photos: Alan Mercer Lighting & styling: Eric Venturo
Gregg Allman has been a Rock and Roll God most of my life. He still sells out tours all all over the world. When he isn’t playing with the Allman Brothers Band, he fronts his own band, where he takes center stage and delivers what his fans want and expect. His style of blistery blues mixed with his soulful singing, never stops being appreciated. Artists like Tom Petty and Bruce Willis are long-time fans who love to jam with him.
Gregg Allman’s rise to fame occurred in the early1970’s. After losing his brother Duane in 1971 in a motorcycle accident, he went on to record his first solo album, ‘Laid Back’ on Capricorn Records. The album has long been considered a solid ‘classic.’ For a time in the late 70’s he was on the cover of ‘Rolling Stone’ and ‘People’ magazine while being married to Cher. They had a son and even recorded an album of duets called ‘Allman and Woman.’ Unfortunately they were divorced by the time the album was released so it floundered. Nevertheless, Gregg went on to bigger success with hit albums like “I’m No Angel’ and ‘Searching For Simplicity.’
A five acre ranch in Savannah, Georgia is home when not touring. He enjoys the benefits of his artistry with plenty of royalty checks from his back catalog when the songs are used in films, television, and commercials.
When the opportunity to work with Gregg Allman came up I was extra excited. I knew he wouldn’t have much time with his busy schedule so we had to work fast! Eric Venturo was on hand to style and add this distinctive lighting to the photo session. After a few minutes of shooting, Gregg talked to me about what it’s like to live ‘the life.’
AM: Rolling Stone magazine ranked you at 70th out of 500, best singer of all time. What do you think about that?
GA: Well I don’t know how the voting went, but just to be on that list, because there are so many good singers in America. To be on the list itself, even if you were the last, would be an honor so I feel very good about it.
AM: Do you know you set the bar higher for musicians?
GA: It’s not one of the things I keep in the front of my mind because 99 and a half beats it. That’s what my brother always used to say.
AM: So you have to give 100% every time.
GA: You just get up there on stage every night and you think about last night and go, I think we can do better than that. You try to do it better. You don’t do the same songs in the same way two times or it becomes routine. Some bands play the same songs in the same order night after night and man that ain’t nothing but a J-O-B.
AM: Are you comfortable being a legend?
GA: I wear it very proudly. A lot of times I don’t think I’m worthy. That’s just a natural human humility.
AM: Do you consider yourself a cultural leader?
GA: I don’t know. I think we might have had an influence on other bands, but any other part of culture I’m not sure.
AM: Do you enjoy playing all your instruments equally?
GA: In my solo band I play a lot more guitar so that satisfies my guitar playing needs. I play electric and acoustic. I write mostly on the acoustic guitar and the acoustic piano. I like them both equally.
AM: What was your experience of life if 60’s LA? I heard you didn’t love it?
GA: Oh God no! How could you love it? Back then they had cross collateralization. That means they stuck us in our own apartments while charging it all back to us. This was Liberty Records at the time. When the money from the record came in they would take the publishing, writer’s royalties, they could take everything. That is all against Federal law now.
AM: You must do well with your song writing royalties.
GA: Song writing is almost like a life insurance policy, well in my case, and I don’t know how I drew that card but I did. All five of my Publishing Companies are on fire. They use my music for commercials, movies, and TV shows. I make a lot of my income like that. It’s incredible. I have kids you know.
AM: Are all your children musicians?
GA: No, three out of four. One is a registered nurse and she is going back to school to become a Physicians Assistant for an Anesthesiologist.
AM: Do you remember how it felt to record Laid Back? That was a difficult time in your life. Did recording the album bring you peace?
GA: It really did. It really did. I went in with a song called ‘Queen Of Hearts’ and they didn’t like it. I said well let’s just try it. The worst thing that can happen is we will get a good laugh because it is bad. I worked on this song for a year and a half. One of the guys in the band said, “Man it just ain’t saying nothing.’ I didn’t like hearing that.
AM: How did you handle it?
GA: I walked out of the studio in a rage. I went straight to Miami and realized that was the best thing he could have ever said. He did me the biggest favor in the world because I was cutting my first solo record. Then I was open to anything I wanted to play whether it was bluegrass, country, blues, anything.
AM: You are an amazing actor in the film RUSH. Do you want to do more films?
GA: Thank you, I owe it all to Sam Elliott. He held my hand through the whole thing.
AM: Do you not have an interest in doing anymore films?
GA: Well yeah I would like to do more films and if the right one comes along I’d do it. They send me scripts all the time but the dialogue is always filled with cuss words. RUSH only had one f word. I just don’t choose to say this in a movie. Then producers ask me why. I said my Mother might watch this film. They were all stunned.
AM: Can you remember recording ‘Allman and Woman?’
GA: Oh Christ. It’s a lot of time wasted. It started off alright but toward the middle of the recording the divorce started. So she would come the first part of the day and record her part and I would come in the second part of the day and do my part.
AM: Are you close?
GA: We are still real good friends. She is the only one of my ex’s that we are still good friends. She is a very nice lady. She really is.
AM: Are you writing anything now?
GA: I’m close to finishing my life story as a book. I’m going to finally set the record straight on a lot of things.
AM: Can you recall most of your life?
GA: Yes I can remember everything. I see a lot of my contemporaries can’t remember much from their past.
AM: You have a gift…for memory, music, and voice.
