Ten years after the Allman Brothers Band took its final bows at the Beacon Theatre, guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks reunited in the studio to honor Gregg Allman. For his latest solo album Million Voices Whisper, Haynes completed Allman’s unfinished song “Real, Real Love” and joined Trucks in the studio for the first time since ABB’s final studio album Hittin’ the Note in 2003.
“Real, Real Love” appeared on Million Voices Whisper when it landed on shelves and streaming services on November 1st, and now Haynes has shared a stripped-down live version of just him and Trucks. As if the reunion wasn’t dramatic enough, the music video was filmed in black and white. Both these guitarists were at one time the new young guns in the Allman Brothers, and now decades later are looked upon with esteem as elder statesmen of blues-jam rock and some of the best guitarists of their time. With three Grammys and 15 nominations between them, they have nothing left to prove and have returned once again to the everlasting Allman Brothers legacy.
Despite being a joint posthumous effort, “Real, Real Love” contains quintessential Gregg Allman lyrics. The search for authentic connection, attempting to fill the void with worldly possessions, and ultimately finding contentment in oneself and those around you are subjects that could have just as easily been plucked from the Allman Brothers’ early ’70s pinnacle. At 64 with a lifetime of musical achievement already behind him, Haynes can emulate that same road-tested bluesman aesthetic that made Gregg Allman one of rock’s most iconic vocalists, completing the tribute with the authenticity that the ABB tradition has always epitomized.
“This was a song that was started but never finished by Gregg Allman,” Haynes said. “He had showed it to me and we had talked about it, and I completed it after he died. I finished it in a way that’s reflective of the way Gregg wrote and then invited Derek Trucks to be part of the recording process, which really took it to the desired next level. I wanted to write it as if Gregg were singing it. Even in the way we approach the song as a band, and in the way I approach it as a singer, I had his presence in mind the entire time.”
Watch Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks honor Gregg Allman with “Real, Real Love” below and stream Million Voices Whisper on your preferred platform. Haynes will take his new album on the road next year with a new crop of 2025 tour dates alongside the Warren Haynes Band. Find tickets and tour dates here.
Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks — “Real, Real Love” (Gregg Allman) [Official Video]