Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks perform at
the fourth Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival. This was from night
two on April 13, 2013 at Madison Square Garden.
"
The Needle and the Damage Done" is a song by
Neil Young that describes the destruction caused by the
heroin addiction of musicians he knew. Though not specifically about him, the song was inspired by the heroin addiction of his friend and
Crazy Horse bandmate
Danny Whitten. It previews the theme of the
Tonight's the Night album that reflects Young's grief over the heroin overdose and death of both Whitten and
Bruce Berry, a
roadie for Young and Crazy Horse.
"
Midnight Rider" is a song by the American rock band
the Allman Brothers Band. It was the second
single from their second studio album,
Idlewild South (1970), released on
Capricorn Records. The song was primarily written by vocalist
Gregg Allman, who first began composing it at a rented cabin outside of
Macon,
Georgia. He enlisted the help of roadie Robert Kim Payne to complete the song's lyrics. He and Payne
broke into Capricorn Sound Studios to complete a demo of the song.
While the original Allman Brothers release of the song did not chart,
"Midnight Rider" was much more successful in cover versions. Gregg
Allman's solo version of the song, released in 1973, was its biggest
chart success; it was a top 20 hit in the U.S. and Canada. A cover by
Jamaican singer, Paul Davidson, represented its biggest peak in the United Kingdom, where it hit number ten. Country artist
Willie Nelson also recorded a version of the song that peaked at number six on U.S. country charts.
Gregg Allman R.I.P,
