Bands / Musicians Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?  

Mick Jacobs
70.2k votes 3.2k voters 15k views 412 items

List Rules Vote up the artists you would love to see do one final song.

Many of the world's greatest musicians remain highly respected even in death. The world often mourns the loss of the artist and the songs that the artist never got to write. If you go looking through your iTunes or Spotify libraries, you will likely find dozens of those dead musicians. You'll probably want to bring back more than a few, even if it's just so that they can write one more song.

In the whirlwind world of music, numerous rock stars die before their prime. Their untimely demises pose a difficult question, one that needs an answer.

We asked you, our audience, "Which artist would you bring back from the dead to write one more song?" And your answers have been both surprising and satisfying. Artists who died before ever reaching thirty, from Kurt Cobain to Aaliyah, are among your choices but a few prolific artists who had time on their side, such as Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen, also showed up in your responses. Some people believed that these legends were still capable of genius even in their old age.

While no one determined for certain which dead artist needs to make one more song, each answer still reminds us of how much these musicians continue to impact the world.

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1,280 426
Freddie Mercury is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Freddie Mercury The Solo Collection, Barcelona, Mr. Bad Guy Freddie Mercury was a British singer, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona ...more

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1,188 470
John Lennon is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
John Lennon Imagine, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Double Fantasy John Winston Ono Lennon MBE was an English singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a co-founder of the band the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of ...more

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1,088 427
David Bowie is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Hunky Dory, Diamond Dogs David Bowie is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, and actor. He is also a painter and collector of fine art. Bowie has been a major figure in the ...more

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Jimi Hendrix is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Jimi Hendrix First Rays of the New Rising Sun, Band of Gypsys, Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...more

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Johnny Cash is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Johnny Cash American V: A Hundred Highways, American IV: The Man Comes Around, At Folsom Prison John R. "Johnny" Cash was a singer-songwriter, actor, and author, widely considered one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century. Although primarily remembered as ...more

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1,008 447
Michael Jackson is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Michael Jackson Thriller, Bad, Off the Wall Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor. Called the King of Pop, his contributions to music and dance, along with his publicized personal ...more

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Kurt Cobain is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Kurt Cobain 1993-09-08: Rock Against Rape Benefit, Club Lingerie, Hollywood Kurt Donald Cobain was an American musician who was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the grunge band Nirvana. Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic in ...more

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Prince is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Prince Purple Rain, Sign 'O' the Times, 1999 Prince Roger Nelson, known by his mononym Prince, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor. A major figure in popular music for over three decades, Prince is renowned ...more

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Bob Marley is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Bob Marley Sun Is Shining, One Love, Rainbow Country Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley OM was a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter, musician, and guitarist who achieved international fame and acclaim. Starting out in 1963 with the group the ...more

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Elvis Presley is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added Elvis Presley Jailhouse Rock, The Sun Sessions, From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and ...more

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Ludwig van Beethoven is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony Edition, Classical Anthology, Symphonies Nos. 1-9 (feat. piano: Cyprien Katsaris) Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and ...more

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Tom Petty is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Tom Petty Full Moon Fever, Wildflowers, Highway Companion Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of Tom Petty and the ...more

Amy Lee From Evanescence Makes Children's Music Now, And It Probably Won't Bring You To Life ...

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Marvin Gaye is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Marvin Gaye What's Going On, Here, My Dear Marvin Gaye was an American singer, songwriter and musician. Gaye helped to shape the sound of Motown Records, first as an in house session player in the 1960s and later as a solo artist with a ...more

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Jim Morrison is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Jim Morrison Paris Jim, Dionysus James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American singer, poet and songwriter best remembered as the lead vocalist of the Doors. Due to his songwriting, baritone voice, wild personality and ...more

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Whitney Houston is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Whitney Houston The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album, Whitney Houston, My Love Is Your Love Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time. Houston is one of pop ...more

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Ray Charles is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Ray Charles The Birth of Soul, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, The Spirit of Christmas Ray Charles Robinson, professionally known as Ray Charles, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and composer, who is sometimes referred to as "The Genius". He pioneered the ...more

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George Harrison is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added George Harrison All Things Must Pass, Cloud Nine, Living in the Material World George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter and music and film producer who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. ...more

The Best Concert Movies Streaming on Hulu

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Tupac Shakur is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Tupac Shakur All Eyez on Me, Me Against the World, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and briefly as Makaveli, was an American rapper, songwriter, and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him one ...more

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Janis Joplin is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Janis Joplin Pearl, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Greatest Hits Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer-songwriter who first rose to fame in the late 1960s as the lead singer of the psychedelic-acid rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later as ...more

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Amy Winehouse is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Amy Winehouse Back to Black, Frank, Lioness: Hidden Treasures Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter known for her deep vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues, jazz and reggae. Winehouse's 2003 ...more

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Selena is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Selena Dreaming of You, Amor Prohibido, The New Girl in Town Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, known by the mononym Selena, was an American singer, songwriter, spokesperson, actress, and fashion designer. Called the Queen of Tejano music, her contributions ...more

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B.B. King is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added B.B. King Let the Good Times Roll, Live at the Regal, Ladies and Gentleman... Mr. B.B. King B.B. King is an American blues musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No. 6 on its 2011 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, and he was ...more

Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead

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Buddy Holly is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Buddy Holly Buddy, 20 Golden Greats, What You Been A-Missin': What You've Been A-Missin' Charles Hardin Holley, known as Buddy Holly, was an American musician and singer-songwriter, often considered one of the main figures of the rock and roll genre in the mid-1950s. Born in ...more

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George Michael is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
George Michael Faith, Listen Without Prejudice, Volume 1 Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, widely known by his stage name George Michael, is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Michael rose to superstardom during the ...more

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Otis Redding is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added Otis Redding Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul, The Dock of the Bay, The Immortal Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a ...more

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The Notorious B.I.G. is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
The Notorious B.I.G. Ready to Die, Life After Death, Born Again Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie or Biggie Smalls, was an American rapper. Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York ...more

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Aaliyah is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Aaliyah Aaliyah, One in a Million, I Care 4 U Aaliyah Dana Haughton was an American singer, dancer, actress, and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television ...more

The 37 Greatest On-Stage Falls of All Time

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James Brown is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added James Brown Live at the Apollo, Star Time, Funky Christmas James Brown is a film score composer.

