An Allman Life
He hit rock bottom when the Allman Brothers were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995, married seven women to combat overwhelming loneliness, and had recurring visions of his brother Duane
The saga of the Allman Brothers Band is often framed as a tragedy, and not without reason. Just as they were gaining a national profile in 1971 thanks to their explosive live album At Filmore East, guitarist and band co-founder Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident. A year later, bassist Berry Oakley died in his own motorcycle accident. The shellshocked survivors soldiered on, and had great success, but they also dealt with severe addiction issues, scrapes with the law, periodic breakups, and long-simmering tensions with guitarist Dickey Betts that led to his ouster in 2000.
Director James Keach’s new documentary Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul doesn’t downplay any tragic elements of the band’s history, but by telling the story through the lens of Gregg Allman, who fronted the group and wrote much of their most enduring music, it becomes instead a tale of survival and perseverance. (The doc, made in association with Rolling Stone Films, is available to watch digitally starting July 21.)
