Recommendations of the Editorial team
For 45 years, Gregg Allman led the Allman Brothers Band through periods of enormous success and fame – but also through devastating deaths, setbacks, addictions and internal strife that accompanied the group until their final shows in 2014. The upcoming documentary Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul traces this entire story from Allman’s own perspective and takes a broader look at his life – on stage and off.
In a new trailer, archival footage from the 1970s shows Allman discussing the death of his brother Duane Allman, who died in a motorcycle accident in 1971. “I was angry at him because he died,” he says. “I was angry at life. You don’t realize how much you lean on someone until they’re gone.” (Gregg Allman himself died in 2017.)
“Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul” premieres June 9 at the Gramercy Theater in New York. Gregg’s son Devon Allman will perform an acoustic performance alongside his Allman Betts Band bandmate Duane Betts – son of late Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts. Another performance will follow on June 11 at the Grand Opera House in Macon, Georgia, with a performance by Allman Brothers Band and Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell. Both events are sold out.
The official theatrical release is June 17th – then the film will be shown on over 200 screens across the USA. Tickets are available here.
James Keach directed
Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul was directed by James Keach, whose producing credits include Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me, David Crosby: Remember My Name, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice and the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. The film was made in collaboration with Rolling Stone Films and is executive produced by ROLLING STONE’s Alexandra Dale.
“Gregg’s story grabbed me immediately,” Keach said in a statement. It was important to him to show how pain and loss had shaped Allman’s life. “Not everyone works this way, but I believe that understanding trauma from someone’s formative years is central when telling their story in a documentary,” he continued. “Many extraordinary artists carry these harrowing experiences that permeate every aspect of their life and talent. Gregg had these demons in his amazingly creative mind. When Duane died, he was sinking deep into his addiction – but later in life, when he was sober, he faced his own mortality with dignity and calm. It is personally important to me to carry Gregg’s message: that people consumed by addiction can change their path. You can hear the pain in his voice – in his brilliant music.”
Drummer Jai Johanny Johanson, better known as Jaimoe, is the last surviving member of the original Allman Brothers Band. But next-generation bands like the Allman Betts Band are keeping the music alive on stages. There were also occasional shows by the Brothers – a loose group of musicians close to Allman consisting of Jaimoe, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge and Joe Russo – at Madison Square Garden.
