Dear Mom - Early Reviews

Dear Mom Letters to Heaven

“Paul, you’ve hit it out of the park.” James

“In just two sentences you put me right there…I’ve read it three times already.” Sandy

“Heartfelt, Powerful and Thought Provoking – There’s a lot in here about parenting as the author writes from watching this extraordinary woman raise him. There is also documentation of the spirit world actually interacting in real time with the author. A short read just under seventy pages but you might get emotional or feel goosebumps.” Paul

 

Dear Mom - Letters to Heaven

Dear Mom is a collection of letters, reminiscence, wisdom and events written after mom passed. When Mom first went into her assisted living facility those of us out of town were on the phone with her all of the time. But her hearing after a few years finally gave out and using the phone shortly thereafter became frustrating. I wasn’t going to stop communicating with her so I began to write letters monthly.

After she passed, her small box of letters, cards, and keepsakes that she had gathered in her room got mistakenly tossed out. It was a jolt when she passed, and another one not to have those keepsakes that Mom had kept to help the healing process, so I began to write her again. And why not write Mom again? Who’s to say for sure she can’t hear me as I’m writing?

Hopefully my experiences and thoughts will be relatable and maybe even comforting. Set aside the complexities and heart break of the pandemic who hasn’t or won’t be going through the process of seeing our parents grow old? Dealing with hospitals, lawyers, insurance companies, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and memory care just piles onto the emotion and stress already present in an aging loved one. It doesn’t get more real than that. But more importantly I’m sharing these letters as a beacon of hope and faith and to celebrate Mom and her wisdom and to share that with you.

 

 

 

Now available on Kindle, Apple EBook global distribution, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and all local bookstores in paperback and hardback.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKCSQXDM

Gregory Lenoir Allman – Legacy

What you have before you are demos, rehearsals, rough mixes, alternate and final takes of compositions predominately written and performed by Gregory Lenoir Allman. This is not an Allman Brothers Band Collection although the original six are featured on a few tracks. There are additional composers and artists scattered throughout the collection including Jackson Browne, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and a who’s who of soul and R&B legends. 

Primarily this is Gregory Lenoir Allman pin drop quiet recording of solo piano and acoustic guitar numbers surprising us with his unheralded musicianship that was overshadowed by his voice. This is also a full rave up of rock n roll, R&B and soul to bring the house down featuring horns and some orchestration. This is also the delta swamp. All mixed together they bring into focus the musical accomplishment and vision of an enlightened rogue pouring his pain out for a living. 

This is Greogory Lenoir Allman solo and with a band of gifted session, road warriors, top shelf producers and guitar slingers giving room to all the compositions breathing life into the studio and stage working the magic to lift and heal themselves and those that hear their clarion call.  

I urge the listener to listen into the music and to Gregory’s singing technique. He wasn’t just a blues howler but a nuanced singer who knew how to enunciate a note, a phrase, a syllable, a pause. He did this Sinatra, Fitzgerald, Little Milton Campbell, Ray Charles like technique with focus all the while reaching down into the depths of a deep soul. 

A soul that was dragged by multiple tragedies and the subsequent self-inflicted wounds that accompany those tragedies.   

There is also redemption in his singing and playing as he is consistently battered, and withstands and overcomes in the course of a lifetime the murder of his father at a much too young age for both he and his father, his brother and bandmates demise in their early twenties just barely men, the white-hot blazing spotlight of fame and the withering intrigue of retribution for being a successful political fund raiser for the good guys. Enjoy!   

Disc One
Fear of Falling – 1988 – Just Before the Bullets Fly – with Dan Toler Lead Guitar
Never Knew How Much – 1973 – Laid Back Disc 2 – Laid Back Two Disc Set Released in 2019
Just Another Rider – 2011 – Low Country Blues - Allman and Haynes
Ain’t Wastin Time No More – 1971- Eat A Peach (Deluxe Release 2006)
On Coming Traffic – 1974 – The Gregg Allman Tour with Full Orchestra
Rolling Stone – 1973 – Laid Back Disc 2 – Traditional
Blind Man – 2011 – Low Country Blues – Joseph Scott
Things You Used to Do – 1989 – Dreams Box Set
Little By Little – 2011 – Low Country Blues – Melvin London
God Rest His Soul – 1973 – Laid Back Disc 2
Midnight Rider – 1973 Laid Back Disc 2 – Rehearsal Track – Gregg with Kim Payne
My Only True Friend – 2017 - Southern Blood – Gregg with Scott Sharrard
Leave My Blues at Home – 1970 – Idlewild South
Please Accept My Love – 2011 – Low Country Blues – James F. Johnson
Melissa – 1967 – Duane and Gregg Allman
Win Lose or Draw – 1975 – Win, Lose or Draw
Whipping Post – 2005 GAF (Gregg Allman and Friends) - with Robben Ford Live Norfolk Va.

