Midnight Rider Gregg Allman

Album: Idlewild South (1970)
"Midnight Rider" was Gregg Allman's signature song, describing how he continued on in the face of obstacles. He wrote the song, but shared the songwriting credit with Kim Payne, a roadie for the band who came up with the classic line, "The road goes on forever."Show more

After he wrote this song, Gregg Allman wanted to start recording it right away, so with the help of Kim Payne, who was guarding their equipment, he broke into the band's Macon, Georgia recording studio in the middle of the night and went to work, figuring he should get some tracks down before he forgot them.

This first appeared on the second Allman Brothers album, Idlewild South, but it wasn't released as a single. The song became a live favorite and one very identifiable with Gregg, so when he recorded his first solo album, Laid Back, in 1973, he recorded a new version of this song and released it as a single. It became his biggest hit as a solo artist, charting at #19 US. This is that recording... with hobbits and whatnot.

A 1976 reggae version by the Jamaican singer Paul Davidson reached #10 in the UK.

This song can be heard in the movie Unbreakable when Bruce Willis's character is lifting weights.

In 2013, this was used by Geico in a commercial for their motorcycle insurance. The spot, titled "Money Man," shows a rider literally made of money cruising while the song plays. The Allman Brothers are certainly popular with the biker crowd, but those familiar with the band found the ad in poor taste, as both Duane Allman and Berry Oakley died in motorcycle accidents.

On June 7, 2017, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Derek Trucks and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum paid tribute to Gregg Allman, who died on May 27, by opening the CMT Music Awards with a performance of this song.

Willie Nelson recorded this for the 1979 movie The Electric Horseman. His version went to #6 on the Country chart in 1980.

Midnight Rider
Gregg Allman
I've got to run to keep from hiding
And I'm bound to keep on riding
I've got one more silver dollar
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
Not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider

I don't own the clothes I'm wearing
And the road goes on forever
I've got one more silver dollar
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
Not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider

I've gone by the point of caring
Some old bed I hope to be sharing
And I've just one more silver dollar

But I'm not gonna let em catch me, no
Not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider
No, I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
Not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider