I remember the first time I went to Macon, Georgia. It was 1997-ish and I was in Warner Robins on
Air Force business [some things never change].
There was a long break in the meeting I was attending. Knowing that Macon was close by, it was
finally time for me to make an Allman Brothers pilgrimage. I had to see two places if nothing else – the
Big House on Vineville Avenue, and Rose Hill Cemetery, where original Allman
Brothers members Duane Allman and Berry Oakley are buried side by side. At that time. the Big House was a private
residence. ABB “Tour Mystic” and
photographer Kirk West and his wife Kirsten lived there. If one wanted to see the inside of the house,
you had to make an appointment. The
Wests have since moved out and the Big House has become quite a museum for all
sorts of ABB artifacts. I had to settle
for just seeing the outside of the place.
I didn’t feel comfortable making an appointment to traipse through
someone else’s home, regardless of its social and cultural importance.
Rose Hill Cemetery has been in existence since 1840. It’s just off downtown Macon, nestled between
Riverside Drive and the Ocmulgee River.
A set of railroad tracks runs parallel to the river. The road that runs around the perimeter of
the entire cemetery also runs next to railroad tracks. On the other side of that narrow road is the
final resting place of a lady named Elizabeth Reed Napier. If that name rings a bell, it’s because that
is the place where Dickey Betts wrote his instrumental from the album Idlewild South - In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.
There is a large segment of the cemetery reserved for Confederate Civil
War dead. A lot of them are buried there. The entire cemetery is situated on a long
hill, with long gentle slopes in places and steep climbs in others. There are one-lane roads that run throughout
the place, and one needs to be careful while driving through, lest they slip
over the roads’ edges and have their day ruined.
I had no idea where Duane and Berry were buried when I first
entered the cemetery. I parked my rental
car on one of those very narrow, single-lane, winding roads and began to
explore the place on foot. About five
minutes after I set out on my quest to find Duane and Berry, a gentleman
[accompanied by his wife] noticed me and asked in his most pronounced Southern
accent “are you looking for the Allman Brothers?” “Yes. sir, I sure am”. He pointed over the road I was walking on and
down the hill. “They’re down there.” The written word doesn’t do justice to his
elocution, but suffice to say he sounded more “at home” than me, a transplanted
Yankee. The climb down the hill was a
little steep, but there they were – two marble-white graves sitting side by
side. The graves gleamed in the Georgia
sunlight as if they were two giant sugar cubes.
I got closer and I noticed things.
Some people left stones, others left flowers, and still others left
quarters and guitar picks. Over the
years some miscreant visitors defaced the graves, forcing the Oakley family to
take the step of enclosing the graves with brick and iron fencing. I digress, but just a little. For Peachheads everywhere, this is
Mecca. We don’t face Macon and pray five
times a day, but it is the spiritual home of the band we Peachheads love and
cherish.
The Allman Brothers Band has always been about family. The Big House served as a communal home for
the band’s extended family. Berry &
Linda Oakley [and their daughter Brittany (who is on the back cover of Brothers and Sisters)] lived there. Duane Allman lived there for a time, as did
Gregg, who had a brief relationship with Berry’s sister Candace. Dickey Betts wrote Blue Sky and Ramblin’ Man
there. Like most families, they
fought. The worst fight came in 2000,
when Dickey Betts and the band parted ways.
That was a sad parting for us Peachheads [angry and bitter for the
participants]. But while Dickey and the
band were estranged, it was good to know the children remained friends. Devon Allman has a picture of him, Duane
Betts and one of Roy Orbison’s sons in a Nashville bar from April 2016. Devon’s comment was “A Betts, an Allman & an Orbison walk into a bar..........” I mention this because the extended family
was at the funeral. Jaimoe and his family
were there, as was percussionist Marc Quinones.
Derek Trucks, his wife Susan Tedeschi and their daughter were
there. Berry Duane Oakley was there. I remember from way back in 1989 when I saw
the reunion tour in Sacramento, and Berry Duane joined the band onstage to play
Southbound, but I digress [just a
little]. Cher was there with her son
with Gregg, Elijah Blue. Gregg had told
Dan Rather in an interview a couple of years ago that he and Cher were much
better friends than they were spouses.
Mama Louise [Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images]
Jaimoe [Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty
Images]
Derek Trucks [Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty
Images]
Chank Middleton [Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty
Images]
Cher [Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty
Images]
The rest
of Gregg’s clan was there [his widow Shannon, sons Michael & Devon, and
daughters Delilah & Layla in addition to son Elijah Blue], including Duane’s
daughter, Galadrielle. Dickey Betts was
there with his son Duane and his manager David Spero. Mr. Spero graciously allowed me to use some
of the photos in this blog. Mama Louise
from the H&H Restaurant was there.
She used to feed the band during the lean early days in Macon [I met her
once – she’s a very sweet lady]. She
even got a credit on the Fillmore East album [“Mama Louise: Vittles”]. Otis Redding’s family was reported to be
there as well. Warren Haynes is in Spain
on tour with Gov’t Mule, but his wife Stefani was there, as was Rose Lane
Leavell, whose husband Chuck was in England fulfilling a prior obligation. Gregg’s lifelong
friend Chank Middleton and his manager Michael Lehmen delivered eulogies at the
service.
