How Gregg Allman Finally Confronted His Demons

Gregg Allman always lived the life that he was writing about in his songs.

Certain elements of that lifestyle caused complications. It's something that the late namesake of the Allman Brothers Band addresses in the new documentary, Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul, which opens today (June 17) in theaters nationwide.

He'd battled addiction to drugs and alcohol for decades. His version of hitting bottom happened in a very public way: while he was on stage with his fellow band members as the Allman Brothers were being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the beginning of 1995.

The keyboardist and songwriter had prepared himself to behave in advance of the festivities. "I promised myself, I mean, I even lined 'em up, little shot glasses in the hotel room. Okay, one each hour, you know? I didn't want to get shaky," he recalled in the film. "By God, I did not want to get drunk. That's the hard thing to do. Long story short, I'm standing there getting ready to walk up on the stage and Willie Nelson is presenting us with the award."

Allman walked to the podium. He'd planned to say a number of things, as he shared, about Bill Graham, his mother and others. Instead, he offered brief and heartfelt remarks about his late brother Duane. He'd curtailed his speech, he revealed in The Music of My Soul, because he was afraid he'd fall down. "Willie even said to me, he said, 'Man, are you alright?' I said, 'Willie, I'm not alright."

The days after the events of the ceremony were dark ones for Allman. He "cried like a baby" watching footage of the Rock Hall induction, realizing that he had no idea how to stop everything he was doing. But he was ready to take action. Rehab, from his perspective, hadn't worked. He hired a male nurse to come into the world where he was living instead, at home, and set out to kick all of his habits -- from the hard stuff like heroin and cocaine, all of the way down to the cigarettes he smoked.

Watch the 'Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul' Trailer

Gregg Allman's 'Rough' Road to Sobriety

The experience was, of course, not easy. But in his telling, it was 100% worth what he went through. "It was rough … but I sure needed it,” Allman shared with journalist and Allman Brothers historian Alan Paul. “There’s no way I can even explain it. It’s like having a five-hundred-pound weight lifted off me, or like I was blind in one eye and now I can see out of both."

"I can see better, taste better, smell better—all five of my senses are waking up and I’m appreciating them all," he told Paul. “There’s a whole lot of stuff that I used to take for granted that I don’t anymore, and one of them is being alive. I’ve come so close that … That life of being wasted day in and day out all pretty much seems like a dream, or something that happened to someone else.”

How Gregg Changed Jackson Browne's Perspective on His Own Song

Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul digs through a lot of different topics and areas of the classic rock legend's career, including his turbulent marriage to Cher -- and thoughts from his family and friends as to why he was married so many times.

But it also gives a wealth of attention to the legendary music he left behind in his wake, both solo and with the Allman Brothers Band. Jackson Browne is just one person of many who marvels at what Gregg could do with a song, whether he wrote it -- or decided to record something someone else had written, as he did with Browne's "These Days," a tune that he tracked before the songwriter himself had even gotten a chance to.

"He sang [it] slow. That was the main thing I got was, 'Oh, you can imbibe the sorrow that's in this song," Browne shares in the film. "You don't have to throw all the emotion away. I did it really slow -- I guess I did it slower than Gregg and I thought I was doing it more or less like him. Of course, I can't do anything close to what Gregg [was doing], you know. I can't sing at all like him. So, I couldn't have imitated him if I wanted to."

Watch Gregg Allman and Jackson Browne Perform 'These Days'

How Fans Can See 'Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul'

The film lands in over 200 theaters tonight for a limited one-night only nationwide engagement, with additional screenings in certain markets. Fans can find showtimes and other local information at the official website for the movie. Though Allman passed away in 2017, he's well-represented in The Music of My Soul, thanks to an interview from 2014, large portions of which haven't been seen before, and additional archival footage.

Director James Keach was able to make sure Duane would be part of the movie as well, drawing on audio interviews with the late guitarist. Gregg's other fallen bandmates, Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks, among them, are present. Allman's longtime friend, Chank Middleton, who passed in 2022, is also featured.

There are further interviews with many from the musician's circle: Allman Brothers Band booking agent Jonny Podell (who also represented Gregg), Michael Lehman, his manager (and a coproducer of the film), keyboardist Chuck Leavell, ABB drummer Jaimoe and guitarist Warren Haynes, Robert Randolph and numerous others from all stages of Allman's career.

Longtime fans and even more casual ones will ultimately appreciate Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul, which probes some difficult areas of his life and work, offering a remarkably comprehensive overview in a relatively tight 90-minute window. Ultimately, it also demonstrates many times over, why we still love the music and the longevity it will continue to have with future generations.