Still A Ramblin’ Man

Kirk Baird

Saturday, Oct. 7, 2000 | 11:06 a.m.

Talking to Gregg Allman is like having a piece of rock history come to life.

As a singer-organist-guitarist, Allman was part of the seminal '70s Southern rock group the Allman Brothers Band, which all but defined the genre with such classic-rock staples as "Ramblin' Man," "Whippin' Post," "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Melissa."

He's had success as a solo artist, too, recording a No. 1 hit -- the only one of his career -- in 1987 with the title track to the album "I'm No Angel."

But as popular as his music's been, Allman is as well known for his offstage activities: longtime bouts with drugs and alcohol and a stormy marriage to Cher, which began in 1975 and ended four years later.

Recently Allman and the other Allman Brothers Band members have been involved in a controversy over the dismissal of original guitarist Dickey Betts. The band claims Betts is strung out on drugs and alcohol and cannot perform anymore, a charge Bettes denies. The dispute is in mediation.

Now Allman is hitting the road again, this time with his band of 10 years, Gregg Allman and Friends, in support of his last solo album, 1997's "Searching for Simplicity." The band plays Monday through Wednesday at the Blue Note Las Vegas.

Although Allman had no comment on either the ongoing Betts saga or his relationship with Cher, in a recent telephone interview with the Las Vegas Sun there were plenty of other topics to discuss:

Las Vegas Sun: Can you update what's been happening in your life in the last decade?

Gregg Allman: For the last 10 years I've been living in Marin County (Calif.). Last November I moved a little south of Savannah, Ga., and I'm really enjoying it, really love it here.

Sun: How long have you been sober?

GA: About 4 1/2 half years. It gets better every day.

Sun: I know you tried to go sober many times, with little or no success. What's the difference this time?

GA: Well, I got real sick. Alcohol was my main thing, I'd pretty much quit everything else. I'd take one drink and I was gone. But I found me a lovely lady who I plan on marrying. She stood by me through all this and I've got two or three other friends that stood real close to me. The rest of it I pretty much had to do on my own ... I guess I just got so fed up with it. I felt like hell when I didn't drink, felt like hell when I did.

Sun: Do you feel like you missed out on things because of your drug and alcohol problems?

GA: I cheated myself. I'm just glad I sobered up in time where I've got some youth in me. I can still get around and dance.

Sun: I get the sense you get tired of answering these kind of questions.

GA: Yeah, I do.

Sun: Would you rather let the music do the talking for you?

GA: That can't be, though. Well, it still does in the broad scope of things. What's my music got to do with my personality or where I came from or where I've been or what I've done or haven't done? If the music that I make sooths the savage beast -- you would think that's where it would end. But no, we want to know how many times a day does this guy scratch.

Sun: Is that unfair?

GA: I think it is human nature to want to know everything about someone who they admire.

Sun: Getting to your music, you're just about to start a new tour in Las Vegas. What can people expect?

GA: A whole bunch of everything. Got a new guitar player, Mr. Buzzie Feiten, who's played with everybody.

Sun: How does this band compare to the Allman Brothers Band?

GA: I wouldn't compare them. They're a little more bluesy, not quite as loud. It's not a big-show thing -- not an amphitheater-type or arena-type band; neither is it a biker club band. We play old opera houses and old movie theaters that used to be opera houses ... they sound so good.

Sun: Do you prefer playing those types of places over the arenas?

GA: You've gotta pretty much make the most of any place you're playing, but some of those big ones, man, the sound just washes out. Basically, if you're halfway outside and halfway inside and if you get a good wind going, it's like listening to music in a clothes dryer.

Sun: Obviously you've had a long career. To what do you attribute your longevity?

GA: I would hope that it is good music. We get out there and usually give them a nice, beefy set, usually play 2 1/2 to three hours. Never had anyone complain about getting their money's worth. I think part of the longevity is actually a blessing, because of the people out there who weren't even alive when I wrote "Whippin' Post," or any of those songs like that. Some people come up and say, "Can you autograph this for my dad or my mom?" It's a good feeling.

Sun: Do you find yourself writing music all the time?

GA: Not all the time. I don't think anybody writes all the time. I write on the road, at home, different places. Usually, it's on the road, if you're playing every night, the music's at hand, and the changes are going around in your hand, and it makes for some pretty good inspiration.

Sun: Now that you're sober, how has that affected you're writing?

GA: I can actually hear it now.