Gregg Allman undergoes successful liver transplant

[June 24, 2010]  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Rock 'n' roll Hall of Famer Gregg Allman underwent a successful liver transplant surgery Wednesday morning at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

Allman's manager Michael Lehman told The Associated Press in a phone interview that Allman was groggy but awake Wednesday morning and that the co-founder of the seminal Southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band could be sitting up and on his feet by nightfall.

"He's psyched to put this time of his life behind him and have a chance again to feel really healthy and good, and hopefully live for many more years to come," Lehman said.

Allman began treatment for Hepatitis C in 2007 but chronic damage to his liver led to the transplant. He had been on the waiting list until doctors found a suitable liver.

Lehman said Allman got the call late Tuesday afternoon and drove to Jacksonville from his home near Savannah, Ga., for the early morning surgery.

Doctors told him to expect to be in the hospital for up to a week, stay in the Jacksonville area for up to three weeks and possibly be back on the road by November, Lehman said. Doctors said he should be able to participate in the wedding of his daughter, Island, on July 26, he added.

"It's his dream to be able to walk her down the aisle," Lehman said.

Allman battled addiction over the years and has been suffering side effects from the hepatitis, though he still managed a robust touring schedule. He had been on the transplant list longer than average, Lehman said, but his schedule was kept mostly clear in anticipation of a possible transplant this summer.

Lehman says he's planning a late fall tour that could begin in November and a new Gregg Allman Band album, the T Bone Burnett-produced "Low Country Blues," is due in January.

"I changed my ways years ago, but we can't turn back time," Allman said in a news release. "Every day is a gift, and I can't wait to get back on the road making music with my friends."

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Online: http://www.greggallman.com/ and http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/

[Associated Press; By CHRIS TALBOTT]

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