When I got out of high school, I thought, 'I'll take a year or two off and play the clubs, get this out of my system, and then go to med school.' More than 40 years later, I figure it's finally time to write about this crazy journey that's taken me around the world and back.

Gregg Allman

Stage fright is not a thing about 'Am I any good?' It's about 'Am I gonna be good tonight?' It's a right-now thing. It helps me. If I went out there thinkin', 'Eh, we'll go slaughter 'em,' I'm positive something would go seriously wrong.

Gregg Allman

So many people out there can probably sing very good - all they need to do is just drop their inhibitions. That's why most people do their singing in the shower.

Gregg Allman

My father was murdered when I was two. Duane, even though he was only a year and 18 days my elder, he became a father figure to me. I would have done anything for my brother - I loved him so much.

Gregg Allman

I got Jimmy Hall from Wet Willie and he also plays now with Hank Williams Jr.

Gregg Allman

I got tired of playing other people's songs.

Gregg Allman

The best advice I got really had nothing to do with singing; it came from my brother, who always told me to stick to my guns and to believe in myself. I think Duane saw my talents and believed in me long before I ever did, and that meant the world to me.

Gregg Allman

You got to be pretty thin to be in the movies, or it helps. I would actually love to do it.

Gregg Allman

I have been going to the gym instead of the bar, trying to get back down to my fighting weight.

Gregg Allman

I didn't think we would ever make enough money to pay rent by playing music.

Gregg Allman

I've come to the conclusion that I'm not supposed to be married.

Gregg Allman

I really told my story as I saw it in 'Cross to Bear,' and I was pleased - and a bit surprised - by how well it was received and how it sold. No. 2 on the 'New York Times' bestseller list? I'll take that any day, my man!

Gregg Allman

The thing with the piano is, the piano is like percussion almost - well, it is. You have to... not beat on it, but there is more work involved than a Hammond. With a Hammond, you just lay your hands on the keys, man, and you're gone.

Gregg Allman

People always lean toward who's the best guitar player, who's the best singer? I don't see it that way. They're all the best, you know? They've all gotten your attention, you've admired them, you've tried to sing like them. That makes them the best, each and every one of 'em.

Gregg Allman

When you travel on a bus with guys who love all kinds of music, you get exposed to some great stuff, man.

Gregg Allman

I left home the day after I graduated from high school because I knew we weren't going to make any dough to pay the rent in music.

Gregg Allman

Gotta take my puppy on the road with me, Killer.

Gregg Allman

At the Muddy Waters thing, I played the first song by myself on an acoustic guitar. I thought that was great that y'all did that tribute to Muddy Waters. I had a real good time.

Gregg Allman

I've never sat down and tried to write something for some occasion. You just write the tune and stay totally wide open to everything. It'll find the person or persons who are supposed to do it.

Gregg Allman

I could not see myself going back into the studio without Tommy Dowd, our beloved producer who passed away in 2002. Then in 2009, Michael Lehman, my manager, really pushed me to meet with T Bone Burnett. I ended up meeting with T Bone in Memphis, and we hit it off right away; I knew he was a guy I could work with.

Gregg Allman

Pop just didn't have enough substance for me. All this nyah-nyah-nyah, you know, 'Paper Tiger' and 'Hold the Ladder, James' and 'Crimson and Clover.' That wasn't music!

Gregg Allman