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My Cross to Bear

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 971 ratings · 241 reviews

As one of the greatest rock icons of all time, Gregg Allman has lived it all and then some. For almost fifty years, he's been creating some of the most recognizable songs in American rock, but never before has he paused to reflect on the long road he's traveled. Now, he tells the unflinching story of his life, laying bare the unvarnished truth about his wild ride that has...more As one of the greatest rock icons of all time, Gregg Allman has lived it all and then some. For almost fifty years, he's been creating some of the most recognizable songs in American rock, but never before has he paused to reflect on the long road he's traveled. Now, he tells the unflinching story of his life, laying bare the unvarnished truth about his wild ride that has spanned across the years.

The story begins simply: with Gregg and his older brother, Duane, growing up in the South, raising hell with their guitars, and drifting from one band to another. But all that changed when Duane and Gregg came together with four other men to forge something new--a unique sound shaped by soul, rock, and blues and brimming with experimentation; a sound not just of a band, but of a family.

Bringing to life the carefree early days of the Allman Brothers Band, Gregg holds nothing back--from run-ins with the law to meeting girls on the road, from jamming at the Fillmore East to experimenting with drugs. Along the way, he goes behind the scenes of some of greatest rock music ever recorded, without shying away from the infamous and painful deaths of his brother, Duane, and Allman Brothers bassist Berry Oakley. Speaking for the first time about the profound impact that his brother's death had on him, Gregg offers a tribute to Duane that only a younger brother could write, showing how, to this day, he still confronts the grief of losing his big brother, even as Duane continues to guide and inspire him.

Setting the record straight about the band's struggles in the face of death, Gregg shows how the decision to persevere came with a heavy price. While the rock and roll excesses of drugs, alcohol, and personality clashes led to a series of breakups that culminated with the band's permanent reunion in 1989, Gregg fought his own battle with substance abuse, going to rehab no less than eleven times and floating through a string of failed marriages, including his tabloid-frenzied relationship with Cher, before finally cleaning up once and for all.

Capturing the Allman Brothers' ongoing, triumphant resurgence as well as his own recent fight against hepatitis C and featuring over one hundred photos from throughout the band's history, Gregg presents a story as honest as it is fascinating, providing a glimpse inside one of the most beloved and notorious bands in the history of rock music and demonstrating how, through it all, the road goes on . . . forever.(less)

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published May 1st 2012 by William Morrow

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Aug 06, 2012 Janet rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobio, famous-people, pop-culture, sex-drugs-and-rock-roll

Jeez but I love summer with its hall pass to unabashedly read trash like this. If it’s content you seek you’ll learn more from the back of a box of Cocoa Puffs. It’s a stretch to consider Allman even one dimensional. Still, his ability to use the word ‘shit’ as noun, adjective, adverb and verb is impressive and omission of that word alone would trim the book’s 400 pages down to 250. Eliminating the word ‘man’ would trim it an additional 75 pages.

I recall my mother once saying, “Oh, I’m so glad...more Jeez but I love summer with its hall pass to unabashedly read trash like this. If it’s content you seek you’ll learn more from the back of a box of Cocoa Puffs. It’s a stretch to consider Allman even one dimensional. Still, his ability to use the word ‘shit’ as noun, adjective, adverb and verb is impressive and omission of that word alone would trim the book’s 400 pages down to 250. Eliminating the word ‘man’ would trim it an additional 75 pages.

I recall my mother once saying, “Oh, I’m so glad to be home. You wouldn’t believe how many accidents I saw behind me on the freeway” – an apt metaphor for My Cross to Bear. At no point does Allman ever take responsibility for ANYTHING including the various friends and roadies who went to jail for procuring his drugs. Here’s an example: “I felt guilty about the whole thing for a while, but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t figure out what it was I had to feel guilty about. I wanted some drugs, Scooter got them for me. I paid for them, and that was it – done deal. What was there to feel guilty about? Had I gone out on the street and bought them myself, I probably would have ruined my career. Scooter helped me out as a far as that went, but everyone who’s buying drugs is getting them from somewhere else. I’m sorry for what happened to Mr. Fuchs, I’m sorry for what happened to Scooter, but they knew what they were doing when they did it. Everybody made their own decisions, man. And that includes me. The whole mess with Scooter was the last straw for the band. As if the financial mess we’d gotten ourselves into wasn’t enough, most of the guys felt I’d sold Scooter out.” Similarly high marks as a family man – six failed marriages and a bunch of kids he probably couldn’t identify in a police lineup. His ‘shit, I’m the man” hubris is unwavering. Like a game of ‘Where’s Waldo?’ not only does he work in babes, drugs, alcohol, Trans Am cars and Triumph motorcycles in every chapter but also his unadulterated hatred of band mate, Dickey Betts.

