Country star Jackson Dean honors Gregg Allman in song for ‘Music of My Soul’ documentary

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The Gregg Allman documentary The Music of My Soul premieres Tuesday in New York City, and while there’s bound to be plenty of Allman Brothers Band music in the film, there will also be a new track by country star Jackson Dean.

The tune, “My Cross to Bear,” will close the film. Director James Keach enlisted Grammy-winning music maker Julian Raymond to create the track.

Ultimately, the tune is Jackson’s tribute to the man behind the Allman Brothers Band and iconic songs like “Midnight Rider,” ‘Whipping Post” and “I’m No Angel.”

“Gregg Allman lived a life that was so much larger than life, both the highs and the lows, and to sing a song that represents all of that is a lot,” Jackson says. “For me, I wanted to honor him, put everything I had, all that I know about living between the cracks and on those blazing stages into it. But I also knew I wanted to just let the power of who he was move through me and not think … just be.”

“He was an influence and hero to anyone who loves the blues, who chooses to live this life,” Jackson adds. “He was so much more than a song, an album or even the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and it’s all there when you hear him sing. He wrote some of the greatest Southern rock songs ever, but it’s not the words, it’s what’s in the notes when he sings them.”

After the Big Apple premiere, Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul travels to Macon, Georgia, for a hometown opening on Thursday. It will also have one-week exclusive engagements in Los Angeles and New York, before playing in theaters nationwide on June 17.

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