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.
Rain
Gregg Allman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They run and hide their head,
Might as well be dead,
When the rain comes,
When the rain comes.
When the sun shines,
They slip into the shade,
When the sun shines,
When the sun shines.
Rain, I don't mind, I don't mind.
Shine, the weather is fine.
I can show you,
When i starts to rain,
Everything's gonna be the same, yeah,
I can show you, I can show you.
Rain, I don't mind, I don't mind.
Shine, the weather is fine.
The lyrics of Gregg Allman's "Rain" is a commentary about human behavior when it comes to facing adverse situations like rain. The opening lines "When the rain comes, they run and hide their head, might as well be dead" suggest that people tend to shy away from facing problems head-on and instead choose to avoid them. This is further underscored by the succeeding lines "When the sun shines, they slip into the shade, drink their lemonade" which means people tend to take advantage of good times but can't endure difficult times.
The chorus "Rain, I don't mind, I don't mind. Shine, the weather is fine" indicates the singer's attitude towards the rain. He doesn't mind the rain and actually sees the beauty it brings out such as the greenery that arises and the way it cleanses the earth. His positivity and unwavering spirit are evident in the lyrics "I can show you when it starts to rain, everything's gonna be the same". He wants to help others see the silver lining in the clouds and that there's nothing to fear about.
In conclusion, "Rain" by Gregg Allman is a song about finding the positivity and good things in the midst of adversity instead of hiding away from it. It also acts as a call to encourage others to see the beauty in every situation, even during the dreariest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
When the rain comes,
People become scared and hide from the rain as if they would rather be dead when it makes its appearance.
They run and hide their head,
They avoid the rain by running away and sheltering themselves from it.
Might as well be dead,
The fear of rain among people is so strong that they would rather not exist at all than to face it.
When the rain comes,
Repeated line to emphasize the fear associated with the arrival of rain.
When the rain comes.
When the sun shines,
People move into the shade to escape from the heat when the sun is bright.
They slip into the shade,
Avoiding direct sunlight and seeking cover from the sun's rays is a common behavior among people.
Drink their lemonade,
People take advantage of the sun and warm weather by refreshing themselves with a cold drink like lemonade.
When the sun shines,
Repeated line to emphasize the joy associated with sunny weather.
When the sun shines.
Rain, I don't mind, I don't mind.
The singer is not afraid of the rain, indicating a positive attitude towards it.
Shine, the weather is fine.
Good weather is appreciated, and the sun is a symbol of it.
I can show you,
The singer is confident in their understanding of how to deal with the rain.
When it starts to rain,
The singer is not afraid and knows what to do when rain begins to fall.
Everything's gonna be the same, yeah,
Rain does not change things too much and life goes on as usual.
I can show you, I can show you.
Repeated line conveying the message of being able to cope with rain.
Rain, I don't mind, I don't mind.
Repeated line emphasizing the singer's positive attitude towards rain.
Shine, the weather is fine.
Repeated line addressing the appeal of good weather.
Contributed by Josiah V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
linda caylor
Ahh man I thought I'd heard all of Greggs's music, this is beautiful. God I miss this man so much, that voice....never be another. He sang with his soul. I only WISH I could have met and alked with him. 💖😭
Mailman2332
I doubt Gregg would have anything to say...as he was shy which dispels the rocker ethos
Mailman2332
If there's any doubt about the depth and profundity of Gregory's vocal... this tune will put that question to rest
dub1423
I feel that this rendition enhances the original. It gives me an even greater appreciation of the Beatles as melodists, and now when I listen to the original it sounds even more powerful. Everybody owes something to the Beatles, and Gregg paid them back right here.
Jolene Loveland
Yes he did and i often wonder what John Lennon would have said in regard to this cover, but i guess we'll never know.
ann cooley
This is gospel, the only other direction Gregg could have gone besides the blues. This is his home and he took a hippie hippie Beatle throw-away song and made it his own. The power of this voice when he was sober is incomparable. Simply beautiful. Thank you Gregg and only wish you could have been here another 15 years. God bless you.
don riley
Hold on just a tiny raindrop, Ann. The Beatles NEVER wrote or sang throw-a-way songs. Greg does a beautiful gospel version of this. But it took Lennon-McCartney, with George and Ringo to record it. Shame on you. But with love, I understand your misplaced written statement. I love this cover version...which would have never have happened with just any "throw away song".
ann cooley
@don riley : I would never want to insult a Beatle fan. But, there are deep heavy Beatle songs and "lesser" songs. Can we agree on that? Rain by the Beatles was filler, just a cute song. How Gregg found the blues in Rain is beyond me. He milked it for the potential of the song that the Beatles didn't see.
Jolene Loveland
The power of his voice was incredible, sober or not. The man could sing and transcend this whole world. Probably kept him going for as long as he did without his brother.
Jolene Loveland
@don riley you are correct. Gregg wouldnt cover just any old throw away song. He and his brother played just about all of the Beatles catalogue on the "chitlin circuit" of their earliest days. Gregg had all respect for the Beatles. In fact, compared to them, he never thought they had a chance to become recording artists.
@ ann cooley, when it rains outside, who can not find the blues, or the uncertainty of life? Everything is beautiful and sunny, and going right in life and then suddenly here comes the rain and the tears. Lord knows he had his share of tears in this life. He does make this song his own because of his own experiences in life. I wonder what John would have said about this cover? Lennon was a pretty tough customer to please, but i guess we'll never know.
How do i know all of this about Gregg? I worked with him at Capricorn Studio long ago. God bless and keep you Gregg.