Allman Brothers Band (music group)

The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band known for its Southern rock sound and its impromptu jam sessions during live performances. Perhaps the band's most noteworthy work is its live double album At Fillmore East (1971), which is considered one of the greatest live albums of all time. Some of the band's other recordings include The Allman Brothers Band (1969), Eat a Peach (1972), and Brothers and Sisters (1973). The Allman Brothers Band is regarded as a highly influential rock band, and Duane Allman, one of the group's founders, is considered one of the greatest guitarists in rock and roll history.

Brief History

The Allman Brothers Band formed in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. The original lineup included guitarist Duane Allman, singer and organist Gregg Allman, guitarist Dickey Betts, bassist Berry Oakley, drummer Butch Trucks, and drummer Jaimoe. Before forming the group, brothers Duane and Gregg Allman of Daytona Beach, Florida, were part of numerous bands. In 1963, they formed a band called the Escorts, which later became the Allman Joys and then Hour Glass. Hour Glass released the albums Hour Glass and Power of Love in 1967 and 1968, respectively. The albums, however, did little for Hour Glass, and the group soon disbanded.

Duane and Gregg then joined a band named the 31st of February, which included Trucks. Duane later played with a group called the Second Coming, which included Betts and Oakley. Duane also worked as a session guitarist for FAME Studios. In 1969, Duane assembled a band and soon began playing throughout Florida and Georgia, developing a Southern rock sound. The band became known as the Allman Brothers Band.

Overview

The Allman Brothers Band released its debut album, The Allman Brothers Band, in 1969. The blues-rock album features the song "Whipping Post," which would become a fan favorite at the band's live shows. The group released its next album, Idlewild South, in 1970. Another blues-rock album, it includes the songs "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Midnight Rider." Like "Whipping Post," "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" became a fan favorite at the band's live performances. The live shows had become popular mainly because of the complicated interplay between band members that often was showcased in long jam sessions on stage. These impromptu jams occasionally lasted for forty minutes or longer.

In 1971, the Allman Brothers Band played several shows at the Fillmore East, a venue in New York City. The shows were recorded, and the recordings were transformed into the live double album At Fillmore East, which was released several months later. The album includes bluesy recordings that feature the band members' complex interplay. Four of the songs run for eight minutes or longer—"Stormy Monday" (8 minutes and 44 seconds), "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" (13 minutes and 4 seconds), "You Don't Love Me" (19 minutes and 15 seconds), and "Whipping Post" (22 minutes and 56 seconds). "Statesboro Blues," "Done Somebody Wrong," and "Hot 'Lanta" round out the other songs on the album. At Fillmore East is regarded as one of the greatest live albums ever made. Rolling Stone ranked the album number two on its "50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time" list.

Shortly after the release of At Fillmore East, Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident. The Allman Brothers Band carried on with its remaining members. In 1972, the group released the double album Eat a Peach. The album includes the songs "Melissa," "Mountain Jam," "One Way Out," and "Trouble No More." "Mountain Jam" is an incredibly long track, clocking in at 33 minutes and 41 seconds.

Following the release of Eat a Peach, the band added piano player Chuck Leavell on keyboards. In 1972, Oakley was killed in a motorcycle accident just blocks from the site where Duane was killed. Lamar Williams replaced Oakley on bass. In 1973, the group released the album Brothers and Sisters, which had more of a country sound than a bluesy one. The album features the songs "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica." Also in 1973, the band's first two albums were reissued as the double album Beginnings.

Around this time, band members' substance abuse and tensions between Gregg Allman and Betts began to take their toll on the band. Both Gregg and Betts embarked on solo careers, but the Allman Brothers Band continued on, releasing the album Win, Lose or Draw in 1975. The following year, Gregg testified against a band employee in a federal drug case that proved to be detrimental to the group. The band members went their separate ways. By 1978, however, the band had regrouped. Guitarist Dan Toler and bassist Rook Goldflies soon joined the group. The band released several albums over the next few years, including Enlightened Rogues in 1979. Williams died in 1983.

The Allman Brothers Band was largely inactive in the 1980s. The group resumed releasing albums in the following decade, beginning with Seven Turns in 1990. Over the next several years, numerous musicians became members of the group, including guitarist Warren Haynes, bassist Allen Woody, and guitarist Derek Trucks, Butch's nephew. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Woody died in 2000, and Betts was kicked out of the band that same year. Nevertheless, the Allman Brothers Band released the well-received album Hittin' the Note in 2003 and continued putting on shows. In 2012, the band received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The bandmates were active into the mid-2010s and performed their last show together in 2014. Gregg Allman died in May 2017 at the age of sixty-nine due to complications from liver cancer, worsened by years of addiction and other health problems.

The Allman Brothers Band is considered one of the most influential rock bands of the early to mid-1970s. The group has influenced many other musical acts, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Marshall Tucker Band, and My Morning Jacket. Additionally, Duane Allman is regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, even though he died at the young age of twenty-four.

Bibliography

The Allman Brothers: The Best Damn Band in the Land. Edited by the editors of Guitar Player Magazine. Miller Freeman, 2000.

Allman, Gregg, and Alan Light. My Cross to Bear. William Morrow, 2012.

"The Band." The Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House, The Big House Museum, 2016, www.thebighousemuseum.com/the-band/. Accessed 7 July 2017.

Griggs, Brandon. "Music Legend Gregg Allman Dies at 69." CNN, 28 May 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/05/27/entertainment/gregg-allman-obituary/index.html. Accessed 7 July 2017.

Paul, Alan, Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe. One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band. St. Martin's Griffin, 2015.

Poe, Randy. Skydog: The Duane Allman Story. Backbeat Books, 2008.