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My Cross to Bear Hardcover – May 1, 2012
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length390 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherWilliam Morrow
- Publication dateMay 1, 2012
- Dimensions6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100062112031
- ISBN-13978-0062112033
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A Q&A with Gregg Allman
Q: Why did you want to write this book and tell your story?
Allman: I’d actually been thinking about doing a book for a long time, and since the 80s, I’d been putting bits and pieces of the story together. Just a bit here a bit there, that sort of thing. There have been a few books about the Allman Brothers over the year, and they all seem to tell one of two stories—either we were all out there sowing our wild oats, or we were constantly surrounded by tragedy. None of them really got the feeling of the band right, and that was what I set out to do.
Q: What impact have your health struggles over the last few years had on the way you think about your life and history?
Allman: Well, as I said, I’ve been working on this book for a while, but my health being what it has been over the last couple of years gave me an extra push to get the whole story down on paper. Last fall I was pretty sick, and I had this thought that it just wasn’t my time yet. I’ve still got more songs in me, more stories to tell. I guess this is one of ‘em.
Q: Was it hard to make yourself think about the darker times in your life?
Allman: It was. I wanted to be as honest as I could, but at the same time, looking back like this was tough. Facing the past isn’t easy. I threw down though, and didn’t hold back. I didn’t want anything colored up.
Q: What do you hope an Allman Brothers fan would learn about you from this book?
Allman: As I said before, for years, when people have talked about the band, they’ve tended to focus on the tragedy or the insanity of our history. Make no mistake, those are in the book and they’re very real. But a lot of people don’t understand just how much fun we had—especially in the beginning. I tried hard to include the good as well as the bad.
Q: Has spending this time looking back at the band's history given you a different appreciation for what the Allman Brothers have accomplished?
Allman: I’m not so sure it’s a different appreciation so much as just amazed and proud that we’re still here today. In the book, I talk about when my brother first called me about being in the band he said he had these two drummers and two lead guitarists, and I remember thinking that sounded like a train wreck. But somehow it worked then and it’s worked ever since. It’s an incredible band, filled with incredible musicians, and I’ve been very lucky to be a part of it.
Q: Do you think that your kids will learn about you from reading this story? How about your bandmates?
Allman: Sometimes when you’re on the road with someone, it’s easy to lose sight of just how far you’ve come. I’ve lived with these stories for a long time, but having them together, all in one place, is something else. Everyone always takes something different away from what they read. I can’t say what people will learn, but my hope is they have some fun along the way.
Review
…This book is everything you could hope for: in a grizzled, laconic drawl, Allman provides a rambling backstage account of his five decades with the Allman Brothers Band, and he doesn’t seem to hold anything back. — New York Times Book Review
A soul-searching rumination on a hard-lived life... For generations of fans, Allman’s book provides insights into the many turns in that long road... MY CROSS TO BEAR carries a welcome seal of honesty. — USA Today
In his memoir, the rambling and rambunctious Gregg Allman lays bare his soul… In the end, Allman, writing with music journalist Light, has produced a fiercely honest memoir. — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
This is a story about musical brotherhood. Rich and moving... Nothing less than profound. Life, love and music from one of the most influential American recording artists of the last 40 years. — Kirkus Reviews
“Packed with juicy anecdotes, gripping details and raw energy…Fans of the Allman Brothers Band are certain to relish the revelations... MY CROSS TO BEAR provides a window into Allman’s tortured soul - he presents himself as a man cracked and flawed, yet somehow intact.” — Birmingham News
From the Back Cover
As one of the greatest rock icons of all time, Gregg Allman has lived it all and then some. For almost fifty years, he's been creating some of the most recognizable songs in American rock, but never before has he paused to reflect on the long road he's traveled. Now, he tells the unflinching story of his life, laying bare the unvarnished truth about his wild ride that has spanned across the years.
The story begins simply: with Gregg and his older brother, Duane, growing up in the South, raising hell with their guitars, and drifting from one band to another. But all that changed when Duane and Gregg came together with four other men to forge something new—a unique sound shaped by soul, rock, and blues and brimming with experimentation; a sound not just of a band, but of a family.
