W
e are drawn to authenticity and
Gregg Allman has it. First, there’s his
voice that makes you believe in what-
ever he is singing. Witness a performance
of “One Way Out,” or “These Days” and you
know that Gregg Allman is a musical inter-
preter of song on par with Ray Charles and
Joe Cocker. But then again, he has written
his fair share of classics including “Whipping
Post,” “Midnight Rider,” and “Melissa.” His
vulnerability also makes him a good teacher
because we can relate to his lessons. He of-
fered this sound advice during a conversation
we had about B.B. King.
Gregg: I learned so much from him. I could
tell you a great story about B.B. He knew
that I lived in Marin County up by Sonoma –
the wine district – a great place to ride Har-
ley Davidsons. His man, his road tour man-
ager called my house. B.B. was playing at
the Civic Amphitheater south of Los Angeles.
It’s down by Disneyland. It’s like a Hollywood
Bowl-type thing. It’s really a nice-sounding
place. Anyway they had this blues review.
COVER STORY
SOUND ADVICE
There was a bunch of people on there. I’m
not sure who they had because I was so
scared. His man called me and said “The
Boss,” as he referred to him, “would like me
to ask you if you would like to come down
and play in the Pacific Amphitheater. Come
down and play three songs and we’ll give
you $1,000 a song. B. said for me to specify
the last three songs.” Man, my heart went
into palpitations (laughs). Don’t they know I
would have done it for free?! Come on. Have
you ever heard B.B. Live at the Regal? You
know when you play a record so many times
it turns white? I had about three of those.
This is when I was in my teens because
that’s a pretty old record. But it’s like James
Brown at the Apollo. It’s one continuous
thing. It’s like a medley. He goes from one to
another. This is my hero. Man, one of them,
like Ray (Charles). So hell yeah man, I got
out the one Armani jacket I had, threw it in
a bag and got on the plane. I got down there
and here’s what I wanted to know. I wanted
to know what three songs and in what key.
That’s all I wanted to know. That’s pretty
“Every Day I Have the Blues” by B.B. King, Gregg Allman, Lonnie Brooks, Eric Johnson, Buddy Guy
MAY / JUNE
DIGITAL EDITION
GUITAR TRICKS INSIDER
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