My Cross to Bear

“In a grizzled, laconic drawl, Allman provides a rambling backstage account. . . . and he doesn’t seem to hold anything back.” —New York Times Book Review

Rock icon Gregg Allman tells the full, unflinching tale of his life on stage and off, from becoming rock royalty, to his string of failed marriages including his marriage to Cher, to his decades-long struggle with drugs and alcohol. In his unforgettable voice, Allman offers a vivid portrait of growing up with his brother, Duane, in the 1960s South, a place of uneasy racial and cultural transformation, where a new sound emerged—the sound of slide guitar comingling with keyboards and wailing vocals. The sound of the Allman Brothers.

Yet with success came tragedy, including Duane Allman and bassist Berry Oakley’s deaths, a year apart, in motorcycle accidents. For decades substance abuse plagued Gregg, and though he eventually overcame his demons, in 2010 he required a life-saving liver transplant. Gregg Allman opens up about these struggles and more, detailing the hardships, the personality clashes, and ultimately the joy that went into making some of the most electrifying rock and roll ever recorded. Documenting an era in which Southern music came alive, he holds nothing back in this essential volume eagerly awaited by every fan of good, old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.

“A soul-searching rumination on a hard-lived.” —USA Today

“A fiercely honest memoir.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Rich and moving . . . Nothing less than profound. Life, love and music from one of the most influential American recording artists of the last forty years.” —Kirkus Reviews

Fans of the Allman Brothers Band are certain to relish the revelations.” —Birmingham News