Bringing to life the carefree early days of the Allman Brothers Band, Gregg holds nothing back—from run-ins with the law to meeting girls on the road, from jamming at the Fillmore East to experimenting with drugs. Along the way, he goes behind the scenes of some of greatest rock music ever recorded, without shying away from the infamous and painful deaths of his brother, Duane, and Allman Brothers bassist Berry Oakley. Speaking for the first time about the profound impact that his brother's death had on him, Gregg offers a tribute to Duane that only a younger brother could write, showing how, to this day, he still confronts the grief of losing his big brother, even as Duane continues to guide and inspire him.
Setting the record straight about the band's struggles in the face of death, Gregg shows how the decision to persevere came with a heavy price. While the rock and roll excesses of drugs, alcohol, and personality clashes led to a series of breakups that culminated with the band's permanent reunion in 1989, Gregg fought his own battle with substance abuse, going to rehab no less than eleven times and floating through a string of failed marriages, including his tabloid-frenzied relationship with Cher, before finally cleaning up once and for all.
Capturing the Allman Brothers' ongoing, triumphant resurgence as well as his own recent fight against hepatitis C and featuring over one hundred photos from throughout the band’s history, Gregg presents a story as honest as it is fascinating, providing a glimpse inside one of the most beloved and notorious bands in the history of rock music and demonstrating how, through it all, the road goes on . . . forever.
About the Author
Gregg Allman is one of the original members of the Allman Brothers Band, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He continues to make music as a solo artist and with the Allman Brothers and lives in Georgia.
Alan Light is a former editor-in-chief of Vibe and Spin magazines, and a frequent contributor to the New York Times and Rolling Stone.
Product details
- Publisher : William Morrow; 1st edition (May 1, 2012)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 390 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0062112031
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062112033
- Item Weight : 1.5 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #100,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #265 in Rock Music (Books)
- #269 in Rock Band Biographies
- #3,359 in Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author
One of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman has been making music for almost fifty years, and during that time he has recorded some of the most iconic songs in American rock. Inducted into of the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, Gregg Allman continues to make music as a solo artist and tour with the Allman Brothers Band. He lives in Georgia.
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As a lover of his music, this book just flowed from page to page as each story unfolded. I highly recommend it!
But I must say, some of the chapters, especially those that involved his brother, Duane, are enjoyable.
It's clear from the start that though Duane was just a little over a year older than Gregg,, he was a father figure for his younger brother.. Gregg also claims that his brother kicked his butt every day of his life as he was growing up. (Having an older brother myself, I tend to believe his claims has some validity, though I think Gregg probably exaggerated some.) I mean, couldn't Duane had been doing something a little less violent one or two days a week, like knitting socks or something? But that being said, it's obvious that there was a tremendous bond and love between the two brothers.
Gregg tells some amusing stories in the book concerning Duane and Gregg. According to Gregg, he and Duane went horse back riding once and Duane got dumped on his butt along with the horse he was riding. Duane hurt his left elbow and left the stables really pissed-off at Gregg and told his brother to stay away from him.
Gregg stayed away away for a few weeks and then went and bought the LP album by Taj Mahal and a bottle of coricidin cold medicine, because Duane had a bad cold. According to Gregg, he knocked on Duane's door, left the goodies on the welcome mat, and hauled ass. An hour or two later, Duane called Gregg and said, "Babybra, get your ass over here, I have something to show you. Well, Gregg goes over to his brother's place, and Duane had poured all the cold pills out of the bottle, washed the label off and put the bottle on his finger and was burning it up and cooking to the tune "Statesboro blues". So a legend and the king of the side guitar was born,
As brother's, once they started playing music, they were pretty much inseparable and played gigs together all across the south.
Gregg picked up the guitar first and showed Duane a few chords and licks; soon after that, Duane quit school and quickly passed Gregg as a guitar player.
