My Cross to Bear

Thank you for this book. I want everyone to read it, this was written straight from the gut with so much love and honesty you will really appreciate these words. What a life, many trials and tribulations and so much courage through it all. Gregg Allman is not only the best song writer and singer of all time but also a persevering man who got it right. He really did hit all the right notes. I wish I would have known about it when it first came out. This is a great book!

I wanted to be opened minded about My cross to Bear", but to be honest I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew he had a co-writer, and I wasn't sure how much he actually contributed to the book; I mean he could of recorded just enough personal and pertinent information about his life to have filled his contract with his publisher and let his co-writer do the heavy lifting and most of the actual writing.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.

Great reading

His story was compelling, made me miss him all the more. What a sad life as a kid, but he made good through adversity. I wish things had been different for him so he could still be with us today. I really miss his voice.

After having read "Life" by Keith Richards, I was well and truly prepared for more of the eye-opening bizarreness of what my music idols lived. "Life" was one of the best books I've read in a long, long time.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...

Great book and fast delivery. Highly recommend this seller. Ty

I bought this book not realising Gregg had sadly passed away a few months previous, I had heard of the Allman Brothers and wanted to know more about the southern rock movement in the states. I read this book not knowing what to expect, the Author had come full circle the tragedy's along the way he weathered with grace and seemed to grow and become more open and insightful, this book does not skip the hard knocks in his life, you do come to the realisation that the drink and drugs definitely numbed the pain, reading this book made the reader suddenly want to read all the old interviews whether written or on the radio, old film clips, youtube all the hits and see them playing live, and for me realising that a song I had known in my childhood and had heard played at many a west indian party, Midnight Rider, I was shocked to know this was one of the Allman Brother's originals I had only ever known it in reggae. Gregg clearly decided there is no point in writing an autobiography unless you are going to bare your soul, this book is brilliant and warm and funny and you end up really liking him, and cheering from the sidelines that he had finally realised how loved he was. I have told so many about this book, and I am in the middle buying all the Allman Brothers recordings; I can think of no bigger compliment to pay Gregg than to thank him for the music, and for finally being happy in his own skin, in his later years he was still handsome and strong and his love for music especially the blues, and the tribute he constantly paid to the older black musicians who arguably did not get the recognition they so richly deserved, Gregg alway paid homage to them. Greggs beautiful voice, and the love his family and friends had for him speaks volumes; I am sure his Brother Duane who passed away at just 24, is very proud of his baby brother, and I think finally Gregg allowed himself to believe that he did, indeed do well, incredibly well

A great read which I recommend to anyone who hasn't yet picked up a copy.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.

Great read from a legendary rocker. He comes across as a very decent, simple man. I knew it would be a good read given the life he has led. Frankly, given his alcohol intake, i'm surprised he made it to 69! He is a true legend, and had one of the great voices. A very talented man. Perhaps though, while I loved the whole thing, the post 2000 era could have been given a few more pages. It seemed to skip from early 2000's to 2011. Also, I don't think he gives Dickey enough credit. Prior to his diminished guitar playing, he was one of the great guitarists and still wrote, song and played on a handful of the ABB best songs/compositions. I would recommend this book.

My musical hero for most of my life. This is a truly honest account, warts and all of the his life and musical career. It's one for the fans. It's written just like you are sitting there listening to him talk about it all. It's a great read for anyone with any affection for Gregg and the Allman Brothers. A huge talent and character. Sadly missed.

Whoever wrote this has a great ear for accents. I love the southern accent and having the audio clips was a great idea. A biography might have been more balanced, might have provided more insight, but so what. How many of us could write a rigorously honest biography? Plus, I discovered that I like Mr Allman's singing voice, because I listened to their music. Before reading this all I'd known was Rambling Man. Not a bad read at all.