S.O.D. "Melissa" by Gregg Allman

5/31/2017     Gregg has joined his brother Duane, and they are probably already laying down some tunes.  Duane considered this to be one of Gregg's greatest compositions.  Many of us mistake the title as "Sweet Melissa," as this is how the first two choruses are sung.  The last lyric Gregg needed was a woman's name.  Nothing seemed to fit until one day when he was in the grocery store.  It was just Gregg and a Spanish woman in the store.  The woman's small daughter was running up and down the aisles, and the woman began yelling "come back Melissa, come back." Gregg dedicated the version on the album, "Eat a Peach" to Duane.

     Throughout The Allman Brothers Band tenure, 19 members came and went or stayed, of which 8 have passed away.  Gregg was a vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist who's career lasted 57 years.

     Jimmy Banes was a mentally handicapped neighbor of Allman's grandmother, and when Gregg was around 13 y/o, Banes began teaching him guitar.  The first guitar Gregg bought was a Silvertone, which Gregg paid for with his paper route money.

     Including singles, albums, and other works, he was a part of more then 100 musical projects.  RIP