Gregg Allman, one of the founders of the Allman Brothers, died May 27, 2017, age 69.
Along with his brother Duane, Gregg and Duane formed the Allman Brothers Band, a powerhouse band that pioneered a new, groove-and-guitar-based style that came to be known as Southern rock.
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Though he may be best known as a keyboardist and singer of the Allmans’, and also as a soloist, Gregg Allman also performed on acoustic guitar. He was inspired to write this song when he picked up his brother Duane’s guitar and found it tuned to open E.
In this clip, recorded July 29, 1981 at NBC studio, Allman plays an Ovation on one of his most beloved songs, “Melissa” (transcribed in the August 2007 issue of AG). He’s accompanied by Dickey Betts, who is flat-picking an Ovation nylon-string, and Dan Toler. The song originally appeared on the Allman Brothers Band’s album Eat a Peach.