He is best known for performing in The Allman Brothers Band. He was born and spent much of his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee, before relocating to Daytona Beach, Florida. He and his brother, Duane Allman, developed an interest in music in their teens, and began performing in the Allman Joys in the mid-1960s. In 1967, they relocated to Los Angeles and were renamed the Hour Glass, releasing two albums for Liberty Records. In 1969, he and Duane regrouped to form the Allman Brothers Band, which settled in Macon, Georgia.
The Allman Brothers Band began to reach mainstream success by the early 1970s, with their live album At Fillmore East representing a commercial and artistic breakthrough. Shortly thereafter, Duane was killed in a motorcycle crash in 1971. The following year, the band's bassist, Berry Oakley was also killed in a motorcycle accident very close to the location of Duane's wreck. Their 1973 album Brothers and Sisters became their biggest hit, and Allman pursued a solo career afterward, releasing his debut album, Laid Back the same year. Internal turmoil took over the group, leading to a 1975 breakup. Allman was married to pop star Cher for the rest of the decade, while he continued his solo career with the Gregg Allman Band. After a brief Allman Brothers reunion and a decade of little activity, he reached an unexpected peak with the hit single "I'm No Angel" in 1987. After two more solo albums, the Allman Brothers reformed for a third and final time in 1989, and continued performing until 2014. He released his most recent solo album, Low Country Blues, in 2011, and his next, Southern Blood, is set to be released in 2017.
For his work in music, Allman was referred to as a Southern rock pioneer and received numerous awards, including several Grammys; he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. His distinctive voice placed him in 70th place in the Rolling Stone list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Allman released an autobiography, My Cross to Bear, in 2012.
Allman died in Savannah, Georgia, on May 27, 2017.
Little By Little
Gregg Allman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Step me up and everything I say
Little by little, only you know that I can see,
Bit by bit, your love is drifting away from me
What you doing, baby, you know it ain't right
I wonder what you doing that it takes all night
Little by little, only you know that I can see,
I get so disgusted when I try to kiss you
I just don't feel like I used to do
Little by little, only you know that I can see,
Bit by bit, your love is slippin' away from me
Tried to tail you last night in my car,
I'm so scared I might see what I'm looking for
Little by little, only you know that I can see,
Bit by bit, your love is slippin' away from me
Gregg Allman's song "Little By Little" tells the sad story of a man who is slowly losing his lover. He begins by describing how his lover is staying out all night until the break of day and how he feels that she is slowly withdrawing from him the more time goes by. He talks about how he tries to kiss her but it feels different and he worries about what she is doing at night. He even tries to follow her in his car, but he is too scared to see what he might find. Through the song, we get a picture of a man who is slowly losing everything he loves.
The lyrics in this song are particularly powerful because they portray the emotions of someone who is deeply hurt and confused. The singer is struggling to understand why his lover is pulling away from him, and he is left feeling helpless and frustrated. Allman's gritty voice delivers the lyrics with great emotion, leaving the listener with a sense of empathy and understanding for the singer's plight. Overall, the song is a poignant reminder of how even the strongest relationships can gradually fade away.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby out all night till the break of day,
My partner is staying out until the morning light.
Step me up and everything I say
I am being picked on and criticized for everything I say.
Little by little, only you know that I can see,
I am gradually detecting that my partner's love is changing.
Bit by bit, your love is drifting away from me
My partner's affection for me is slowly disappearing.
What you doing, baby, you know it ain't right
I am questioning my partner's behavior because it is not appropriate.
I wonder what you doing that it takes all night
I am curious as to what my partner is doing that is taking so long.
Little by little, only you know that I can see,
I am slowly realizing that something is not right in our relationship.
Bit by bit, your love is slippin' away from me
I am losing my partner's love and I can see it happening gradually.
I get so disgusted when I try to kiss you
I feel repulsed when I attempt to kiss my partner.
I just don't feel like I used to do
I no longer have the same romantic feelings towards my partner.
Little by little, only you know that I can see,
I am continuing to realize that my partner's love is fading away.
Bit by bit, your love is slippin' away from me
My partner's love for me is slowly disappearing.
Tried to tail you last night in my car,
I attempted to follow my partner in my car the previous night.
I'm so scared I might see what I'm looking for
I am frightened of discovering something negative while following my partner.
Little by little, only you know that I can see,
My realization of my partner's change in behavior is continuing to grow.
Bit by bit, your love is slippin' away from me
My partner's love for me is gradually going away.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MELVIN R. LONDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pamela Dotson
Rip Mr.Gregg...your music lives on!Hope your smiling down at your piano in the sky!😇😇😇😇😇
Rita Seymour
This song keeps the great black blues men alive and well, as they were the foundation for the great allmans
Pamela Dotson
This is a great song and melody! The. guitar and piano is unreal!
Nancy Huggins
Love that blues sound music for the soul
Pamela Dotson
Gregg could do it all! What a big loss!😣😪🎤😎🎼🎧🎵🎶🎹🎸
Pamela Dotson
I could have seen arron neville singing this song with gregg!BB King or any of those great blues guitar players jamming with gregg.Rip !
crayhead
Greatest white Blues Singer of all time...
michael mcqueen
Excellent
Pamela Dotson
Back in the day I would have love to be one of the ppl in that hole in the wall. bar,filled with smoke so I could put money in that big shot glass up on the piano where gregg was playing his heart out! That would have been a hightlight of my life!
Me
Yes !!