I too am approaching 60, and have been a huge fan of the Allman Brothers, especially Gregg. His vocals spoke pain and sadness justly felt as he lived the life of a broken soul. Please read his book My Cross To Bear. He and Betts did some remarkable songs and boy the live performances were awesome. Betts departure was a blessing for the Allman Brothers. His twangy country influences only went so far. I'm not diminishing his excellent guitar playing, but the heart was Gregg Allman. I recommend the mobile fidelity sacd's highly, especially Brothers & Sisters just released. Soon to be released is the sacd of the ABB Live & Fillmore East by mobile fidelity. Stay tuned Gregg is not done yet. His vocals are still strong and soulfull. His show this past March 14th in Toledo, OH. Was remarkable. At 67 years old he's not giving up what he loves to do, is to bring joy to his fans. That's what keeping him alive!
Allman Brothers Band -- Shades of Two Worlds
As I approach my sixtieth birthday, I realize that I've been a tremendous fan of the Allman Brothers Band for the past 45 years. I first saw them in 1971 at the Philadelphia Spectrum, sharing the bill with Elvin Bishop and Johnny Winter. I remember being absolutely hypnotized by the guitar wizadry of Duane and Dickey, the percussion interplay of Butch and Jaimoe, the pounding bass lines of Berry, and the soaring vocals of Gregg. I have since seen them many times, through every "band membership change," and have enjoyed every show and millions of hours listening to them on vinyl, CD, and internet streaming.
So, to get to my point .... I just finished reading Alan Paul's "One Way Out -- the Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band." A terrific book and I learned a lot about the boys. Like many fans, most of my listening was centered around the tunes from the first five albums. But I just got turned on to "Shades of Two Worlds," an incredible album with which I was previously unfamiliar. It's really, really good, and I sincerely recommend it to all my fellow fans of the band. I guess we're never to old to learn to love something new.