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Also posted to the Forum. And I call your attention in particular to the 16th paragraph... Headline: He's firmly planted in Savannah By Chris Welch Huntsville (Alabama) Times Legendary singer loves his garden - and new solo effort. Here's something most Southern rock 'n' roll fans probably never saw coming in their lifetime. Gregg Allman, one of the grooviest guitar players ever, founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and ... In Southern Living magazine? Yep, Allman apparently really digs great music and impatiens. "You know, there's something to be said about planting your own flowers," the rocker said in a phone interview from his home in Savannah, Ga. He and the Allman Brothers are performing Saturday night at the Von Braun Center Arena. "I've got this place in Savannah, and it has a beautiful backyard. You know, when something's not right, you've just got to fix it yourself. And, I really do enjoy it." What next, Better Homes and Gardens? Well ... actually, he appeared on the cover of the February/March edition of South Magazine talking about how much he enjoys Savannah. Obviously, at age 62, the hard rocker and leader of one of the greatest Southern rock bands ever is finally taking time to smell the roses and enjoy life. "The story in South Magazine is about living in Savannah and the South, how I got here and how I like it," Allman said. "There's a picture of my dock, pictures with my motorcycles. "Savannah looks like New Orleans did 45 years ago. It's a great town, people are real nice to me, wave at me, say 'love your music' and leave me alone. It's a nice place. "I told the real estate lady when I came here I wanted something that was directly the opposite of something in Times Square, and 'I don't mind spending $1 million for it.' And, I found it. I've lived here almost 11 years and hope to take my last breath here." As happy and content as Allman seems to be, some worry the Allmans band may be taking their last breath as rock 'n' rollers after 41 years of performing. So far, the Allmans have scheduled only 14 shows for 2010 and none past the June 26 date in Chicago. So, are the boys finally winding down? "No, not at all," Allman said. "We'll come back next year with a vengeance. "We're just taking it a little bit lighter this year. Derek Trucks is doing some shows with his wife (Susan Tedeschi), and Gov't Mule (with the Allmans' Warren Haynes) is also in Europe half the year. We've got all that going on, that's the main reason." Allman said the band is also semi-recovering from its grueling, 40th-anniversary tour last year. "Yeah, that took a lot out of me," Allman conceded. "And this year, we did the New York thing, but didn't have the Beacon Theatre and played way up in Harlem at a new place called the United Palace. Just getting there and back was a hassle. It was fun playing there, but you could take a nap trying to get there." Allman, composer of huge hits like "Whipping Post," "Midnight Rider" and "I'm No Angel," is also excited about his latest solo project tentatively due this month called "You're in Goods Hands with Allman" (if it's OK'd by a certain insurance company). It's his first solo album since 1997's "Searching for Simplicity." "It's a killer record, man," Allman said. He loves the Allmans band but also loves his solo time with the Gregg Allman Band. "There's only one cook in the kitchen, only one chef," he said. "I let the soloists do their thing - you've gotta let a man do a solo the way he wants - but as far as picking the tunes and working on the arrangements, I take full responsibility for it. "It's no holds barred," he said of playing with the Gregg Allman Band. "You can play anything you want to; you don't have to play anything people expect you to play. That's the big advantage."