Gregg Allman

Background

Gregory LeNoir Allman, popularly known as Gregg Allman, is a familiar figure in the world of rock music. Each time his name is mentioned, what comes to mind are the strides he made in the industry before his death. The second son in a family of four, Allman was born in Nashville, Tennessee, to Willis Turner Allman — a soldier in the U.S. Army, and Geraldine Robbins Allman. After Willis got fatally shot by a hitchhiker in Virginia in 1949, Allman’s mother relocated with her sons to Nashville and chose not to remarry. She went back to school to improve the family’s situation and sent Allman and his brother, Duane, to school.

Allman’s love for music was inspired by two events. First, he and his brother attended a 1960s concert in Nashville. The concert performance thrilled and planted music in Allman’s heart. The second was when a disabled neighbor introduced him to playing guitar. So much was Allman inspired by this that he began to work as a poster boy to purchase his guitar. After performing with the Y Teens, the Allman brothers saw a bright future in music and dived into it. In 1967, they secured a deal with Liberty Records and recorded under the name HourGlass. Their second album, “Power of Love,” was released in 1968. The popular Allman Brothers Band was established in 1969, after they left their deal with Liberty Records. The Allman Brothers Band got a breakthrough in the industry with the 1971 live album “At Fillmore East.” Allman was saddened by the sudden loss of his brother but he eventually bounced back and recorded his solo album “Laid Back” in 1973, as well as several other successful albums and singles.

As a member of The Allman Brothers Band, Allman won several awards, such as a Grammy Award for ‘Best Rock Instrumental Performance,’ a Billboard Touring Award, and the ‘Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.’ In 1995, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2006.