The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Gregg Allman, singer and keyboard player with the Allman Brothers
Gregg Allman, organist and singer for the Allman Brothers Band, has died aged 69.
His publicist Ken Weinstein confirmed on Saturday that Allman had died at his home in Savannah, Georgia.
Allman had cancelled some 2016 tour dates for health reasons, then in march this year he cancelled performances for the rest of the year.
After years of substance abuse, Allman contracted hepatitis C and had a liver transplant in 2010.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Allman was raised in Florida by a single mother after his father was shot to death.
He and his older brother Duane formed the nucleus of the Allman Brothers Band.
It featured tight guitar harmonies by Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, a pair of drummers and the smoky, blues-inflected voice of Gregg Allman.
Songs such as Whipping Post, Ramblin’ Man and Midnight Rider helped define what came to be known as Southern rock.
Based in Macon, Georgia, the group featured Betts, drummers Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson and Butch Trucks and bassist Berry Oakley.
Their self-titled debut album came out in 1969, but it was their seminal live album At Fillmore East in 1971 that catapulted the band to stardom.
Duane Allman had quickly ascended to the pantheon of guitar heroes, not just from his contributions to the Allman band, but from his session work with Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and with Eric Clapton on the classic Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs album.
Duane was killed in a motorcycle accident in October 1971, before another motorcycle accident the following year claimed Oakley’s life.
In 2000, Betts was ousted from the band via fax for alleged substance abuse and poor performance and he has not played with the band since. Butch Trucks died in January 2017. The band was honoured with a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2012.