singing.
Brennan Carley: The best Allman Broth- ers recordings are their live recordings, with Gregg singing live. But in the studio, he tended to do overdubs afterwards. Scott Sharrard: He did. To be fair to we tried to redo his vocals, but we were doing so much tour- ing, because with the music business now, even Gregg Allman had to tour all the time to pay for a 9-piece band and everything. So were never able to get him and Don together again. I even did two days with him in Savannah in a record- ing studio, where we were trying to get his vo- cals. I was actually producing these vocal sessions with Gregg and he couldn’t sing. He couldn't hit the note anymore.
Brennan Carley: There were two bonus tracks on Southern Blood that were live versions of “Love the Life I Live,” and “Kerosene.” And the strength of his voice was not there for those songs. Scott Sharrard: We had finished tracks, finished rhythm tracks, with overdubs, of “Pack it Up” by Freddie King, “Hummingbird” by Leon Russell, and we had “Everything That a Good Man Needs”, the other song Gregg and I wrote, but we didn't have a finished recording of it. I wanted to get Gregg ’s favorite people to sing them. But the label went with the soundboard recordings in- stead. But that planted the seeds for me. I took Everything That a Good Man Needs to Taj, and he ended up cutting that song on my record.
Chank Middleton: Taj and I, we’ve been friends for about 20 years. When Scott told me about the song, he said Taj would kill this song. I called Taj and told him that Gregg and Scott had writ- ten this song, and Scott wanted Taj to sing on it. Taj just loved the idea. Taj doesn’t care about the money, it’s about the music for him.
Scott Sharrard: I certainly got lucky that he even wanted to do it and that he showed up and did it. I'm still I'm still shocked that happened.
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On June 25, when we played the Southern Blood album in the City Winery, we're going to open the show with Pack It Up, Hummingbird, and Everything A Good Man Needs, and then we're going to start the album. People are going to hear what the potential album could have been.
Brennan Carley: How did playing in Mus- cle Shoals affect the album? Scott Sharrard: I’d encourage anyone to see that Muscle Shoals documentary. That documentary says it all. There's something there's like that like an Indian burial ground, super heavy vibe, on that piece of land, and I don't know why it's there. I know the records that we all revere are part of it. There's something in that room. We were all like kids in a candy store, Don Was in- cluded. That filtered down to the band, because we're there with Gregg and Don, here's two guys who've done everything with everyone and they're completely intimidated by the level of vibe that they're having to deal with! We’re really gonna have to rise to the occasion now. (Laugh- ter)
Brennan Carley: Like you step on a Broadway stage, or Madison Square Gar- den or Yankee Stadium, you’ve got to step up your game? Scott Sharrard: The Gregg Allman Band is not a band where you ever get to phone it in. Gregg would hear every note that everyone played. Sometimes you'd be lulled into thinking, he's just coasting along, and then he come up to me and he'd be “Hey, man, trumpet player was off on Dreams. He wasn't reaching that note, when we got to the bridge.” My God it's like all our jobs are on the line. (laughter). Quiñones hears everything. He's a master musician! That envi- ronment was A game every time you go on stage, and recording in the studio is no different. We were well trained for that moment, we knew what he wanted.
Brennan Carley: Why the “Gregg Allman Band” as opposed to say, “Gregg Allman and Friends” or just plain old “Gregg All-
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