Spoiler alert: the title of LP ‘Eat a Peach’ being a reference to brother, Duane killing himself by rocketing his motorcycle into the back of a produce truck is complete myth. The LP title was originally ‘Eat a Peach for Peace’, the band’s response to the Kent State riots.

In the plus column, this is a book you can read while doing other stuff like working on your taxes and watching the Olympics because it requires less than 3% of your attention to follow its narrative. Come for the music but side-step the book.(less)

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Nov 15, 2012 Graham Elvis rated it 5 of 5 stars

I found this at the library and thought Id give it a read. Gregg got up and jammed with my band The Elvis Brothers in St. Louis around 1985 he played guitar with us which was a thrill and he liked The Elvis Brothers... After the show we were hanging in our dressing room with Gregg who was feeling no pain but just wouldn't chill so to speak. We had to leave our own dressing room for some peace and quiet... I remember thinking to myself " I can't believe I just had to leave my own dressing room t...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, biography

"If I fell over dead right now, I have led some kind of life."

That's Gregg Allman near the end of "My Cross to Bear," and after reading his autobiography, "My Cross to Bear," I have to agree with him.

Some kind of life indeed.

Gregg Allman is best known, of course, as the frontman for The Allman Brothers Band, and his story is inextricably linked to the band's. In the early Allman Brothers days, Gregg's big brother, Duane, was running the show. Duane was the one who kept everyone in line, who wa...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Joel Brown rated it 2 of 5 stars

Finally got around to reading this after interviewing Gregg about a year ago. He said his approach was influenced much by Keith Richards' memoir, "Life," and it's easy to see. Good stuff about his early life, about forming the band and shaping their sound. In Gregg's case that leads to painful stuff about the deaths of his brother Duane and bassist Berry Oakley and the mid-70s implosion of the band amid those tragedies and huge drug intake.

Like Keith's book, this one channels the star's voice re...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Dave Ward rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: drugs, grateful-dead, hippies, memoirs, music, non-fiction, rock-and-roll, the-south

My Cross to Bear by Gregg Allman (William Morrow 2012)(780.92)is a memoir by one of the founding members of arguably the greatest Southern rock-and-roll band of all time. A disclaimer: I was and am a huge fan of the Allman Brothers Band, or I should say that I was a huge fan of the band's original early 1970's configuration (before Duane Allman (lead guitarist) and Berry Oakley (bassist) died in motorcycle accidents a year apart). The story of the band is well known; after the deaths of these tw...more My Cross to Bear by Gregg Allman (William Morrow 2012)(780.92)is a memoir by one of the founding members of arguably the greatest Southern rock-and-roll band of all time. A disclaimer: I was and am a huge fan of the Allman Brothers Band, or I should say that I was a huge fan of the band's original early 1970's configuration (before Duane Allman (lead guitarist) and Berry Oakley (bassist) died in motorcycle accidents a year apart). The story of the band is well known; after the deaths of these two founders, the rest of the band soldiered on and became mega-superstars by the mid-1970's. However, the band broke up in 1976 amidst incredibly bitter recriminations when the author testified before a grand jury against one of the band's "roadies" Scooter Herring; Gregg Allman received immunity for his testimony, while Scooter Herring was convicted of the sale and distribution of cocaine. As the author states, "Scooter Herring never sold me huge quantities of cocaine, but on July 19, 1976, he was sentenced to seventy-five years in prison for the coke he sold me." (My Cross to Bear, p. 273). Shortly after Allman's testimony, the band dissolved. There have been other books written about the Allman Brothers Band; the general consensus has been that Gregg Allman betrayed the spirit of the "Allman Brotherhood." For this reason, it was good to see this book published to give Gregg a chance to defend himself and tell his side of the story. Sadly, he was unable to provide any credible explanation or defense of his actions: "But when it came down to it, they [the band] seemed to feel that my testifying was the worst part of the whole Scooter situation. They felt it was a betrayal of what it meant to be an Allman Brother, even though they didn't have any idea what I'd been through. Because of that it was easy for the other guys to blame me for the breakup." (My Cross to Bear, p. 274). Over the next twenty years, the band eventually reformed and then broke up on more than one occasion. However, the Scooter Herring trial caused such a feeling of betrayal in Dickey Betts (another founding Allman Brothers Band member) that the rift between Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts continues to this day, according to the author. Gregg Allman reports that he has now recovered from his years of drug and alcohol addiction. He likewise reports that he has repaired his relationships with his five children by seven ex-wives and that "This year, the whole family is coming to my house for Christmas. I think we're all really a tight-knit family." (My Cross to Bear, p. 361). I'm glad to hear that the author is doing so well. Now I can't wait for Dickey Betts' book to come out to hear the other side of the story. My rating: 5/10, finished 10/22/12. (less)

