Gregg Allman’s manager reveals details of ‘compelling’ posthumous album Southern Blood

Set for release this September, ‘Southern Blood’ was recorded in the months leading up to Gregg’s death aged 69 on Saturday (27th May) and included a 12-day session at the celebrated Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Gregg’s older sibling and Allman Brothers Band co-founder Duane also recorded with artists including Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and Percy Sledge at Fame Studios before his fatal motorbike crash in 1971.

Reflecting upon the final weeks of Gregg’s life, Lehman told Variety Magazine that when the singer talked about ‘Southern Blood’, it “made him light up.”

“It was my goal to make sure it would be a big, special album,” says Lehman. “Even though that it became clear that Gregg wasn’t necessarily going to be able to promote it, even if he was here, and that was something we were going to be prepared for.”

He continued: “(Gregg) started recording probably a year to two years ago with Don Was and his solo band, he spent about 12 days at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. His health at the time was okay, he was already struggling a little with the recurrence of his liver cancer. He would have good days and bad days and we worked around it as best we could.

“Some days were better than others but there were enough takes to make something really special. We documented a lot of the recording sessions, so we have a tremendous amount of video footage and still photography from the sessions.

“Gregg was so happy to be at such an iconic studio, where his brother had recorded and so much incredible music had been made over the years.”

Confirming that Gregg’s close friend Jackson Browne duets with him on a track called ‘Song for Adam’, Lehman added: It’s comprised of a bunch of really cool covers and a couple of original tunes, but I really can’t say much more beyond that.

“Gregg really wanted to keep (information about the album) tight and I have to respect his wishes — he wanted to surprise his friends and his fans.

“But I think it’s a record that everyone’s really going to be excited to hear — his vocals are so compelling, and hearing them and knowing where he was in his life’s journey, it’s just chilling, honestly.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Lehman poignantly said that Duane was never far from Gregg’s thoughts: “He would think or talk about Duane almost every day.

“Duane’s presence was very much felt in the house, with pictures and letters and through Duane’s daughter Galadrielle, who Gregg really treated like another of his children. He loved her — she was an ever-present reminder of Duane.

“I remember, I guess it was during the Allmans’ 40th anniversary concerts, Eric Clapton guested (Duane played on Clapton’s 1970 ‘Layla’ album) and I brought Galadrielle into Clapton’s dressing room to introduce them and the they both just started weeping. It was an incredible moment.”

Gregg Allman passed away peacefully at his home in Savannah, Georgia last Saturday. He is survived by his wife, Shannon Allman, and his five children, Devon, Elijah Blue, Delilah Island Kurtom and Layla Brooklyn Allman.