Last night I attended the world premiere of Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul at New York’s Gramercy Theatre. In addition to a screening of the 96-minute documentary, we had an acoustic performance by Devon Allman & Duane Betts: “Melissa,” “Blue Sky” and “One Way Out,” which had a really nice instrumental intro. After the show, there was a panel that included Devon and Duane’s daughter Galadrielle. (Video at bottom of post.)
The film will be in theaters nationwide for a brief run starting next week, June 17. You can search here to see if there’s a theater near you. I’ve received a lot of complaints about lack o showings, but it needs to be understood how rare it is for a documentary to be shown in theaters. It’s a very cool development, which guarantees much higher visibility, and it will be on a streaming service before long. I’ll share that info when I have it. Also please note that if you are headed for the premiere event in Savannah next week, I will be there conducting an interview Gregg’s manager Michael Lehman, one of the movie’s producer and its primary driver.
“Blue Sky” video by Mike Figurelli
A lot of people have asked me, so let me be clear: I had no involvement with the film, other than driving Jaimoe to his interview. and listening in. The film was made with the cooperation of Gregg’s family and it does a very good job of pulling back the curtain and showing the artist’s softer, more introspective side.
Director James Keach has produced or directed documentaries about Glen Campbell. David Crosby and Linda Ronstadt. He certainly knows his way around the format and strikes a nice balance with interviews with Gregg and close friends and bandmates, including Jaimoe, Warren Haynes, Jackson Browne, Chuck Leavell, Gregg’s children Island Delilah and Devon, wives Stacey Fountain Allman and Shannon Allman and Gregg’s indispensable right hand man Chank Middleton. Linda Oakley Miller, Mama Louise Hudson, Paul Hornsby, ABB manager Bert Holman, Lehman and The Big House’s John Lynskey also provide insight.
There are a few other people who pop up for unknown reasons, and some who are oddly absent, but in my experience, every documentary has similar head scratchers. The only quibble I’ll mention is they never say the name Lamar Williams or The Big House.
The movie’s beating heart is a never-released 2014 interview with Gregg, filmed around the time of the All My Friends tribute concert at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. Gregg, who was already diagnosed with cancer but had not publicly revealed his illness yet, is thoughtful, open and vulnerable. He speaks with a directness and honesty that is truly compelling. I was fortunate enough to know this side of Gregg and I am happy that everyone else can now experience it as well. Post-sobriety, away from the stage, Gregg Allman could be truly thoughtful, funny and insightful.
Music Of My Soul starts in earnest with the story of Mama A, Geraldine Allman, and her struggle to raise her sons as a single mother after their father’s murder, a truly tragic start of life for Gregg and Duane. It includes some very cool footage of her at the band’s Juliette, Georgia farm, just one example of the excellent licensing job that the team did. There is essential footage of the original band at the Fillmore East and elsewhere that are truly thrilling to see, especially on a big screen, particularly with a packed house. We’re still waiting for a full release of that footage!
The movie is particularly strong in the first third, digging into Gregg and Duane’s early lives and foundational relationship, and the formation of the Allman Brothers Band. One of the most insightful and touching moments comes when Gregg says of Duane, “I spent my life trying too impress him,” before pausing and adding, “The first 20 years anyhow.”
Jaimoe comes off great, displaying the sharp mind, keen insight and comic timing I know so well. The film is also admirably frank about what drove Gregg to get married seven times and both his failings as a father and his good-faith effort to be better in later years. Devon’s frank honesty is particularly noteworthy. When he talks about Gregg’s absence for all of his childhood and Keach responds, “but he never apologized,” Devon says, “Oh man. I think he lived a lifetime of I’m sorry’s. I knew he was sorry.”
The Music Of My Soul is also excellent at the tail end, with footage of and discussion about both the All My Friends tribute and the recording of Southern Blood, Gregg’s final album. It features compelling behind-the-scenes footage from the recording, while Scott Sharrard and Don Was add thoughtful commentary on the album’s elegiac tone.
I interviewed Chank about that album and Gregg’s final year and he said:
“I knew for a few years and it was hard for me to accept but he was the one with strong words. I never saw him stand up to anything or anyone as he stood up to death. He did not like confrontation but he faced death like a strong soldier. He looked it in the eyes and said, ‘Death, I’m not scared of you and I’m not ready for you.’”
That spirit is evident throughout the movie, which left me feeling very happy for Gregg that he had such a long runway to come to terms with his end and to go out on his own terms. I am thrilled that the movie is getting a wide release, shining a light on Gregg and his artistry and, of course, the Allman Brothers Band and its indelible legacy. There are films about Dickey Betts and the early ABB in the works and I wish them both well. When it comes to this subject, more is more, and more is good.
After the screening, Alan Light, who co-wrote Gregg’s memoir, led a panel discussion that included Keach, booking agent Jonny Podell, Devon and Galadrielle Allman. They were all emotional and insightful. As my friend Mike Figurelli said, “Galadrielle and Devon’s responses during the Q & A were very heartfelt. A lifetime of hurt and eventual unconditional love. I was so glad I was there to hear them in person.”
Here a couple of highlights. I regret not recording the entire thing. I stopped filming Galadrielle’s answer a beat too soon. She went on to thank Gregg’s ex-wife Stacey Fountain Allman for making everyone feel welcome and helping them have a lovely, family life in later years. Stacey was also essential to my own relationship with Gregg. she recognized me as someone he should trust and encouraged him to talk to me, and I believe that led to him opening up more and more. I am working on getting footage of the entire panel and will share it if/when I do.
Brothers and Sisters: the Allman Brothers Band and The Album That Defined The 70s was my third straight book to debut in the New York Times Non-Fiction Hardcover Bestsellers List, following Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan and One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band. My first book was Big in China: My Unlikely Adventures Raising a Family, Playing the Blues and Becoming a Star in Beijing, about my experiences raising a family in Beijing and touring China with a popular original blues band. It was optioned for a movie by Ivan Reitman’s Montecito Productions. I am also a guitarist and singer who fronts two bands, Big in China and Friends of the Brothers, the premier celebration of the Allman Brothers Band.
Thanks so much, Alan. Your gracious and thoughtful review makes me want to see it even more (which I will a week from today). Beautifully written and the teasers about documentaries about the original Brothers and Dickey - oh my!
Oh, Alan! Thank you for sharing this. I'm hoping to see this when it starts streaming. I'd really wish they would put it out on a DVD including the panel discussions, that way I could watch it over and over again.!!!