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Oct 10, 2012 Bill rated it 3 of 5 stars

My first question when I started this book was did Alan Light do ANYTHING except have dictation typed up and organize the chapters. The answer is, it does not seems so. Gregg's voice at the beginning of this thing makes him sound to me like the 17 year old Daytona Dick Head that he was. For the first third of the book Gregory sounded to me like at 64 he was still an immature, self absorbed, cry baby.

I really began to like this book and to some degree G L Allman more as it went. For a while it s...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Carey Shea rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Allman Brothers fans

Recommended to Carey by: Found it on the internet

Shelves: non-fiction, bio-autobio

I am a big fan of the Allman Brothers and have been since 1970. I still listen to them. I did not know much about Gregg Allman except he was married to Cher and had a son by her Elijah Blue. I was so glad he came out with this autobiography. I really liked it and learned so much about him. He is still mourning the death of his brother Duane. You can tell it weighs heavy on him. Gregg was a herion addict and did other drugs as well. Then he started drinking really bad. He is now clean and sober a...more

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Sep 12, 2012 RJ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography, music

I give this 4 stars as a fan who wanted to hear the inside scoop on the career of Gregg and the Allman Brothers Band. His early life is very interesting, with his unsettled childhood in Nashville and Daytona Beach. His father was murdered while Gregg was still a young boy, and his mother put the brothers into military school, feeling she had no option but to instill something into them. When he discovered the guitar, Gregg actually taught his older brother Duane how to play it and Duane became t...more I give this 4 stars as a fan who wanted to hear the inside scoop on the career of Gregg and the Allman Brothers Band. His early life is very interesting, with his unsettled childhood in Nashville and Daytona Beach. His father was murdered while Gregg was still a young boy, and his mother put the brothers into military school, feeling she had no option but to instill something into them. When he discovered the guitar, Gregg actually taught his older brother Duane how to play it and Duane became the proficient one. Thus began their entry into the music world.

Slugging it out with the Allman Joys lead to a dead end it seemed, but eventually the ingredients formed for what became the Allman Brothers Band. Gregg speaks very highly of Duane of course. He even is a bit disparaging of Jimi Hendrix in comparison. Duane's tragic death shook up the band, and forced Gregg and Dickey Betts to fill the leadership void. The result was Brothers and Sisters, their biggest album ever.

Good stories about the road, about songwriting, and his various relationships, Cher especially. The resulting descent into drug abuse and alcoholism is an unfortunate byproduct of many such rock bios. Gregg is candid about it, and he must feel lucky to be alive at this stage.

The second half of the book suffers as a result, the band splitting up, reforming, splitting up again. Sadly Gregg seems to hold a grudge against Dickey Betts, who was turfed from the band about ten years ago. Betts' guitar playing and songwriting was a huge factor in saving this band after Duane Allman's death. Their greatest hit "Ramblin' Man" barely rates a mention here, since it is Dickey's song. Regardless of who was at fault, Betts deserves better than what he gets here.

