As one of the greatest rock icons of all time, Gregg Allman has
lived it all and then some. For almost fifty years, he''s been
creating some of the most recognizable songs in American rock, but
never before has he paused to reflect on the long road he''s
traveled. Now, he tells the unflinching story of his life, laying
bare the unvarnished truth about his wild ride that has spanned
across the years.
The story begins simply: with Gregg and his older brother,
Duane, growing up in the South, raising hell with their guitars,
and drifting from one band to another. But all that changed when
Duane and Gregg came together with four other men to forge
something new-a unique sound shaped by soul, rock, and blues and
brimming with experimentation; a sound not just of a band, but of a
family.
Bringing to life the carefree early days of the Allman Brothers
Band, Gregg holds nothing back-from run-ins with the law to meeting
girls on the road, from jamming at the Fillmore East to
experimenting with drugs. Along the way, he goes behind the scenes
of some of greatest rock music ever recorded, without shying away
from the infamous and painful deaths of his brother, Duane, and
Allman Brothers bassist Berry Oakley. Speaking for the first time
about the profound impact that his brother''s death had on him,
Gregg offers a tribute to Duane that only a younger brother could
write, showing how, to this day, he still confronts the grief of
losing his big brother, even as Duane continues to guide and
inspire him.
Setting the record straight about the band''s struggles in the
face of death, Gregg shows how the decision to persevere came with
a heavy price. While the rock and roll excesses of drugs, alcohol,
and personality clashes led to a series of breakups that culminated
with the band''s permanent reunion in 1989, Gregg fought his own
battle with substance abuse, going to rehab no less than eleven
times and floating through a string of failed marriages, including
his tabloid-frenzied relationship with Cher, before finally
cleaning up once and for all.
Capturing the Allman Brothers'' ongoing, triumphant resurgence
as well as his own recent fight against hepatitis C and featuring
over one hundred photos from throughout the band''s history, Gregg
presents a story as honest as it is fascinating, providing a
glimpse inside one of the most beloved and notorious bands in the
history of rock music and demonstrating how, through it all, the
road goes on . . . forever.
