Gregg Allman touts importance of hepatitis C testing, reflects on his recovery

“That was a real rough one,” Allman, 64, said, calling recently from his Savannah home.

The soft-spoken co-founder of the Macon-based Allman Brothers Band, who peppers his conversation with “sweetheart” and “my dear,” is using his visibility to inform others about the quiet symptoms of hep C – mostly fatigue – on the website, www.TuneInToHepC.com.

“People have gotta listen to what this site has to say. Doing nothing is not an option,” Allman said. “It is a blood disease and I had it since I was 20 and didn’t know it until 1999. Everybody needs to get checked for this diabolical disease. If I hadn’t had a liver transplant, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now.”

Despite a protracted recuperation period from his two health issues, Allman has recently resurfaced professionally – singing a pensive “Melissa” at the Americana Music Festival in October and performing a soulful “Georgia on My Mind” with fellow G-men in the Zac Brown Band on last month’s Country Music Association awards.

And the band will return The Beacon in New York for its usual March stint, a ritual that Allman still relishes, calling it, in his whiskey-hued voice, “the best place” to play.

But first, the February Grammy Awards will spotlight the flaxen-haired icon of Southern rock when the Allman Brothers Band is bestowed with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally – and oddly coincidental – Allman’s acclaimed 2010 solo release, “Low Country Blues,” will vie for best blues album against, among others, comrades Warren Haynes with “Man in Motion” and the Tedeschi Trucks Band with “Revelator.”

Professional accolades never really shadowed Allman’s career and he candidly noted that, “It’s not gonna break my heart if I don’t win.” After a pause he added, “But I really do think it’s an honor just to be nominated, though who I’m nominated with is kinda tricky.”

Allman is always happy to talk about music, explaining that after his longtime producer Tom Dowd died in 2002, his biggest obstacle was finding a replacement.

“He has to be not only a friend, but a hell of an acquaintance who I can communicate with well. You figure you slave over these tunes, get them to the band to get all of the bumps ironed out, then you get to the studio and there’s a new guy in the band [the producer]!” Allman said.

T Bone Burnett -- the mega-producer best known for his work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack and currently the music director for The Alliance-bound Stephen King/John Mellencamp musical -- became Allman’s trusted studio maestro and handled the production of “Low.”

The singer is also readying the early spring release of “My Cross to Bear,” his anticipated memoir published by William Morrow that Allman said he’s been writing since the ‘80s.

“It’s really strong,” he said of the rough draft currently in his possession. “Reading a book about other people is one thing, but when you read a book about yourself, oh wow, you’re right back [in the moment] again.”

But what the reflective Allman is truly passionate about discussing is his health and the importance of getting tested for hep C, which he said he thinks he contacted from a tattoo needle decades ago.

Dr. Steven Carpenter, chair of medicine at Mercer University School of Medicine and Allman’s Savannah-based doctor for many years, said its imperative to change people’s preconceived notions about the disease.

“It’s time to shed the social stigma associated with hep C and confront it as you would any other medical problem in a rational way,” Carpenter said. “Don’t be ashamed. If you had a prior transfusion or have a tattoo from the wrong place or shared a needle, you really need to see a physician and tell them you’re at risk. If you don’t talk about it, you’re going to be at risk for significant chronic liver disease.”

Allman also noted the significance of the mindset toward hep C.

“It’s not something only bad boys and girls get,” he said.

While the early part of 2012 is already filling up for Allman, he’s learned the value of cautious planning.

“I live for today, my dear,” he said. “But I plan to stick around awhile. I kinda dig it here on Earth.”

For more information:

The website www.TuneInToHepC.com is part of a national health care campaign established to educate the public about hepatitis C. The website shares Gregg Allman’s journey and provides guidance for those seeking information about the disease that currently infects about 3.2 million Americans.