Gregg Allman

Gregory LeNoir Allman December 8 1947 May 27 2017 was an American singersongwriter and musician He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music and the Allman Brothers Band fused it with rock music jazz and country at times He wrote several of the bands biggest songs including Whipping Post Melissa and Midnight Rider Allman also had a successful solo career releasing seven studio albums He was born and spent much of his childhood in Nashville Tennessee before relocating to Daytona Beach Florida and then Richmond Hill Georgia He and his brother Duane Allman formed the Allman Brothers Band in 1969 which reached mainstream success with their 1971 live album At Fillmore East Shortly thereafter Duane was killed in a motorcycle crash The band continued with Brothers and Sisters 1973 their most successful album Allman began a solo career with Laid Back the same year and was perhaps most famous for his marriage to pop star Cher for the rest of the decade He had an unexpected late career hit with his cover of the song Im No Angel in 1987 and his seventh solo album Low Country Blues 2011 saw the highest chart positions of his career Throughout his life Allman struggled with alcohol and substance abuse which formed the basis of his memoir My Cross to Bear 2012 His final album Southern Blood was released posthumously on September 8 2017 Allman performed with a Hammond organ and guitar and was recognized for his soulful voice For his work in music Allman was referred to as a Southern rock pioneer and received numerous awards including one Grammy Award he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame His distinctive voice placed him in 70th place in the Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time