgh, PA January 17, 1971, would appear to be just another in a long line of live releases featuring the original six-man lineup of the archetypal Southern blues- rockers. It is, however, markedly superior on many fronts. Granted, this title hardly renders obsolete ABB's seminal concert release At Fillmore East (Capricorn, 1971). And while the audience recording that is The Final Note (ABBRC, 2020) does not compare favorably to ...
Continue ReadingAt Fillmore East
by John Coltelli
A Band of Brothers... 50th Anniversary Allman Brothers At Fillmore East Recently, while excavating at an archeological dig better known as the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in jny: Cleveland, Ohio an intrepid tourist lingered long and hard at a find containing the remnants of a long forgotten tribe once known as The Allman Brothers Band. A band of brothers if you will. These ancients in a modern world were known for utilizing wooden sticks, ...
Continue ReadingAllman Brothers Band: The Final Note - Painters Mill Music Fair, Owings Mills, MD 10-17-71
by C. Michael Bailey
The obvious significance of The Final Note -Painters Mill Music Fair, Owings Mills, MD 10-17-71 is evident in the title. This was the last performance by guitarist and Allman Brothers Band founder Duane Allman before his motorcycle-related death 12 days later. An audience recording made on a 60- minute cassette tape by radio music journalist Sam Idas, the performance sounds exactly like that, an audience live recording, probably like the myriad of similar recordings made of the Grateful Dead by ...
Continue ReadingAllman Brothers Band: Trouble No More: 50th Anniversary Collection
by Doug Collette
The gold-embossed lettering on the front and back cover of the roughly 5" by 7" slipcase enclosing the Allman Brothers Band's box set Trouble No More belies its otherwise generic art work. Yet the graphic design isn't all that gives the lie to an otherwise positive first impression gleaned from 50th Anniversary Collection. A glance at the sixty-one tune track-listing plus a cursory perusal of Kirk West's stellar photos inside the eighty-eight page booklet are also somewhat deceiving: while this ...
Continue ReadingGregg Allman: Laid Back Deluxe Edition
by Doug Collette
Gregg Allman's first solo album, Laid Back (Capricorn, 1973), is the ideal candidate for a Deluxe Edition reissue and remaster. Not only is the record an exquisite, one-of-a-kind piece of work in its original form, but the backstory is eminently worth telling as it sheds light not only on the creation of the album itself, but the fundamental relationship, at the time of the recording, between the Allman Brothers Band and its surviving namesake. Kudos to the curators, ...
Continue ReadingThe 2017 Laid Back Festival: In The Spirit of Gregg Allman at The Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
by Mike Perciaccante
The 2017 Laid Back Festival: In The Spirit of Gregg Allman The Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater Wantagh, NY September 24, 2017 Gregg Allman co-founded and curated the inaugural Laid Back Festival. That festival began as a single day celebration in August of 2015 and was held at the Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantagh, NY. Allman, the Doobie Brothers, Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, Jaimoe's Jasssz Band and City of the Sun played that ...
Continue ReadingGregg Allman: Southern Blood
by C. Michael Bailey
Music made at the end is always necessary listening. It may not be the best, prettiest, most, but it is obligatory if, for no other reason, as a final act of respect for the artist. Examples of compelling music made at the end of an artist's life are manifold. From classical composition, late Mozart, in particular his Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622 (1791--composed three months before his death), not to mention his Requiem, K. 626 (1791--unfinished at the ...
Continue ReadingFinding & Maintaining Your Creative Hustle: Lessons From Gregg Allman
Source:
HypeBot
In a hard look at creative motivation, David Deal looks at the creation and inspiration through the lens of famous artist Gregg Allman, a master of the 'creative hustle' and how his philosophy can be applied by those seeking success in the music industry today. Guest post by David Deal of Superhype When an idea comes to you in the middle of the night, do you act on it, or do you yawn, roll over, and return to the arms ...
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Southern Rock Icon Gregg Allman Dies At 69
Source:
HypeBot
Allman Brothers co-founder and rock icon Gregg Allman has died at aged 69. Allman died quietly at his home in Savannah, Georgia, according to a statement posted to his official website. Allman has struggled with many health issues over the past several years. It is with deep sadness we announce that Gregg Allman, a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, passed away peacefully at his home pic.twitter.com/8g0pAT3kky — Allman Brothers Band (@allmanbrothers) May 27, 2017 "Gregg considered being on ...
