Gregg Allman-R.I.P.

Ugh! This just bums me out. Another great, gone. An aging generation.
 
This has kind of stuck with me today for some reason. I'm not a huge Allman Brothers fan - when my buddy texted me wth the news, I was kind of surprised to find my Allman collection consisted of Eat A Peach and Gregg's I'm No Angel. I happened to be in a B&N (we'd gone to visit my daughter before she moves), so I grabbed a two-disc comp. On the drive home, though, I popped on Rob Draskin's cover of "Melissa" (featuring Davy Knowles) and David Grissom's cover of "Jessica". As much as I love "Whipping Post", especially Zappa's cover of it, "Melissa" is the one that gets me every time. It's a song I've tried to learn a couple times w/no success, but I'll be revisiting it. It was already on my radar.

I was fortunate enough to see Gregg live twice - once with the Allman Brothers Band, and on his last solo tour last year. I was thrilled that night when he started "I'm No Angel" because that's one of my wife's favorites of his, and I was just swept away when they played "Melissa". Oddly enough, looking back at my concert diary, I didn't care for the version of "Whipping Post" from that night. He was quite thin, and definitely showing some age, but it was a big surprise a couple months later when he cancelled a bunch of dates.

Great writer, and what a soulful voice. I saw a great quote from him in the Rolling Stone article about his death:

"I must have said this a million times, but if I died today, I've had me a blast. I wouldn't trade [my life] for nobody's, but I don't know if I'd do it again. If somebody offered me a second round, I think I'd have to pass on it."

RIP, Gregg.
 
You can find his autobiography 'Not My Cross to Bear' either on Amazon or maybe your local library. Highly Recommended.
 
Aw man...:(

Covering Midnight Rider next weekend will take on a whole new meaning. I love that song.
 
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