Otherwise I respect Gregg Allman's dedication to music. He seems to rail against the "southern rock" label, and he's right. The ABB is a very accomplished band that should transcend labels. They were proficient in the blues and had gospel tinges as well, with Gregg's Hammond organ work and soulful singing. Contrasted to today's media creations, the ABB worked everywhere for years, a hard working touring band that could play with anyone. They still play today, doing what Gregg Allman loves to do.(less)

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Sep 01, 2012 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book. I read this one at a fast rate because it was very interesting. I notice alot of people tend to make mistakes in their younger years using drugs, drinking, womanizing, etc and it's good to have a happy ending (or close to it) when they get older and manage to turn their life around and finally face those demons and live a healthier life. I emphasize with addicts and others that society tends to frown upon, that is those who can really try and make amends with their f...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not the most well- written book I've ever read but overall a good read. I saw Gregg Allman promote the book on The Colbert Report. Even though I've seen The Allman Brothers at The Beacon Theater on NYC, I haven't given them, particularly Gregg, any conscious thought. Truthfully I always thought he was a little dim, and was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong. I'm not sure what I expected from this book but came away feeling somewhat satisfied. I'm generally not a fan of autobiographies...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Ann Collette rated it 5 of 5 stars

I totally loved this book but am very aware of the fact that my reaction is deeply personal and not at all that of an objective reviewer. I love a lot of the Allman Brothers' music and have idolized Duane Allman since I first heard him play guitar, so I'm predisposed to love any book that goes into his life in any depth. Over the years, Gregg lost some credibility for me, thanks to his marriage to Cher and his involvement in a drug trial where a friend of his paid the price for getting drugs for...more I totally loved this book but am very aware of the fact that my reaction is deeply personal and not at all that of an objective reviewer. I love a lot of the Allman Brothers' music and have idolized Duane Allman since I first heard him play guitar, so I'm predisposed to love any book that goes into his life in any depth. Over the years, Gregg lost some credibility for me, thanks to his marriage to Cher and his involvement in a drug trial where a friend of his paid the price for getting drugs for Gregg. But I closed this book feeling respect for him that I haven't in years.
This is definitely an "as told to" book -- the book doesn't follow a strict chronological order. Rather, it appears coauthor Alan Light grouped together Allman's random memories into richly detailed chunks that ebb and flow into each other. Sometime I found it a little difficult to keep track of the time frame. But what I never had trouble with was the emotional honesty of the book. It's a little self-serving and, as a woman, I found Allman's sexist attitude towards women a little off putting at times. But overall, who he is as a person comes across loud and clear. He's not the brightest bulb in the room but he's funny and vulnerable and surprisingly innocent in some ways. Pretty much the first half of the book is about his youth and the development of the original band, with a strong slant towards the vital role his older brother Duane played in both Gregg's development as a person and the development of the band. This part of the book is hands down the most insightful material I've ever read about Duane Allman and I was fascinated, impressed and deeply moved, so much so that I cried at the section that covers his death. That Gregg Allman has spent the rest of his life dealing with Duane Allman's death is very clear. Points to him for laying it out there like that.
The second half of the book covers the constant struggle of the band to keep making the best music it could, with music seeming to be the only reason Allman stayed alive. By now, the story of the alcoholic, drug abusing rock star is part of contemporary culture. But this account of one such rock star's life will always stand out for its intimate detailing of how a talented human being was shaped, both positively and sometimes, very much not so, by the life and death of a genius who happened to be his brother. I think Gregg -- oops, Gregory -- would very much agree with that statement, which is why I ended up finding this book so very poignant.