Former
President Jimmy Carter was there. I’m
sure this was the first time that Secret Service agents were ever present for a
rock star’s funeral. The first time Mr.
Carter ran for president in the 1970s, the Allman Brothers Band played
fundraisers to raise money for his then-fledgling campaign. The
Carter-Allman connection continued as Mr. Carter was on-hand to present Gregg
an honorary doctorate in humanities from Macon’s Mercer College. Mr. Carter had this to say when he learned of
Gregg’s passing:
“Rosalynn
and I were deeply saddened when we learned that Gregg Allman had passed. Gregg
and the Allman Brothers Band were very helpful to me in my 1976 presidential
campaign. Gregg Allman was better known than I was at that time. Gregg Allman was there when I needed him and
Rosalynn and I have always been grateful to him.”
The funeral service itself was held at Snow’s
Memorial Chapel, the same place where Duane Allman’s funeral took place 46
years ago. It was a private affair. At Gregg Allman’s request, there was a “no
suit” rule. Suit jackets were
allowed. The only ties that I saw were
worn by personnel from Snow’s, as that is part of the professionalism that
comes with their jobs.
Snow's Memorial Chapel [Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images]
The procession ran from the front of
Snow’s on Cherry Street. It ran from
Cherry Street to First Street, then on to Riverside Drive. Fans by the hundreds lined both sides of the
street all the way to Rose Hill Cemetery.
Gregg’s final resting place is near those of his brother Duane and Berry
Oakley. According to Michael Lehman,
that was in keeping with Gregg’s wishes.
He said that a “Good Samaritan” in Macon had owned 10 plots adjacent to
Duane and Berry, and would sell them at to Gregg at the cost she paid. Gregg and his manager bought all 10 plots.
[Courtesy of Woody Marshall/Macon.com]
Macon TV station WMAZ ran a live video feed, as did radio
station Q106. Oldest son Michael Allman
also ran his own live Facebook feed from inside his limo on the way to Rose
Hill. He captured the crowds as they
lined the funeral procession from Snow’s Memorial Chapel until he reached Rose
Hill. There was a twenty-minute film
clip of the graveside service posted on-line.
It was from this clip that I could identify those who attended. The clip starts with Gregg’s casket sitting
in the shade of a tent. The cemetery was
filled with fans who payed their respects while keeping a respectful distance
from the mourners. The only sound you
can hear is the sound of bagpipes. Then
the photographer panned to the left, and you can see the mourner’s getting out
of their cars [after having passed by Elizabeth Reed Napier] to make the long,
slow trek up the hill to Gregg’s final resting place. And there he was, wearing an orange t-shirt,
blue jeans and a straw cowboy hat – Dickey Betts. For this Peachhead [and I’m sure all the
others] this was a most-welcome sight. Duane
Betts and David Spero were walking beside him.
It was a beautiful, sunny day in Macon.
It looks like it was quite hot.
Dickey, Duane Betts, and David Spero seated themselves in the shade of a
nearby tree, but they still felt the need to fan themselves to fight the
heat. The mourners inside the tent
fanned themselves as well.
Delilah Allman
Shannon Allman
The Allman Clan & Cher
Duane Betts, Dickey Betts, David Spero [With permission of David Spero]
[R-L] David Spero, Berry Duane Oakley, Dickey Betts, Duane Betts, Susan Tedeschi
[Courtesy of Rj Howson, with permission from David Spero]
[Courtesy of Associated Press]
I was struck by one final sight. After the brief gravesite
service the mourner’s filed out of the tent.
There was Gregg’s casket – alone.
But he wasn’t alone – there were scores of quiet, respectful fans to
watch over him until he was lowered into the ground.
After the funeral, there was a private party at the Big
House. Berry Duane Oakley and Duane
Betts played. According to someone who
posted on the Allman Brothers Band website, Dickey played In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, but I can’t confirm that. The front gates to the Big House parking lot,
which bears the band’s mushroom logo and a phrase from Midnight Rider [“the road
goes on forever…”] were closed. But fans gathered in front of the gates and
around the Big House to hear the music.
The Big House [Courtesy of Woody Marshall/Macon.com]
Some final thoughts – As tense as things were between Dickey
and Gregg over the last several years, there was a look of sadness on Dickey’s
face. Berry Duane Oakley and Duane Betts
are almost carbon copies of their respective fathers’ younger selves. Devon Allman looks a lot like his uncle
Duane. Within the last year Devon Allman
has lost both his mother and father. I’ve
been there – I know it’s tough. What was
Berry Duane thinking about when he saw the grave of the father he never knew? Derek Trucks lost both his uncle Butch Trucks and Gregg within four months. It's been a tough year, and it's not even halfway over.
Duane & Dickey Betts, David Spero, Berry Duane Oakley [top]
[Courtesy of Rj Howson, with permission from David Spero]
Duane and Dickey Betts [Courtesy of Rj Howson, with permission from David Spero]
I’ll give Gregg the last word. From Gregg's memoir, My Cross to Bear:
"When it's all said and done, I'll go to my grave
and my brother will greet me saying, 'Nice work, little brother – you did all
right. I must have said this a million
times, but if I died today, I've had me a blast. I wouldn't trade [my life] for
nobody's, but I don't know if I'd do it again. If somebody offered me a second
round, I think I'd have to pass on it."
