Greg Allman & The Five Songs That Matter Most To Me

I really liked Greg Allman, particularly as a musician (a pretty underrated one, for me). The truth is, though, I didn't love his individual work by any stretch.  I did, however, very much love the Allman Brothers. Very much. And he was a big part of the fondness and reverence I have for the band. Greg Allman was also very much a renegade, and I like people who live according to how they see fit.

Southern Rock was popular when I was discovering music on my own as a kid. Everyone liked Skynard. AB, though, seemed on another level. Beyond the music, which speaks for itself, they had several things going on right away that I liked. One was possessing two guitarists on equal footing. Two styles that differed but blended and talked to one another perfectly. In other words, making music.

Another was they played the blues. And they played it exceptionally well. Personally, along with Cream, The Stones, and Zeppelin, the AB opened the proverbial door to the blues for me. Opened me up to new information that I had to travel to the past to get. What is this "Statesboro they're talking about?" I remember thinking when listening to "Statesboro Blues." Then I'd set out to discover, which led me to the masters who I've been listening to since. The blues, for whatever reason, grabbed me by the throat when we met and said, "Here it is, baby! This is the music you'll always listen to, now get to studying!" Without exaggeration, Greg Allman is partly responsible for that gift.

The AB also got me stoked because they had two drummers. "Is that even allowed?" Damn. Alright then, playing by their own rules here. Nice.

Finally, the AB got my attention way back when simply because it had brothers in the same band. For whatever reason, I've always liked the idea of brothers and sisters in the same band. CCR, The Black Crows, The Kinks, Van Halen, AC/DC, The Breeders, and so on. Right now, I can think of scads of three- apnd four-piece sister groups that will haunt you in a good way with their harmonizing. Siblings in a band either works gloriously it seems or ends in disaster. The AB were pretty glorious.

What I like about Greg and Duane Allman was that they looked cool, they looked different, and they never seemed to stop looking like they existed in a different, simplier era. Read about them, and you'll learn about a bond that existed on a lot of levels. I envy that.

These are the five songs I'll always tie to Greg Allman:

1. "These Days." He didn't write it, but it was always his song.

2. "Whipping Post." Soul bared. I don't know how else to describe it. Epic in every sense.

3. "One Way Out." The Allman Bros did as much to progress the blues as any American band early on, I'd argue. I wish more people knew about men like Sonny Boy Williamson.

4.  "Melissa." The essence of really great Southern rock: Musical mastery, sincerity, a classic melody, and vocals for days.

5.  "Statesboro Blues." Truthfully, I listen to this primarily for the guitars, but this is my favorite lineup of this band, one I truly love and one Greg Allman was part of. .


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