[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8737]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        IN HONOR OF GREGG ALLMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2017

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an 
outstanding artist and homegrown legend, the late great Gregg Allman. 
Sadly, on Saturday, May 27, 2017, Gregg passed away peacefully at his 
home in Savannah, Georgia. A private funeral was held in his hometown 
of Macon, Georgia on Saturday, June 3, 2017 and he was laid to rest at 
Macon's Rose Hill Cemetery beside his brother and bandmate, Duane 
Allman, and bandmate, Berry Oakley.
  Born in the ``Music City'' of Nashville, Tennessee, Gregg Allman's 
connection to music runs deep. Appropriately, it was a concert in 
Nashville with Jackie Wilson, Otis Redding, B.B. King, and Patti 
LaBelle that jumpstarted Gregg's passion for music. Though he is best 
known as a keyboardist and singer, he also performed on acoustic 
guitar, which he learned to play from a neighbor. He worked as a 
paperboy to buy his first Silverstone guitar, which he and his brother 
often fought to play. Ultimately, it was Duane who became the paramount 
guitar player of the family.
  Gregg and Duane Allman formed a series of bands in cities ranging 
from Los Angeles to Jacksonville to Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Eventually, 
in Daytona Beach, they formed what is considered their first ``real'' 
band, the Escorts, which later evolved into the Allman Joys. Then in 
1969, the Allman Brothers Band officially formed and moved to Macon, 
Georgia, captivating a generation of music lovers with their 
distinctive sound. Songs such as ``Whipping Post,'' ``Ramblin' Man,'' 
and ``Midnight Rider'' helped define what is known as Southern rock and 
set the stage for other musicians such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the 
Marshall Tucker Band.
  In October 1971, Gregg's brother Duane was killed in a motorcycle 
accident in Macon. One year later, the band's bassist, Berry Oakley 
also died in a motorcycle accident just a few blocks from where Duane 
lost his life. Music was the best release the band members found, so 
they continued performing and recording over the next four decades. 
Throughout the years, the band dismantled and reformed several times, 
allowing Gregg to produce a few solo albums and even one with his 
former wife, Cher. Eventually, the Allman Brothers Band regrouped for 
the final time in 1989 and continued performing until 2014.
  As a member of the Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman was inducted 
into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. He was also inducted into 
the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and received the Lifetime 
Achievement Award at the 2012 Grammy Awards. Those who knew Gregg 
personally spoke fondly of him, describing him as a jokester and a man 
with a kind heart.
  Gregg Allman is survived by his wife, Shannon, five children, and 
three grandchildren. Not surprisingly, several of his children have 
played music professionally.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife Vivian, and the 
more than 730,000 residents of Georgia's Second Congressional District 
in recognizing Gregg Allman for his remarkable accomplishments as a 
pioneering and world-renowned musician. His timeless talent and 
everlasting legacy live on in the hearts of those who loved him and 
will continue to be remembered by generations to come.

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