Another amusing story was about when Gregg got his draft notice. Gregg did not want to be drafted, so Duane decided to have a toe shooting party so Gregg could get out of the draft. It worked. Gregg shot himself after Duane put a target on his toe. Well, the toe shooting party was successful, and Gregg was classified 4-F.
When the Allman Brother's started to make a name for its self, the drugs kicked in.
We find out that Gregg had a propensity for hard drugs as his brother, Duane, did. (In the 1970 they played 300 hundred gigs across the country and were on the road for 33o days; I guess they needed something to chill out with.
Just before Duane's death on October of 1971, Duane and Berry went to a drug rehab program to get clean; Gregg stayed in Macon and continued to do heron.
I thought Gregg would come off sounding more like a whiner than he did. The lost of his father at the age two, and then the lost of Duane in a motorcycle must of took a toll on Gregg. He does come across as an alcoholic and a womanizer. But also like a man who loved music more than just about anything and would be happy playing for one person, or twenty-thousand. All and all, you're going to find the the book is worth the read. I enjoyed it.
To the people of my generation, music was the statement not heard since. From Jackson Browne's California to Detroit's Motown to England's fine contributions, each was as individual and memory-stamping as the other. And what became Southern Rock, that sweet, sweet combination of Blues and guitar licks ~ took my world by storm.
Growing up in North Carolina, we were treated to The Allman Brothers if we were prepared to hit the roads. And hit the roads we did because life would never be so exciting.
To hear it in Gregory Allman's gritty words ~ it was tough. From the shocking death of Duane, his mentor and his hero ~ to Berry Oakley following close behind ~ we, his loyal followers were unaware of the turmoil that the band was suffering. They just seemed to stand up and keep on playing through their personal blues. And we kept buying the tickets, kept playing the albums until they could be played no more and we'd faithfully replace them...
From what I have gathered after reading this book ~ it wasn't written with the linguistic excellence of "Life" ~ but the paths crossed time after time. Meetings with other legends took place simultaneously, the books take a path of their own individually and together. But when I finished "Life" and was inspired by the strength of a man who, by all senses, should no longer be with us ~ I finished "My Cross to Bear" with a sense of deep sadness of what was lost.
I will forever be grateful for what I have been given by the artists of my time. Even today as I write this, I have a deep sadness of my own that is aching within me. And today ~ there is no other music that will satisfy this better than The Allman Brothers, especially Greg Allman's soulful voice and interpretation.
Yes, after having read these two books simultaneously, I am so thankful that I grew up when I did. When the days were long and hazy, when pot was a safe herb to smoke and friends were plentiful. When music surrounded us with emotion, with hope, with wicked abandon. And I'm pretty sure that it was better to be an Allman Brothers devotee than it was to be an Allman Brother.
Thank you Gregory...
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I thought Gregg came over as full of warmth and very "human". He speaks again and again so positivey of the people he has met and worked with. Of course there is the exception of D. Betts. I felt Gregg was fooling himself a little there. He acknowledges the years he himself was fuckin up because of the alcohol and then seems quite hard when it comes to the shows ruined by the guitarist's drinking. And from the way he himself describes it, it does sound pretty much like he got the "you're out" news in a fax. But having said that, betts comes over very controlling and power hungry. I wasn't there, and it's one man's side of the story, but it does sound like he was a pain in the ass.
The deaths are covered with real emotion, and I think Allman writes about his loss with a depth of emotion that is very moving. But even though he says so himself, I don't think he realises how much he idolises his brother, and how much Duane became the father figure he needed. Subsequently, his feelings about the band became intwined so deeply with his feeings for his brother that it becomes impossible for him to treat the Alman Brothers Band in anyway separate to his loss or love for his brother. I may be reading too much into it there, but the continuation of the band seemed to become a way for him of expressing his love for Duane.
The Gov't Mule folk come out of it very well, and as well as leading me back to all my old Allman Bros albums I'm now in the mood to listen to more of their stuff.
A great, entertaining read that does sound like the guy is sitting there telling his story. The professional writers did a great job of keeping his authentic voice on the page. As a result of reading this I feel a lot closer and more engaged with music that enjoyed for many years but which has now taken on added meaning. Nice one.