Disc Two
Tears, Tears, Tears – 2011 Low Country Blues – Amos Milburn
Multi Colored Lady – 1973 - Laid Back
Can’t Lose What You Never Had – 1975 – Win Lose or Draw - McKinley Morgan (Muddy Waters)
Out of Left Field – 2017 – Southern Blood – Dewey Lindon Oldham Jr. (Fame Studio Organist)
Song for Adam/Shadow Dream – 1973 - Laid Back Disc 2 – Jackson Browne
Bad Dream – 1997 – One More Try: An Anthology
Rendezvous With the Blues – 1997 – Searching for Simplicity – Jimmy Hall and Johnny Douglas
Brightest Smile in Town – 2014 – Live Back to Macon – Ray Charles
I’ve Got News For You – 1997 – Searching for Simplicity – Roy Alfred
Love the Poison - 1997 – Searching for Simplicity – Wally Wilson
Don’t Keep Me Wonderin – 2006 – Eat A Peach Deluxe Edition
Wasted Words – 1973 -Laid Back Disc 2
Queen of Hearts – 1973 – Laid Back
House of Blues – 1997 – Searching For Simplicity
Can’t Lose What You Never Had – 1997 – One More Try An Anthology - McKinley Morgan
I Love The Life I Live – 2017 – Southern Blood – Willie Dixon
Every Hungry Woman – 2020 – Atlanta International Pop Festival – 1970

Disc Three
Slip Away – 2005 – GAF – with Robben Ford lead guitar – Willie Weeks Bass
Samson and Delilah – 2005 – GAF – Bob Rattlesnake Greenlee - Sung by Floyd Miles
Don’t Keep Me Wonderin – 2014 – Live Back to Macon
Love Like Kerosene – 2017 – Southern Blood – Scott Sharrard
I’ve Found A Love – 2014 - Live Back to Macon – Johnny Taylor
Nevertheless – 1975 – Win Lose or Draw
Song for Adam – 2017 – Southern Blood – with Jackson Browne
One More Try – 1997 – One More Try: An Anthology
Come and Go Blues - 1997 – One More Try: An Anthology
It’s Not My Cross to Bear - 1997 – One More Try: An Anthology
My Love is Your Love – 2011 – Low Country Blues – Samuel Maghett (Magic Sam)
Dreams – 1989 – Dreams Box Set
Don’t Keep Me Wonderin – 2020 – Atlanta International Pop Festival - 1970
Come and Go Blues – 1973 – Brothers and Sisters
Firing Line – 2003 – Hittin the Note – Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes
Midnight Rider – 1989 Dreams Box Set – Gregg Allman and Kim Payne
Faces Without Names – 2005 – GAF Live Norfolk Va – great version Gregg really leans into the lyrics

Disc Four
Wasted Words – 1973 – Brothers and Sisters
Blind Bats and Swamp Rats – 2017 – Southern Blood – Jack Avery
Ocean Awash the Gunwale – 2005 – GAF – Gregg Allman, Dan Toler, Tony Colton
Desdemona – 2003 Hittin the Note – Gregg Allman with Warren Haynes
Whippin Post – 1997 – Searchin For Simplicity – with Jack Pearson lead guitar
Old Before My Time - 2003 Hittin the Note – Gregg Allman with Warren Haynes
Morning Dew – 1989 Dreams Box Set – Bonnie Dobson
Midnight Rider – 2014 Beacon Theater – 3/28/2014 - Gregg Allman and Kim Payne
It’s Not My Cross To Bear – 1989 Dreams Box Set
These Days – 1973 Laid Back Disc 2 – Jackson Browne
Once I Was – 2017 – Southern Blood – Tim Buckley
Melissa – 2014 - Beacon Theater – 10/18/2014
One Way Out – 1971- Down in Texas – Elmore James – Released 4/26/2021
I Love the Life I Live – 2017 – Southern Blood – The Clay Center - 5/6/2016 – Willie Dixon
Please Call Home – 1973 – Laid Back Disc 2
Bring It On Back – 1997 – One More Try: An Anthology

Thanks to Bill Levenson and Kirk West for getting these demos and alternate takes out to the public. All songs written by Gregg Allman unless otherwise noted. Thanks to my fellow music loving friends who passed the sound board recording of GAF with Robben Ford, Floyd Miles and Willie Weeks my way. Hope you all like the sequencing.

Rock n Roll will save your soul that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Paul