Top Gear

Gregg Allman, Man Behind Top Gear’s Theme Song ‘Jessica’ Dies At 69

You’ve definitely heard the song, but maybe not the original. Gregg Allman was one of the founding members of the group, ‘The Allman Brothers Band’, alongisde his brother Duane Allman. Also in the band was Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson.

The band was incredibly influential on the genre of southern rock and some say they laid the way to other incredible bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top wrote that the group “defined the best of every music from the American South in that time. They were the best of all of us.”

Gregg who sang, played the keyboard and helped write the songs, passed away last Saturday in his home in Savannah, Georgia, after being diagnosed with hepatitis C back in 1999 and receiving a liver transplant in 2010.

But instead of mourning over his passing, let’s celebrate the incredible music he helped produce alongside his brother and band-mates. You may recognise this one…

This song was released in 1973 as an instrumental piece as the second single from their fourth album called ‘Brothers and Sisters’. The song was named after Dickey Betts’ daughter, Jessica Betts, who was said to love it and bounce along to it when she was a young child.

It wan’t overly successful, but was of course taken by our favourite TV show, Top Gear, and a version was used as its theme song since its reboot in 2002.

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to work to a bit of the Allman Brothers Band today, and out of respect, hopefully you’ll give them a listen, too.

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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