Credit: Danny ClinchAfter canceling a series of recent performances because of what was reported as “serious health issues,” Gregg Allman has returned to the stage and is set to headline the Atlanta edition of his Laid Back Festival this Sunday at Lakewood Amphitheatre. In advance of the show, Allman has opened up about his illness and about some of his forthcoming musical plans to ArtsATL.com.
The 68-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer reveals that he came down with a case of pneumonia in late July that led him to cancel about 20 gigs.
“It snuck up on me, and then it just flattened me, man,” he tells the website. “I ended up in the hospital…but I got the rest I needed. Now I’m feeling just fine and I can’t wait to get back out on the road.”
This Sunday’s Laid Back Festival also will feature performances by ZZ Top, Blackberry Smoke, founding Allman Brothers Band drummer Jaimoe‘s current group Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band and others. Allman’s schedule also includes a previously announced 10-show run at the City Winery in New York City in November.
Meanwhile, Gregg also shared some new details about his upcoming solo album, which he recorded earlier this year with his current backing group at the historic FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
“The album is entitled Southern Blood,” says Allman, “and while I’m not gonna give too much away, I can tell you that it’s a mixture of original tunes and some very cool blues covers. [It] should be out early next year.”
Gregg adds that FAME studio “is a very special place” to him, since it’s where his late brother, Duane, “first made his mark” as a session musician.
“It has this unbelievable vibe, man,” he maintains.
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