Photo – Marc Millman
In honor of the one year anniversary of Gregg Allman’s death… A couple of years ago, someone asked me to share a story about him that I had never told before, which got me thinking about this. Felt like a good time to share again. REST IN PEACE GREGG. You are horribly missed.
In 1997, I interviewed Gregg at 2 am in his Chicago hotel room after he played a solo gig at the Hard Rock Cafe – Jack Pearson was in the band. His wife Stacy and their two dogs were asleep behind us. It was a cover story for Guitar World Acoustic and I had brought an axe for him to demonstrate his finger-picked riff for “Come & Go Blues.” I handed it to him at the end of the interview, which had gone exceedingly well. It was the most relaxed, open conversation we ever had, by a long shot, which set the table for what came next.
He asked for a quarter and rounded off a couple of string ends. “You trying to take my eye?” he said with a laugh. Then he re-tuned the guitar, took out a pouch with fingerpicks, which he put on and showed me the riff.
Then he kept going and he played and sang all of “Come & Go Blues.” Audience of 1. It sounded just like you hear below.
Thank you for sharing your memories. Like you, this day will always remain special in my musical world. God Bless Gregg Allman.
Great story Alan! Melanie played a song just for me once, but this? I just can’t imagine. If Gregg had been more of a solo acoustic artist, I think we there would be more notice
for his guitar playing. That was so good.
Yes… and also his songwriting, I think.