(less)

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Jul 12, 2012 Bobby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography

Let me preface this review by stating I have been a huge fan of the Allman Brothers Band music for the vast majority of my life. In fact, the first concert I saw was when I was in junior high school. The concert was at Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia. This was the original line up of band members. I saw the band as recently as 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. Gregg's voice was as powerful and as soulful as I have ever heard it. I have often told people that Gregg Allman is one of the most und...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Tim Niland rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

Musician and occasional actor Gregg Allman sure packed a lot of living into his sixty-five years, and this tell all biographie lays bare a true to life tale of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Starting as a fatherless youth smitten with rhythm and blues music, Allman bought his first guitar as a teenager and never looked back. Soon bypassed by his guitar prodigy brother Duane, Allman switched to the organ and began to sing in a series of bands that played across the Southeast United States. After f...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars

My generation of Americans seemed to do something quite foolish. Someplace along the way, "we" decided to erect a new nobility- an upper class composed of Rock Stars. Through the generative power of fame and fortune, they managed to become "spokesmen", "heroes", "and "social activists". This persisted for at least one generation while the first wave became self-annointed "experts" on solar energy, natural foods, architecture, sailing, "natural living" etc; etc... you get the idea. Anything other...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Ellen Herbert rated it 3 of 5 stars

Southern Rock was the embarrassment of growing up in the South until I lived enough to understand the Blues. 'Whipping Post' wore out a few needles on my turntable along the way.

Bittersweet, lovely ride and the voice is as authentic as far as I can tell. Made me pull out a bunch of old Outlaws and Marshall Tucker.
I found this to be honest and fair, you get alot of the pain and tragedy and alot of the love and laughter, but most of all you get the music and it is a gift to us.

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Sep 15, 2012 Ray Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

Well written in the folksy southern style one would expect. Allman is a legend and his stories range from laugh out loud funny to gut wrenching tragedy. My favorite part is hearing the songs in my head while reading about how they were written. When he mentions that folks frequently introduce themselves saying that they were named after an Allman Brothers songs, I remembered many students named Melissa or Jessica who told me they were named after songs. The Allmans have been part of the soundtra...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Steve added it

Gregg Allman's autobiography was definitely an interesting read for me, having grown up listening to the Allman Brothers Band. I'm still not too sure what to make of Mr. Allman - or Gregory as he says in the book he prefers to be called. On the one hand he seems like someone who would make a good friend - he'd definitely have your back. But on the other hand, with all the drugs and drinking over the years - he has a ton of baggage and has burned a bunch of bridges. At times his boasting gets a l...more

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May 24, 2012 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars

I first saw the original lineup in 1970 at the Sam Houston Coliseum. I was a young kid. They've since torn down that venue. It seemed so large back then. So I came into this with memories...
When I finished this book I wasn't sure whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. On one hand I wanted to complain about too much on drug and alcohol addiction and what seemed like an addiction to sex and not enough on the music especially the early music. On the other, I realized that was Gregg's life, his re...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Heather rated it 1 of 5 stars

Let me start with a confession-I have no interest in Gregg Allman's music. I do not like the Allman Bros. Band or his solo work, and I do not like "Southern Rock". I picked this up because I needed a piece of fluff read after completing a grueling book about WWII and I saw it on the shelf in the library when I was in a hurry. I gave it one star because the style was incredibly easy to follow. It was very conversational. However, I don't think I would have too many conversations with a person who...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Peter Prasad rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone over 30 with a heartbeat

Recommended to Peter by: my neighborhood book store

A wicked good read! I got the beat in three pages, could hear Gregg on the Hammond after five, then Duane came in with the bottleneck and I liked to pop. He's the only man that can race up and down my spine like that. If you can find Southern Rock on the map, then you'll delight in reading My Cross.

Huzzah Sarasota! The Allmans were our local band at the Armory. It was my first taste of tribal. Now I know why. Rich with detail: who knew Gregg was top in his 7th grade class at military academy; r...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Hillel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Take off a star if you are not a big fan of the ABB. The book reads like it was written by an old hippy, because it is. Be prepared for half of the sentences to end in the word "man", man. All in all it's a nice mixture of honest reflections, tales from the road, and the types of stories you'd expect in a rock and roll autobiography. He traces his rise from humble beginnings, to starving musician, to the roller coaster ride that ensues.

While he does spend a lot of time telling the readers the ne...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars

After reading the memoir by Gregg Allman, I felt like I spent the weekend with him. The only way you can beat the immediacy in tone would be listening to the audiobook, and having him literally in your ear. (Which I personally had no problem with. Ya dig?)

