The loss of the legendary Gregg Allman shook the music community to its core back in May. With his final work Southern Blood on the way, due out on Friday, September 8th, fans of the Allman Brothers Band singer/songwriter/organist are looking for ways to continuously honor and commemorate their fallen idol. Rounder Records has announced a series of special events celebrating the final album, which was prepared as a final statement from Allman who’d been fighting liver cancer for years.

“SOUTHERN BLOOD: CELEBRATING GREGG ALLMAN” events will be held in three American cities held dear by the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, beginning September 7th at The GRAMMY Museum’s Clive Davis Theater in Los Angeles, CA. The event will see Gregg’s son Devon Allman, longtime friend and manager Michael Lehman, Gregg Allman Band guitarist/musical director Scott Sharrard, and Southern Blood producer Don Was joining GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Scott Goldman to pay homage to Allman with an exceptional evening of stories, memories, and incredible music. American Express pre-sale ticketing began Thursday, August 10th at 10:30 am (local); all remaining tickets will then be released to the general public on Thursday, August 17th at noon. For more information, visit the GRAMMY MuseumGRAMMYMuseum.org.

Later that week, Macon, GA Mayor Robert Reichert will issue a proclamation declaring December 8th (Allman’s birthday) to henceforth and forever be known as “Gregg Allman Day.” On September 9th, Allman will be posthumously honored with the key to his beloved hometown at a commemorative celebration to be held at The Allman Brothers Band Museum at The Big House, home to the original band and their families during their initial golden era of 1970-1973. In addition, that same evening will see The Big House hosting a “SOUTHERN BLOOD: CELEBRATING GREGG ALLMAN” event, this time featuring Devon Allman, Michael Lehman, Scott Sharrard, and Allman’s closest friend Chank Middleton joined by Chuck Reece, Editor-in-Chief of The Bitter Southerner, catered by the H&H restaurant which kept the Allman Brothers fed for the entirety of their career, even in the early days when they couldn’t pay.

The third and final “SOUTHERN BLOOD: CELEBRATING GREGG ALLMAN” event will then be presented at the 18th annual AMERICANAFEST: The Americana Music Festival & Conference, set for September 15th at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater in Nashville, TN. Presented by the GRAMMY Museum in conjunction with the Americana Music Association, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and Rounder Records, the event will feature Devon Allman and Michael Lehman sharing a stage with musicians Buddy Miller, Joan Osborne, Pony Bradshaw, and John Paul White, once again joined by GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Scott Goldman.

“As his producer, I was dedicated to helping Gregg crystallize his vision for the record and to help make sure that this vision made it to the tape,” says Don Was in a press release. “He was a musical hero of mine and, in later years, had become a good friend. The gravitas of this particular situation was not lost on me. Gregg was a sweet, humble man with a good heart and good intentions and it was a great honor to help him put his musical affairs in order and say a proper farewell.”

Allman, well aware his time was short, approached the project with an unambiguously realistic agenda. High atop his list of goals was to capture the sound of the ultimate Gregg Allman Band in full flight, considering them the tightest knit combo of all the ever-shifting line-ups that had backed him over his 35+ year solo career. Despite his ongoing health issues, the Gregg Allman Band had picked up right where the Allman Brothers Band left off in 2015, spending nearly two years on the road with tour highlights including the now-annual Allman-curated Laid Back Festival. 2015’s two disc CD/DVD set, BACK TO MACON GA, immortalized Allman and his eight-member band’s floor-shaking live power but their leader was determined to see what the group could do within the confines of the studio.

“Gregg was very excited to be in the studio,” says Lehman. “He was especially thrilled to be recording this studio album with his solo band – he was so proud of them and loved the sound that they produced together. Gregg felt close to every single one of them. The Gregg Allman Band was like a family or a well oiled machine, always knowing what the other band members were thinking and doing.”

Rich with emotional texture, historical connectivity, and purity of performance, Southern Blood would be a landmark Gregg Allman record under any circumstance, its powerful subject matter and passionate presentation as emblematic an expression of his distinctive art as any prior work in the Allman canon. Though his loss leaves a vast musical space that can never truly be filled, Southern Blood stands tall as a remarkable valedictory and memorial to a true giant of American music, now and forever.

Southern Blood arrives everywhere on Friday, September 8th. The album is available for pre-order now at all major music retailers and the Gregg Allman Official Store. First run-only limited editions are on offer, including Deluxe CD with behind-the-scenes DVD, vinyl test presses, Southern Blood T-shirts and limited edition heavyweight vinyl.

[cover photo by Phierce Photos and head to his Instagram for more]