Devon Allman and Duane Betts Deliver Acoustic Set at ‘Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul’ Premiere
Devon Allman and Duane Betts, image via Instagram (@cdylanparks)
On Tuesday, Gregg Allman’s musical legacy was chronicled on screen with the formal unveiling of Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul, a new documentary on the late Allman Brothers Band co-founder and guitarist directed by James Keach. To celebrate the film’s arrival and Allman’s immortal musical legacy, a special premiere event at New York’s Gramercy Theater hosted the torch-bearing duo of Devon Allman and Duane Betts for an intimate acoustic performance.
Prior to the screening, Allman and Betts stepped onto the storied stage to set the tone for the evening with three Eat a Peach essentials: “Melissa,” “Blue Sky” and “One Way Out.” The sons of Gregg Allman and his late ABB bandmate Dickey Betts have thoroughly honed those essentials with the Allman Betts Band and their Family Revivals, which most recently crossed the country with its ninth annual iteration last summer. This summer, Devon will tour with his Blues Summit and the Devon Allman Project, while Betts will perform with his Palmetto Motel band to support his sophomore studio album, Isle of Hope, releasing via Sun Records tomorrow, June 12.
Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul explores its subject’s storied career with archival recordings, unseen interviews and rare Allman Brothers Band live footage, illustrating the man behind the icon by examining his challenges and achievements on and off the stage with the ABB’s many eras and his prolific solo career. Directed by the Grammy and Emmy award-winning filmmaker Keach (Walk the Line, Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice) and produced by Allman’s longtime manager Michael Lehman, among others, the film will see its theatrical release on June 17, with week-long presentations in New York and Los Angeles and New York and one-off screenings at 200 theaters nationwide.
“Not everyone works this way, but I believe that understanding trauma from the formative years of a person’s life is central when telling their story in a documentary,” Keach detailed about the film and his narrative process. “A lot of incredible artists have these shattering experiences in their past that inform every aspect of their lives and talent. Gregg had those demons inside his amazingly creative brain. He dove deep into his addiction when Duane died, but later in life, when he was sober, he faced his own mortality with dignity and acceptance. It’s personally important to me to carry Gregg’s message of trying to change the trajectory of people consumed by addiction. You can hear the ache in his voice in his brilliant music.”
Watch the trailer for Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul and fan-recorded videos from the premiere below.