The memoir is honest, and includes frank descriptions of both joyful and sorrowful moments of Allman's life, such as his writing process, gratitude felt for amazing friendships and blessings, and the anguish felt over his brother Duane's death....more

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Jan 28, 2013 J.C. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I have to say that I didn't enjoy reading this book at all. If he took out all the times he said "man" and all the stories of the girls he laid, this book would only be about 200 pages. There was far to much laid back down home southern charm which was exasperating at times. The musical stories were interesting, it was nice learning about his influences, but he bad mouthed a ton of people (not just people in his own band) including Jimi Hendrix as a live performer which is kinda, huh WTF?!?!?!?...more

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Jul 21, 2012 John C. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unless you have heard of Gregg Allman, or the Allman Brothers Band, this memoir is not for you. It would be hard to not have heard of them however seeing as they have been playing their own brand of Southern Rock for five decades now.
We get a whole lot of Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll between the pages but...what would you expect?
The only thing that kept me reading was in my younger band days we played dozens of Allman Brother Tunes. We even had the opportunity to be the back-up opening act for...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Aces rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am a fan of the Allman Brothers, but the reason why I read this book was bc of the publicity Gregg did on Stephen Colbert.

Colbert quoted fr the book, "The first time we walked onto the plane, "Welcome Allman Bros" was spelled out in cocaine on the bar". Gregg laughed and sheepishly said that "brothers" was abbreviated.

That got me hooked ;p

The book overall was easy to follow, easy to read. I learned how the band was formed, how some of the songs were written as well as the changes the band an...more

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Mar 20, 2012 TK rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this autobiography! It felt like Gregory was sitting next to me, telling me his stories. It's very well written, honest and revealing for a memoir of this type. I came to the Allman Brothers Band later in life, more through my interest in more contemporary jam bands like Gov't Mule, Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler and the like. they all covered the ABB. I also loved the movie "Almost Famous" which is loosely based on this band's drug-addled, highly-sucessful heyday.

Gregg's memoir deliv...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Claudia Riggs rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow! I really liked this book. I laughed out loud through much of it, shook my head, rolled my eyes, but kept turning the pages. Allman has led such an interesting, colorful life, and he knows it. He talks about growing up in Nashville and Daytona Beach, attending Castle Heights military school as a boy, his dynamic with his brother, his women, and his substance abuse, along with the ins and outs of life as a member of the Allman Brothers Band. At times, the book is a little raw and he doesn't h...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wish I could give this 3-1/2 stars. Let me say that I'm not a big fan of Allman music, but it seems like he had an interesting life so I wanted to check it out...and it did not disappoint that way. It was full of sex and drugs - just like I was hoping for. He named a lot of names, I think for "thanking them" reasons. The bond between him and his brother is still precious (babybrah). His 6 wives were literal footnotes in his life but the stories he told about his marriages were entertaining.

I...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Cloudhidden rated it 2 of 5 stars

I know it is wishful thinking that an autobiography of a rock star would be self-reflective and own up to any mistakes or wreckage the author's life laid bare. But, that is not what makes a rock-star and in reading Gregg Allman's book, self-reflection is not what he has set out to accomplish. Though I did enjoy the window into the lives of some of my favorite musicians, Gregg takes zero responsibility for any of his behavior or decisions along the way. From missed funerals of band members to tes...more

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Jul 28, 2012 James rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great literature it's not, but it is a fine rock autobiography. In a folksy manner, Allman tells about 11 trips to rehab, 6 wives (including Cher), 5 kids by 5 different women, 3 breakups and reunions, 2 band members dying on motorcycles early on, one of which was his brother Duane, the acrimonious split with Dickey Betts (think Keith Richards and Mick Jagger), a business jet that had belonged to Led Zeppelin and later Elton John, a loving mother, a liver transplant, and a lot of song writing, t...more

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About Gregg Allman

Gregory Lenoir Allman, known as Gregg Allman (sometimes spelled Greg Allman), is a rock and blues singer, keyboardist, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 with The Allman Brothers Band, and personally received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

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My Cross to Bear

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