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Etta James is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added Etta James At Last!, Tell Mama, I'd Rather Go Blind Etta James was an American singer. Her style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz and gospel. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with ...more

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Chester Bennington is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Chester Bennington High Rise, No Sun Today, Out of Time Chester Charles Bennington is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist of rock bands Linkin Park and Dead by Sunrise. He was originally the lead ...more

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Chris Cornell is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
benq1787 added chris cornell Carry On, You Know My Name, Euphoria Morning Chris Cornell is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter and rhythm guitarist for Seattle rock band Soundgarden and as former lead ...more

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Chuck Berry is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added Chuck Berry The Great Twenty-Eight, Maybellene, Two Great Guitars Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene", ...more

The Best Songs With Write in the Title

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John Denver is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
John Denver Rocky Mountain Christmas, Christmas Like a Lullaby, A Christmas Together Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, actor, activist and humanitarian, whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singer, ...more

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Roy Orbison is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added Roy Orbison The Essential Roy Orbison, King of Hearts, Mystery Girl Roy Kelton Orbison, also known by his nickname The Big O, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his trademark sunglasses, distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark ...more

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Stevie Ray Vaughan is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Stevie Ray Vaughan Couldn't Stand the Weather, In Step, Texas Flood Stephen Ray Vaughan, known as Stevie Ray Vaughan, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. In spite of a short-lived mainstream career spanning seven years, he is ...more

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Sam Cooke is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Sam Cooke Night Beat, Shake, Touch the Hem of His Garment: 23 Gospel Gems Samuel "Sam" Cooke was an American recording artist and singer-songwriter, generally considered among the greatest of all time. Influential as both a singer and composer, he is ...more

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Donna Summer is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Donna Summer Bad Girls, Christmas Spirit, The Summer Collection: Greatest Hits LaDonna Adrian Gaines, known by her stage name, Donna Summer, was an American singer, songwriter, and painter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the late 1970s. A five-time Grammy ...more

The Most Important Phrases to Learn Before You Travel Abroad

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Eazy-E is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Eazy-E Eazy-Duz-It, It’s On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa, Eternal E Eric Lynn Wright, better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright is affectionately called "The Godfather of Gangsta ...more

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Jim Croce is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Jim Croce Simply the Best: Time in a Bottle: His Greatest Hits, Jim Croce Smash Hits, Singer Songwriter James Joseph "Jim" Croce was an American singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, Croce released five studio albums and 11 singles. His singles "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and ...more

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Leonard Cohen is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Leonard Cohen Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs of Love and Hate, Old Ideas Leonard Norman Cohen, CC GOQ is a Canadian singer–songwriter, musician, poet, and novelist. His work has explored religion, politics, isolation, sexuality, and personal relationships. Cohen has ...more

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Frank Sinatra is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Valdave added Frank Sinatra Christmas With the Rat Pack, In the Wee Small Hours, Christmas Songs by Sinatra Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer, actor, director, and producer. Beginning his musical career in the swing era as a boy singer with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, ...more

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Valdave added Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony Edition, Classical Anthology, Eternal Classics Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, baptised as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. Mozart showed prodigious ability from his ...more

The Best Songs with Back in the Title

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Waylon Jennings is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Waylon Jennings Dreaming My Dreams, A Man Called Hoss, Good Hearted Woman Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Jennings began playing guitar at 8 and began performing at 12 on KVOW radio. His first band was The Texas ...more

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Fats Domino is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added Fats Domino Here Comes... Fats Domino, This Is Fats, Essential Hits and Early Recordings Antoine "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. Domino released five gold records before 1955. He also had 35 Top 40 American hits and has a music style based ...more

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Jerry Garcia is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Jerry Garcia Jerry Garcia / David Grisman, Shady Grove, Cats Under the Stars Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician who was best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead, which came to prominence ...more

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Bon Scott is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Valdave added Bon Scott The Early Years 1967-1972, With the Spektors and the Valentines, Round and Round: The Forgotten Years Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death ...more

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Lou Reed is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added Lou Reed Transformer, Berlin, New York Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. After serving as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of the Velvet Underground, his solo career ...more

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Frank Zappa is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Frank Zappa Hot Rats, Joe's Garage Acts 1, 2 & 3 Frank Vincent Zappa was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, composer, recording engineer, record producer, and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed ...more

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Ben E. King is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added Ben E. King Stand by Me, Anthology, Seven Letters Benjamin Earl King, known as Ben E. King, is an American soul and R&B singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit in both 1961 ...more

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Gregg Allman is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added Gregg Allman Laid Back, Just Before the Bullets Fly, I'm No Angel Gregory LeNoir "Gregg" Allman is an American rock and blues singer-songwriter, keyboardist, guitarist and a founding member, with his brother Duane, of The Allman Brothers Band. In the ...more