Steve Wiley Remembering Rock Legend Gregg Allman [Video]
I had the pleasure of seeing Gregg Allman perform live 4 times. He joined the J. Geils Band onstage at a concert I attended while in college. I caught a solo tour at the Grant Street Dancehall, and twice with the Allman Borthers Band, 1996 at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, and at Jazzfest in 2007. I was in high school when the Allman Brothers Band released their breakthrough album, "Live at Fillmore East." I bought a copy & it was defective. When I returned it to the store, they didn't have another one. "Eat a Peach" and "Brothers and Sisters" were among the first albums added to my collection. I have 10 Allman Brothers CD, and a couple of Gregg's solo albums. He took a rough road through life. Drugs & alcohol led to major health problems, hepatitis C, and liver cancer among them. Gregg's passing makes 4 founding members of the Allman Brothers Band who have left us. He's now reunited with brother Duane, bassist Berry Oakley, and drummer Butch Trucks in that "hell of a band" they got up there in Rock 'n Roll Heaven. Rock on, Midnight Rider.