Warren Haynes Discusses Gregg Allman With David Fricke

As reported, on Saturday, a somber Warren Haynes led Gov’t Mule through a “tough” performance at Summer Camp in Chillicothe, Illinois hours after learning of the death of Gregg Allman. Haynes began the set by speaking to the audience about his longtime band mate in The Allman Brothers Band and the following day he spoke with Rolling Stone journalist David Fricke about the impact of the loss of the legendary musician.

During Gov’t Mule’s Summer Camp set, the guitarist tells Fricke he wavered between wondering, “What the hell am I doing up here?” and finding healing from playing music with others. Ultimately, Haynes felt bringing up members of Umphrey’s McGee and moe. for a cover of “Whipping Post” was “the appropriate thing to do.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Haynes describes his last meeting with Gregg, which took place with fellow former ABB guitarist Derek Trucks last April before the Wanee Festival in Florida. He details the first time he listened to The Allman Brothers Band at age 9 and being captivated by Gregg’s voice. Warren also talks about the first time he was introduced to Gregg, telling Fricke:

Even though we knew each other a bit prior to my joining, I was very intimidated because I’d been a big fan since 1969. Of course, he was immediately disarming. He went out of his way to make me feel comfortable, from the very beginning. I think that was his nature. He was like that the first time I met him, in 1981. I was 21 years old. He paid me a lot of compliments and was very encouraging. Sometimes, when you’re meeting your heroes, it can go either way. But that was a nice introduction to what would eventually be our relationship.

The interview further explores how Gregg’s health affected the final years of the ABB, the legacy of late founding guitarist Duane Allman, Warren and Gregg’s songwriting partnership, the final Allman Bros. show at the Beacon Theatre in 2014 and more. Follow this link to Rolling Stone to read the full interview.