GA: Gift!?! I have a recording from the third time I ever sang and I sound awful. The ‘GIFT’ is the passion to go after it and get better.
Gregg Allman’s rise to fame occurred in the early1970’s. After losing his brother Duane in 1971 in a motorcycle accident, he went on to record his first solo album, ‘Laid Back’ on Capricorn Records. The album has long been considered a solid ‘classic.’ For a time in the late 70’s he was on the cover of ‘Rolling Stone’ and ‘People’ magazine while being married to Cher. They had a son and even recorded an album of duets called ‘Allman and Woman.’ Unfortunately they were divorced by the time the album was released so it floundered. Nevertheless, Gregg went on to bigger success with hit albums like “I’m No Angel’ and ‘Searching For Simplicity.’
A five acre ranch in Savannah, Georgia is home when not touring. He enjoys the benefits of his artistry with plenty of royalty checks from his back catalog when the songs are used in films, television, and commercials.
When the opportunity to work with Gregg Allman came up I was extra excited. I knew he wouldn’t have much time with his busy schedule so we had to work fast! Eric Venturo was on hand to style and add this distinctive lighting to the photo session. After a few minutes of shooting, Gregg talked to me about what it’s like to live ‘the life.’
AM: Rolling Stone magazine ranked you at 70th out of 500, best singer of all time. What do you think about that?
GA: Well I don’t know how the voting went, but just to be on that list, because there are so many good singers in America. To be on the list itself, even if you were the last, would be an honor so I feel very good about it.
AM: Do you know you set the bar higher for musicians?
GA: It’s not one of the things I keep in the front of my mind because 99 and a half beats it. That’s what my brother always used to say.
AM: So you have to give 100% every time.
GA: You just get up there on stage every night and you think about last night and go, I think we can do better than that. You try to do it better. You don’t do the same songs in the same way two times or it becomes routine. Some bands play the same songs in the same order night after night and man that ain’t nothing but a J-O-B.
AM: Are you comfortable being a legend?
GA: I wear it very proudly. A lot of times I don’t think I’m worthy. That’s just a natural human humility.
AM: Do you consider yourself a cultural leader?
GA: I don’t know. I think we might have had an influence on other bands, but any other part of culture I’m not sure.
AM: Do you enjoy playing all your instruments equally?
GA: In my solo band I play a lot more guitar so that satisfies my guitar playing needs. I play electric and acoustic. I write mostly on the acoustic guitar and the acoustic piano. I like them both equally.
AM: What was your experience of life if 60’s LA? I heard you didn’t love it?
GA: Oh God no! How could you love it? Back then they had cross collateralization. That means they stuck us in our own apartments while charging it all back to us. This was Liberty Records at the time. When the money from the record came in they would take the publishing, writer’s royalties, they could take everything. That is all against Federal law now.
AM: You must do well with your song writing royalties.
GA: Song writing is almost like a life insurance policy, well in my case, and I don’t know how I drew that card but I did. All five of my Publishing Companies are on fire. They use my music for commercials, movies, and TV shows. I make a lot of my income like that. It’s incredible. I have kids you know.
AM: Are all your children musicians?
GA: No, three out of four. One is a registered nurse and she is going back to school to become a Physicians Assistant for an Anesthesiologist.
AM: Do you remember how it felt to record Laid Back? That was a difficult time in your life. Did recording the album bring you peace?
GA: It really did. It really did. I went in with a song called ‘Queen Of Hearts’ and they didn’t like it. I said well let’s just try it. The worst thing that can happen is we will get a good laugh because it is bad. I worked on this song for a year and a half. One of the guys in the band said, “Man it just ain’t saying nothing.’ I didn’t like hearing that.
AM: How did you handle it?
GA: I walked out of the studio in a rage. I went straight to Miami and realized that was the best thing he could have ever said. He did me the biggest favor in the world because I was cutting my first solo record. Then I was open to anything I wanted to play whether it was bluegrass, country, blues, anything.
AM: You are an amazing actor in the film RUSH. Do you want to do more films?
GA: Thank you, I owe it all to Sam Elliott. He held my hand through the whole thing.
AM: Do you not have an interest in doing anymore films?
GA: Well yeah I would like to do more films and if the right one comes along I’d do it. They send me scripts all the time but the dialogue is always filled with cuss words. RUSH only had one f word. I just don’t choose to say this in a movie. Then producers ask me why. I said my Mother might watch this film. They were all stunned.
AM: Can you remember recording ‘Allman and Woman?’
GA: Oh Christ. It’s a lot of time wasted. It started off alright but toward the middle of the recording the divorce started. So she would come the first part of the day and record her part and I would come in the second part of the day and do my part.
AM: Are you close?
GA: We are still real good friends. She is the only one of my ex’s that we are still good friends. She is a very nice lady. She really is.
AM: Are you writing anything now?
GA: I’m close to finishing my life story as a book. I’m going to finally set the record straight on a lot of things.
AM: Can you recall most of your life?
GA: Yes I can remember everything. I see a lot of my contemporaries can’t remember much from their past.
AM: You have a gift…for memory, music, and voice.
GA: Gift!?! I have a recording from the third time I ever sang and I sound awful. The ‘GIFT’ is the passion to go after it and get better.
photo: Alan Mercer Lighting & styling: Eric VenturoTo learn more about Gregg Allman visit his website http://www.greggallman.com/
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