Gregg Allman, pioneer of Southern rock, dies

By Bill Trott

Influential musician Gregg Allman died yesterday, in a post on his official website.

He was 69.

His soulful vocals made the Allman Brothers Band one of rock's top acts in the 1970s with songs such as Whipping Post, but his career also marred by tragedy and drug abuse.

"It is with deep sadness that we announce that Gregg Allman, a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, passed away peacefully at his home in Savannah, Georgia," the statement said.

Drummer Butch Trucks, another founding member of the band, died aged 60 on 24 January.

The Allman Brothers Band was started in Macon, Georgia, in the late 1960s by Gregg and older brother Duane, who became the band's guiding force and one of rock's most revered guitarists before he was killed in a motorcycle accident at age 24.

In its heyday, the band was a staple on radio stations and released albums ranked among the best in rock history.

Gregg was the band's lead singer, keyboardist and a key songwriter as it put out a string of hits.

He wrote several of them - It's Not My Cross to Bear, Midnight Rider, Ain't Wastin' Time No More and Melissa - while others were renditions of old blues songs, including One Way Out and Statesboro Blues.

‘Southern rock heart is breaking’

The band was an early progenitor of what became known as Southern rock.

In addition to blues, the band also was known for its crystal guitar harmonies between Duane and Dickey Betts, jazz influences and a free-wheeling approach that sometimes led to 20-minute songs.

But rising above it all was Gregg's voice.

"My southern-rock heart is breaking," music star Melissa Etheridge said on her Twitter feed.

Country music great Charlie Daniels said on Twitter: "Gregg Allman had a feeling for the blues very few ever have, hard to believe that magnificent voice is stilled forever."