photo via Neel’s GoFundMe page

Johnny Neel, a vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist that has played with the Allman Brothers Band, the Dickey Betts Band, Gov’t Mule and more, suffered a stroke last week, his manager confirmed to Jambands.com today.

Neel, who first entered the Allman Brothers world by playing with Dickey Betts and appearing on the guitarist’s 1988 solo album, Pattern Disruptive, is expected to recover from the stroke but is incurring ongoing costs for medical care, leading to the launch of a GoFundMe page asking fans and friends for monetary support for Neel and his wife, Christine, as the musician returns home after hospitalization.

Jambands.com reached out to Neel’s manager, Doug Jones, who says that Neel is “improving each day and will be entering rehab this week.” Jones also notes that Neel appreciates the thoughts, prayers and medical donations coming in from his fans.

After working on Betts’ Pattern Disruptive, Neel joined the Gregg Allman Band on the road, eventually leading to the Allman Brothers Band to invite Neel on their own tour. Neel also took part in the songwriting and recording of ABB’s 1990 record, Seven Turns, and co-wrote one of that album’s hit tunes, “Good Clean Fun,” along with Allman and Betts. Neel has continued to be active on stage and in the studio to this day, collaborating with an array of artists over the decades.

Donations can be made to Neel’s fundraiser here.