"I'm No Angel" by Gregg Allman

Song#:  3079
Date:  04/04/1987
Debut:  96
Peak:  49
Weeks:  10
Genre:  Southern Rock



Pop Bits:  As a member of the Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman amassed three platinum and three gold studio albums. Their biggest hit came in 1973 with the #2 "Ramblin' Man." Over the years the band was plagued by internal struggles along with drug and alcohol abuse. There were deaths along the way including Gregg's brother and bandmate Duane who died in a motorcycle crash in 1971. The band would break up and reform several times over the years but they persevered and in 1995 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On occasion, Gregg would record solo albums. His first came with 1973's Laid Back, which was a gold seller thanks to the #19 hit "Midnight Rider." He released another less successful effort in 1977 and that same year he also pushed out a misguided duet album with his then-wife Cher. It would be a decade before Allman would issue out another solo effort. He signed with Epic Records and recorded his third solo disc I'm No Angel. This title track single would be released and it became a surprise hit at Rock reaching #1. That success spilled over to Pop and the song would just crack the Top 50. Two other songs from the LP would make the Rock chart and that helped it reach #30 and go gold. Allman would release a few more solo albums over the years including 2011's Low Country Blues, which reached #5. Allman would recover from his addictions in the mid-90s, but the usage took a toll on him and he ended up having a lot of health issues. He succumbed to liver cancer in 2017.

ReduxReview:  I'm not the biggest fan of Southern rock and I especially don't care for jam bands. The Allman Brothers were both, so I definitely didn't hook into them even though, thanks to classic rock radio, I knew and liked a few of their songs. I certainly didn't care for Gregg Allman, especially when he married one of my idols, Cher. What the hell was she thinking marrying that drugged-out hippie? It was all so weird - and yet so very Cher. I had zero interest in Gregg Allman before, during or after Cher, but then along came this song. I so hated to admit it, but I liked the dang tune. Allman gave the pop tune a little Southern rock flare and it was probably the most commercial leaning thing he had ever recorded. He even sounded really good. While it didn't make me a fan of Allman, I did enjoy the track and the album was a pretty good stab at 80s commercial rock.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  While Allman was a songwriter who wrote some of the Allman Brothers' most famous tracks, he did not write this one. In fact, it is a remake. Written by Tony Colton and Phil Palmer, it was originally recorded by Bill Medley for his 1982 Richard Perry-produced solo album Right Here and Now. The song was not issued out as a single. Somehow, Allman discovered the tune and recorded a demo of it in the mid-80s. It was that demo that got him signed to Epic for a new solo album. Also on the album was a track by a future music superstar. Michael Bolton co-wrote "Can't Keep Running" with Martin Briley. Unlike some songs Bolton wrote early in his career for other artists, it seems he has never done a released version of the song himself. Same for Briley. Also of note, TV star Don Johnson supplied vocals for the track "Evidence of Love." He was friends with Allman and fellow Allman Brother bandmate Dickey Betts. Johnson had even co-written a tune that appeared on the Alllman Brothers' 1979 album Enlightened Rogues.

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