The Allman Brothers Band

Welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I’m Jumpin’ John, and this podcast episode will be devoted to Billy Bob Thornton’s favorite band:  the Allman Brothers Band!

All podcasts on the Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast are produced by brothers-in-law Bill Price and "Jumpin' John" McDermott.  The Podcast Theme Song, "You Essay", was written by John.  It was initially recorded by Bill and John on April 1, 2004 with several revisions since then. 
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Transcript

Thank you for that introduction, and welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I’m Jumpin’ John, and this podcast episode will be devoted to Billy Bob Thornton’s favorite band:  the Allman Brothers Band!

[excerpt from Allman Brothers Band live version of "Stormy Monday"]

Duane Allman and his younger brother Gregg were both born in Nashville, Tennessee.  In 1959 their widowed mother moved them to Daytona Beach, Florida.  From 1960 on, guitarist Duane and guitarist/keyboardist Gregg Allman worked together in a number of Florida-based bands.  The brothers were drawn especially to blues and R&B music.  Their first real band, a Daytona Beach garage band called the Escorts, performed a mix of top 40 and R&B music at clubs around town.  The Escorts evolved into the Allman Joys.  After a successful summer run locally, the Allman Joys hit the road in Fall 1965 for a series of performances throughout the Southeast.  At the Stork Club in Mobile, Alabama, they were booked for 22 weeks straight.  Afterwards, they were booked for several weeks at the Sahara Club in Pensacola, Florida.  In Pensacola they honed their act, so that by the following summer they were able to book time to record a few songs at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee.  

In early 1967 two rival groups that had played the same Southern circuit, the Allman Joys and the Men-its, joined forces.  The combined group called themselves Hour Glass.  They were booked into a month-long engagement in St. Louis, Missouri.  There they met members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, whose manager, Bill McEuen, arranged for Hour Glass to get a contract with Liberty Records.  Moving to Los Angeles, Hour Glass was soon opening in the Fillmore Ballroom and the Troubadour for groups like The Doors and Buffalo Springfield.  They recorded their first album in 1967, called Hour Glass, which was full of lighthearted poppy soul.   The album flopped, in part because the material did not really reflect the group's tastes or strengths.  In fact, Hour Glass generally refused to perform these pop songs in their live shows, focusing instead on their gritty blues and R&B sounds.  The group members were unhappy at not being able to perform as often as they had been accustomed, due to the label's concern with overexposure.  In March 1968 Liberty released their second album, Power of Love.  However, Power of Love nonetheless flopped, despite featuring the songwriting skills of Gregg Allman and material that fit the group much better than the material on their debut.  In a last-ditch effort, the members left Los Angeles to work at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.  There they recorded a handful of tracks that showed their full potential in the studio.  After these tracks were rejected by Liberty, Hour Glass returned to the Southeast, did a few more gigs, and called it quits.

Gregg Allman returned to Los Angeles, bound by contractual obligations with Liberty and believing that he could hold a solo career.  In the meantime Duane Allman began working as a session guitarist at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals.  It was there that he made his reputation, appearing on records by Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, John Hammond, King Curtis, and others.  In 1969, at the coaxing of ex-Otis Redding manager Phil Walden, Duane gave up session work and began putting together a new band.  In Muscle Shoals, he had met drummer J. Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson.  Interested in recruiting bassist Berry Oakley of Jacksonville psychedelic blues band the Second Coming, Duane and Johanson left Muscle Shoals for Florida, where Duane began sitting in with Oakley's band.  Impressed with Second Coming guitarist Dickey Betts' playing, he decided to add him to his line-up as well.  The Allman boys had recently befriended and helped create a demo with the folk-rock band The 31st of February.  So Duane recruited their drummer, Butch Trucks, as a second drummer.  Duane phoned Gregg with the proposition of joining the new band, which would have two lead guitarists, two drummers, a bassist, and Gregg on vocals and organ.  So Gregg left Los Angeles for Florida and joined their rehearsal on March 26th, 1969, when the group was rehearsing Muddy Waters' "Trouble No More".  Four days later, the group made their debut at the Jacksonville Armory.  Although many potential band names were kicked around, including Beelzebub, the six-piece eventually decided on the Allman Brothers Band.  They were quickly signed to Phil Walden's new Capricorn label.

