Southern rocker Allman dies at 69

His sound melded bluesy vocals, soul

In this April 13, 2013 file photo, Gregg Allman performs at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
In this April 13, 2013 file photo, Gregg Allman performs at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Music legend Gregg Allman, whose bluesy vocals and soulful touch on the Hammond B-3 organ helped propel the Allman Brothers Band to stardom and spawn Southern rock, died Saturday, a publicist said. He was 69.

Allman died at his home in Savannah, Ga., publicist Ken Weinstein said.

Allman had canceled some 2016 tour dates, announcing on Aug. 5 that he was "under his doctor's care at the Mayo Clinic" due to "serious health issues." Later that year, he canceled more dates citing a throat injury. And in March 2017, he canceled performances for the rest of the year.

Born in Nashville, Tenn., the rock star known for his long blond hair was raised in Florida by a single mother after his father was shot to death. Allman idolized his older brother, Duane, eventually joining a series of bands with him. Together they formed the nucleus of The Allman Brothers Band.

Songs such as "Whipping Post," "Ramblin' Man" and "Midnight Rider" helped define what came to be known as Southern rock and opened the doors for such stars as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Marshall Tucker Band.

They failed to crack success until they formed The Allman Brothers Band in 1969 and released their self-titled debut album. Based in Macon, Ga., the group featured guitarist Dickey Betts, drummers Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson and Butch Trucks, and bassist Berry Oakley. They partied to excess while defining a sound that still excites millions.

But it was the live album At Fillmore East in 1971 that catapulted the band to stardom.

In 1975, Allman married actress and singer Cher, three days after she divorced her husband and singing partner, Sonny Bono. Allman and Cher's marriage was tumultuous from the start. Cher requested a divorce just nine days after their Las Vegas wedding, although she dismissed the suit a month later.

Together they released a widely panned duets album under the name "Allman and Woman."

They had one child together, Elijah Blue, and Cher filed for legal separation in 1977.

The Allman Brothers Band split up in the 1980s and then re-formed several times over the years.

Starting in 1990, more than 20 years after its founding, the reunited band began releasing new music.

In 1995, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and won a Grammy Award for best rock instrumental performance for "Jessica" the following year.

In his memoir, Allman said he spent years overindulging in women, drugs and alcohol before getting sober in the mid-1990s. He said that after getting sober, he felt "brand new" at the age of 50.

"I never believed in God until this," he said in an interview with The Associated Press in 1998. "I asked him to bring me out of this or let me die before all the innings have been played. Now I have started taking on some spiritualism."

However, after all the years of unhealthy living he ended up with hepatitis-C, which severely damaged his liver. He underwent a liver transplant in 2010.

After the surgery, he turned to music to help him recover and released his first solo album in 14 years Low Country Blues in 2011.

The band was honored with a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2012.

A Section on 05/28/2017

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