Platinum albums marked good times for the southern-rock band.

Platinum albums marked good times for the southern-rock band.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Like a weathered bluesman, Gregg Allman always returns to the stage. Naturally, it's the place where he is most comfortable.
Allman is the iconic singer/keyboardist for the Allman Brothers Band, which got its start nearly 40 years ago. Since that time there have been plenty of ups (platinum albums) and downs (founding members Duane Allman and Berry Oakley were killed in separate motorcycle accidents a year apart in the early '70s) but when the dust finally settles on the 1995 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum inductee act, the truth will be undeniable.
Back for touring
The Allman Brothers Band single-handedly created the southern rock movement of the '70s. Then decades later the Georgia-based group's improvisational-friendly concert presence, along with The Grateful Dead, forged today's jam band scene. So as the band returns for another summer of touring dates, The Vindicator had an opportunity to speak to the 58-year-old Allman about the group's career, its future and its legacy.
Q. After so many decades of touring, what kind of drive do you possess to get back on the road seemingly every summer?
A. It's not just me, it's all of us. It's getting together with your buds and hitting the road.
Q. This year's touring schedule appears lighter than most with only 26 dates. Should fans read anything into this? Could the Allman Brothers Band actually be slowing down?
A. No, no, they shouldn't read anything into it. It's just this year we decided to kind of take it a little bit easier and let everybody work with their respective bands. Like Govt. Mule (guitarist Warren Haynes) and Oteil & amp; The Peacemakers [bassist Oteil Burbridge] and I've got mine [Gregg Allman and Friends]. So we just decided to not to hit it quite so hard.
Q. Considering it was nine years between studio albums last time [1994's "Where It All Begins" and 2003's "Hittin' the Note"], how long will fans have to wait until the next project?
A. It's time for everybody to get back in the studio. That's one of the reasons why we're doing kind of a short run this year. It's not like anyone or anything is pushing us to do it. It's more like there will be no wine until its time. So until there is all of that and it all comes together, and it really did on that last one ... that was like probably the least difficult record I ever had anything to do with.
Q.But to be fair, you did have nine years to write it.
A. It didn't take that long to write it but we took it out on the road and road tested it the summer before and we'll probably be doing that with a few this summer. And then getting into the studio is kind of academic.
Q. The other notable Allman Brothers Band news item of late revolves around the release of archival concert material. This includes "Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY: 5/1/73," which came out last year.
A. We're going through all of our archives and had a bunch of real good stuff that was done long ago, like the Nassau Coliseum show. There's a lot of good stuff with my brother on there and Oakley. That's why we're releasing it. It's really good and a lot of people like to remember being there and a lot of people never heard it.
Q. Is it tough to listen to those early concerts with your brother and Oakley performing live?
A.. Oh no, I'm very proud of it. I get pretty critical about myself. We'll listen to tracks and I'll say, 'If I could have only been able to sing back then.' I've always been real hard on myself, up until about six or seven years ago.
Q. Why the change?
A. I got sober.
Q. When you listen to the old shows, what's the biggest difference between the Allman Brothers Band back then and today?
A. There's not a whole lot. I like to hear the exuberance from back then and we still have it. We're not as young as we used to be and we can't hit it as hard and as long. I'm not saying we're getting old or anything but we're just not 25 anymore. & quot;
Q. With nearly four decades behind the Allman Brothers Band, what do you hope the legacy of the act will be?
A. Just that it was one of the best damn bands and one of the longest lasting. And mainly, one of the bands where you walked out of [a show] thinking you totally got your money's worth.
Q. What should fans look forward to on the current set list?
A.The repertoire is really built up. There are some songs we have to play but in total we have 150 songs in the repertoire.
Q. Just like a true bluesman.
A. Well, thank you.