Gregg Allman had been diagnosed with liver cancer a second time and wouldn’t survive it. I was not in the circle, but I was on the edge of it, and around the time the story broke that Hospice had been called in, a sense of panic began to overtake the Allman Brothers fan community, so a statement was issued that Gregg was doing fine and resting in Savan- nah. However, I heard from trusted sources that he was anything but fine. Still, his fam- ily’s privacy needed to be respected. In my heart of hearts, I knew he wasn’t long for the world, but that did very little to soften the blow when I read that text. The outpouring of love for Gregg All-
man in the media and from friends and fans rivaled that of Elvis. It was amazing. And it was just beginning to really sink in. Gregg All- man, the legendary singer-songwriter and co- founder of The Allman Brothers Band, had passed away at his home in Savannah, Geor- gia at the age of 69. "Gregg struggled with many health is-
sues over the past several years," read a state- ment on Allman's official website. He was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1999 and un- derwent a liver transplant in 2010. "During that time, Gregg considered being on the road playing music with his brothers and solo band for his beloved fans, essential medicine for his soul. Playing music lifted him up and kept him going during the toughest of times." An ultra- soulful singer-songwriter and
Southern Rock and blues pioneer, he was also a legendary songwriter, having penned clas- sics like "Midnight Rider," "Melissa," “Queen of Hearts,” and "Whipping Post." He fronted the Allman Brothers Band for 45 years, at first alongside brother and co-founder Duane until the motorcycle accident in November, 1971 claimed the life of Duane. On the night of May 26th, Michael
Lehman, Allman's manager, sent completed versions of four new Allman songs to his home in Savannah, Georgia, and Allman was able to hear almost half of his next album.
"He was fully lucid and he was excited," re- called Lehman. "He was talking quietly but he wasn't in any pain at all. He loved the tracks and he knew what he'd done." The next day, the liver cancer he'd been
fighting for five years took Gregg’s life. Lehman and Don Was, who produced the ses- sions, went to work wrapping up what was suddenly Allman's farewell album, which he had himself dubbed Southern Blood. A collec- tion heavy on covers – including songs by Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Tim Buckley and Jackson Browne – the album, cut at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the same studiowhere his brother Duane launched his career as a session guitarist, All- man’s final album evokes the feel of his 1973 solo record Laid Back. "It was kind of unspo- ken, but it was really clear we were preparing a final statement, in many ways," said Was. According to Allman's own wishes, it will be released September 8, in order to avoid the always massive amount of albums released in the fall.
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