A last word in song: Southern rock legend Tommy Talton lives on through ‘Seven Levels’
Southern rock guitarist and songwriter Tommy Talton, who died Dec. 28, 2023, continues to speak through his music with the posthumous release of “Seven Levels” on Nov. 7, 2025.
“With all of Tommy’s talents, it was his songwriting that really shone through and that I loved,” Chuck Leavell, longtime keyboardist and music director for The Rolling Stones and former member of The Allman Brothers Band said in his testimonial.
Talton co-founded Cowboy, a Capricorn Records band that toured nationally in the 1970s and performed frequently alongside the Allman Brothers Band. The group recorded four albums and played notable venues including Carnegie Hall and the Fillmore West. Leavell first met Talton in the early 70s while both were working with artists at Capricorn Sound Studios.
“I was blown away with the beautiful songs, harmonies and playing,” Leavell said.
On Sunday, Nov. 9, Hendershot’s in downtown Athens hosted a release-show celebration for “Seven Levels.” Talton recorded the album in April 2022 at Macon’s historic Capricorn Sound Studios, working through cancer treatments with former bandmates and longtime collaborators by his side.
“He never let the cancer define him,” Joe Bell, co-founder of Hittin’ the Note magazine and author of the album’s liner notes, said in his notes.
Tommy Talton
Many of the musicians performing at the event shared deep roots with Talton. Capricorn Records was a hub of Southern rock in the 1970s, launching artists such as The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie and Cowboy. Donna Hall Foster and Ricky Hirsch, both of Wet Willie, came up through the same Capricorn scene. Randall Bramblett, a member of Sea Level, also emerged from that community. Their appearance at the release show highlighted decades of friendship and shared history.
The album features seven songs that highlight Talton’s writing style and emotional honesty. Tracks like “I Want To Do It All Again” reflect on gratitude and looking back, while the final song, “Say a Prayer On My Behalf,” is powerful and soulful. Each song feels personal, full of intention and heart.
The event at Hendershot’s felt more like a family reunion than a concert. During soundcheck, Bramblett, Hirsch and Foster laughed together like old friends. In the crowd, people shared stories of Talton — the shows they saw, the conversations they had, the ways he made them feel seen.
Joe Bell, the coordinator of the event, told the audience that “Seven Levels” reflects Talton’s soul. He mentioned that everyone in the room was part of that legacy. Talton’s daughter Kathleen Gondek called the album a “magical gift,” saying it preserves the spit-fire energy everyone knew her “Pop Pop” for.
After several speakers, the music finally began. Bramblett took the stage with members of the Mike Veal Band.
They performed songs he believed Talton would have loved, including “The Circus,” which features the lyric, “Everything must end. I’m clearing out the old days, let some new days in.”
That lyric resonated with Talton’s own story — closing one chapter with grace while welcoming the end of his living story.
Donna Hall Foster and Rick Hirsch joined Bramblett and reflected on recording, touring and just being around Talton. They then performed “I’ve Got Faith In You,” a song Bramblett credited to Talton’s guitar talent.
In the end, the night was about far more than a new album. It was about community, musicians playing not for money but for a friend. It was about legacy, children, grandchildren and fans watching his music live on without Talton physically there. Most importantly, it was about a man who wrote until the end and refused to let cancer silence his art.