(GPB News) – Film producer Michael Lehman and musician Devon Allman speak with GPB’s Kristi York Wooten about the new documentary, Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul.
Members of the Allman Brothers Band spent decades making music in Georgia, and the group’s legacy has influenced generations of performers across the globe. The group was known for its sophisticated guitar and organ riffs and its players’ fluency in rock and blues textures, especially on early songs such as “Whipping Post,””Midnight Rider,” and “Melissa.”
A new documentary, Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul, captures the tragedies and triumphs that shaped his life and career, with commentary from the people who knew him best.
The winsome frontman died in 2017 at age 69 from complications of liver cancer. His former manager, Michael Lehman, served as producer on the film project.
“Starting about five or six years ago, I was determined to bring the real story of Gregg’s life to the screen,” Lehman told GPB. “I think there’s a real interest in music docs right now. There’s always a really big interest in the Allman Brothers Band. It so happens that, here we are in 2026, and we’re getting ready to share it with the world next week.”
The Music of My Soul was directed by James Keach (Walk the Line), and follows brothers Duane and Gregg Allman from their childhoods in Tennessee and Florida, through musical stints in St. Louis and Los Angeles, and finally to Macon in 1969, where they founded the Allman Brothers Band with Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe.
“You know, the convergence of the guys coming up to Macon [in 1969] and connecting with Capricorn [Records] and the Waldens and, you know, they fit in because they didn’t fit in,” Lehman said. “They were a bunch of hippies, as Gregg says, and a biracial band, and yet they were accepted and created this great music and made great friends.”
The documentary shows how band members became regulars in the town, frequenting Grant’s Lounge and H & H Soul Food Restaurant.
But less than two years after they arrived, Duane Allman died after a motorcycle crash in 1971, an event which fueled Gregg Allman’s desire for drugs and alcohol. After Duane’s death, the band continued on as its popularity skyrocketed, and a marriage to Cher made Gregg one of the most recognizable celebrities of the era.
“He was a really kind, shy, sensitive, wounded, Southern gentleman,” Lehman said. “And when I met with James [Keach], that was something that I wanted to get across, because … you’re right, everyone saw the Gregg Allman on stage — whether he was seated behind his B3 and off to the side with some moody lighting, but belting out those words to the incredible songs, or standing front-and-center. But so few ever got to see that quiet side of him.”
Across his career, critics often labeled Gregg Allman the spiritual leader of the band, and the documentary includes many interview close-ups of his emotional facial expressions. His children, a niece, former wives and friends of the band weigh in on his inimitable voice, his soulful demeanor, his recurring addictions and the impact of the band’s music.
Interesting Georgia moments in the film include footage of the band with controversial former Macon Mayor Ronnie Thompson, the group’s concerts in Macon’s Central City Park and Atlanta’s Piedmont Park, and their support for Jimmy Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign. The doc ends with clips from a 2014 tribute concert at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre after Allman’s health declined. That show featured stars like Jackson Browne, Vince Gill, and Dr. John as well as performances by members of later iterations of the Allman Brothers Band, including Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks.
Lehman recalled Browne’s meeting with Gregg Allman back stage before the two, who first met as teens in Los Angeles, performed together for the last time. “They both had tears in their eyes,” he said.
Lehman said he tapped keyboardist and current Rolling Stones music director Chuck Leavell, who played with the Allman Brothers Band in the 1970s, for the June 11 Macon premiere.
“He’s such a respected guy,” Lehman said of Leavell. “It’s down to, you know, Jaimoe, is the sole surviving original member and really Chuck, who was there in the beginning. As we were finalizing our plans for the Macon premiere, [we asked if] he would attend and he graciously said, ‘yes,’ and that he would share a couple of stories, as well as play a couple of songs. So it’s going to be a really special night.”
Devon Allman and Duane Betts are the sons of Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts. Their group,The Allman Betts Band, co-headlines the annual Allman Betts Family Revival tours. Devon Allman participated in The Music of My Soul. and shared details of his relationship with his father.
“I was 15 and said, ‘Hey, I’m your son. I’m here. Here’s my number.’ And he called, and we met a few months later and hit it off,” Devon Allman told GPB. “And it was really wild. And I was immediately going on tour with the Allman Brothers. And sitting in and singing ‘Midnight Rider’ at [age] 17 and deciding on having a career in music. I was so enamored with that energy exchanged with the audience after sitting in with them, Â I was like, ‘Well, I want to do that for the rest of my life.’ And by the grace of God, I have.”
“It’s hard sometimes,” he continued. “I’ll be on the stage at the Beacon Theater in New York City singing ‘Melissa,’ and half of me is so honored to be doing that for [my father]. And the other half is just ripped to shreds inside because he’s not doing it. I’d rather be on the side of the stage watching him do it than doing it in his stead. And, I know Duane [Betts] feels the same way [about his father].”
Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul premieres June 9 in New York City and June 11 in Macon, Ga., with one-night-only screenings in more than 200 theaters nationwide.
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