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19th Annual Pleasure Island Seafood, Blues & Jazz Festival
Source:
Chris M. Slawecki
Carolina Beach has been entertaining families for decades with its nostalgic charm and tagline to “stay original.” The live music scene in this seaside North Carolina town is a big draw for residents and visitors alike. Music lovers can enjoy the sounds of local bands, traveling musicians and popular music festivals day and night at many Carolina Beach hangouts. Famed Southern rocker and lead singer of The Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman will call the area home when he headlines ...
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Gregg Allman Named International Artist of Year; See Complete List of Maple Blues Awards Winners
Source:
Something Else!
Gregg Allman was named international artist of the year, while New Brunswick bluesman Matt Andersen was named the year's top acoustic act, male vocalist and entertainer at Canada's 15th Maple Blues Awards ceremonies overnight. Ottawa's MonkeyJunk earned awards for best electric act, best recording and best drummer. Saskatoon native Suzie Vinnick won the best songwriter and best female vocalist awards. Nominees for the annual Maple Blues Awards are chosen by a panel of more than 50 experts; winners are then ...
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Robert Cray Band Replaces Gregg Allman at Bluestock
Source:
JamBase
ROBERT CRAY BAND REPLACES AILING GREGG ALLMAN Bluestock is excited to announce the addition of the Robert Cray Band to the festival's inaugural lineup, following the cancellation of the upcoming Gregg Allman tour. Upon his doctor's orders, Gregg Allman is unfortunately being forced to cancel his August 26 through September 15 concert dates due to an upper respiratory condition. Treatment is going to involve several days of hospitalization and 4 weeks of bed rest at home. Allman continues to recover ...
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T Bone Burnett: Benefit Album W. E. John, E. Costello, Gregg Allman
Source:
JamBase
T BONE BURNETT PRESENTS: THE SPEAKING CLOCK REVUE OUT OCTOBER 18 ON SHOUT! FACTORY On October 18 Shout! Factory will release T Bone Burnett Presents: The Speaking Clock Revue, an album showcasing 11 performances from a benefit concert at New York's famed Beacon Theatre that Burnett orchestrated last year with Participant Media. Proceeds from album sales, as with the live show, will benefit The Participant Foundation, to support the inclusion of music and arts education in public school systems. In ...
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Gregg Allman: Solo Dates
Source:
JamBase
TOUR STARTS APRIL 19 IN CHARLESTON, SC; LOW COUNTRY BLUES OUT NOW Rounder Records is excited to announce the first leg of Gregg Allman tour dates since the triumphant release of the universally acclaimed Low Country Blues. The album is Allman's first solo record in 14 years for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame legend, and it gave him his highest chart position ever when it debuted at #5 on Billboard's Top 200. T Bone Burnett produced the album ...
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Gregg Allman Recovering After Liver Transplant
Source:
Michael Ricci
Gregg Allman, the guitarist in the Allman Brothers Band who has had chronic health problems related to Hepatitis C, had liver transplant surgery on Wednesday morning at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.
“ I feel pretty good, considering everything that's happened," he said in a statement. Mr. Allman, 62, had been on a waiting list for the new liver, and the band has canceled concerts in the past because of his health. In 2008 the band canceled its ...
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Last Night at the Beacon with the Allman Brothers
Source:
All About Jazz
As the Allman Brothers Band get more comfortable in New York’s Beacon Theatre, their home for the rest of March, more friends are stopping by each night to jam.
Last night’s show upped the ante with living legend Buddy Guy, who led the band through a pair of blues standards before being joined onstage by Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell of Phish for first set-closer “Southbound.” Fresh off their highly successful reunion shows, Anastasio and McConnell later added their own ...
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Allman Brothers Return
Source:
All About Jazz
GREGG RETURNS TO HEALTH BLUES-ROCK-JAZZ JUGGERNAUT RELAUNCHES
ABB by Dino Perucci The Allman Brothers Band will make their triumphant return to the concert stage this summer, with two dozen shows from August 12 through October 11. On the first leg of dates, the group will share the stage with Bob Weir & RatDog, and Phil Lesh & Friends will be on board for the second leg.
The August 12 show in Bethel, NY will mark the first group ...
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Gregg Allman
Instrument: Organ, Hammond B3
Born: December 8, 1947
Died: May 27, 2017
