When Gregg and Duane Allman formed The Allman Brothers Band back in 1969, they formed the band that virtually invented Southern rock. It was an amalgam of music based on the blues, with elements of jazz, country, and rock incorporating an improvisational “jam” attitude.

After Duane’s death in 1971 and Berry Oakley’s death in 1972, the band maintained their success for a few years, broke up in 1976, reformed briefly in 1979 with new members, and broke up again in 1982. Gregg Allman went through a marriage to Cher, drug addiction, and released a string of mediocre solo albums.

Fast-forward to 1989, when the Brothers reformed again, recreating the original spirit of the band with help from newcomer Warren Haynes. Throughout the ‘90s and to present day, the Allman Brothers continue to thrill audiences in stadium and festival shows. Gregg, however, hasn’t released a solo album since 1997, when his excellent “Searching for Simplicity” was released to a mostly indifferent audience.

Last year, Gregg worried fans when he underwent liver transplant surgery, which, thankfully, was successful and saved his life. But before his surgery, Allman teamed up with T-Bone Burnett to produce “Low Country Blues,” an album of blues classics. Burnett has revitalized the careers of several aging rock stars including Robert Plant and John Mellencamp, and he’s made the same magic with Allman. Enlisting the talents of Doyle Bramhall III on guitar, Colin Linden on dobro, Mac Rebennack (Dr. John) on piano, Mike Compton on mandolin, and Burnett’s favorite drummer, Jay Bellerose, Allman has created one of the best albums of his career.

It’s so nice to hear Allman getting back to his blues roots, with songs by Muddy Waters, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Sleepy John Estes, Skip James, Junior Wells, Otis Rush and others, his signature drawl enveloping the lyrics and pulling the listener deep into the songs.

I’ve heard rumor that Allman did this blues album as his epitaph in case the surgery did not go well, but instead it will serve as the rebirth of a talent that is most certainly rooted in the blues.