 By May 1st, 1969 the group had moved to Macon, Georgia, where Walden was establishing Capricorn Records.  The band performed locally, as well as 80 miles north in Atlanta's Piedmont Park, and practiced at the newly minted Capricorn studio nearly each day.  The group forged a strong brotherhood, spending countless hours rehearsing, consuming psychedelic drugs, and hanging out in Rose Hill Cemetery, where they wrote songs.  Initially, Gregg Allman did most of the songwriting.

The Allman Brothers Band didn't record their first album until after they had worked their sound out on the road, playing heavily around Florida and Georgia.  In August 1969 they headed off for New York City to work with Atlantic house engineer Adrian Barber.  There The Allman Brothers Band album was recorded and mixed in two weeks, with "Whipping Post" as the closing track on Side 2.  The LP was released in November 1969 through Atco and Capricorn Records.  Their debut LP received a poor commercial response, stalled at #188 in the Billboard 200, and sold less than 35,000 copies upon initial release.

Here is an excerpt from the Allman Brothers Band's studio version of "Whipping Post": 

The band rented a farmhouse on a lake outside of Macon.  The busy comings and goings reminded them of New York City's Idlewild Airport, so they called the farmhouse Idlewild South.  Idlewild South became the home of rehearsals and parties, and it was where they strengthened their camaraderie.  Much of the material presented on the band's second album, Idlewild South, originated there.  Oakley's wife, Linda, then rented a large home on Vineville Avenue in Macon, and the band moved into what they called "the Big House" in March 1970. 

In 1970 the band was on the road, performing over 300 dates.  Their second album, Idlewild South, was produced by Tom Dowd and recorded gradually over a period of five months in various cities.  Idlewild South was released on September 23rd, 1970 and contained two of the band's best-known songs, "Midnight Rider" and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed".  The band toured the United States extensively to promote the album, however, Idlewild South sold only slightly better than its predecessor.  Their performances on tour did manage to create positive word of mouth exposure.  Eric Clapton was sufficiently impressed to invite guitarist Duane Allman to contribute to Clapton's 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.

By this time, the Allman Brothers Band had achieved significant acclaim due to their live performances.  The group's concerts were becoming legendary for the extraordinarily complex, yet coherent, interplay between the two lead guitarists and Gregg Allman's keyboards.   The band incorporated the techniques and structures of jazz and classical into their playing , which often included extended jam renditions of songs.  While in New York City during March 1971 the band was recorded performing at Bill Graham's Fillmore East venue.  Included in the recording were extended jam versions of songs such as "Whipping Post", "You Don't Love Me" and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed".  These recordings would be transformed into their third album.

Here is an excerpt from The Allman Brothers Band's live version of "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", as performed at the Fillmore East:

Produced by Tom Dowd, the album At Fillmore East was released in the U.S. by Capricorn Records on July 6th, 1971.  When first commercially released, it was issued as a double LP with just seven songs across four vinyl sides.  At Fillmore East was the band's first live album, and it peaked at #13 on Billboard's Top Pop Albums chart.  The LP was certified gold by the RIAA on October 15th, 1971 and was later certified platinum on August 25th, 1992.  At Fillmore East was the band's artistic and commercial breakthrough, rapidly increasing the band's exposure and garnering them a new legion of fans.  It has since been widely regarded as one of the greatest live albums of all time and continues to be a top seller in the band's catalog.  In 2004, At Fillmore East  was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress by the National Recording Registry, deemed to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".  Following their artistic and commercial breakthrough with the live album At Fillmore East, the band had quickly gone from "rags to riches".  They were now able to pay their debts to manager Phil Walden and the record label Capricorn Records.

Here is The Allman Brothers Band's live version, from At Fillmore East, of "Statesboro Blues":

Although suddenly wealthy and successful, much of the band and its entourage now struggled with substance abuse, which included instances of heroin addiction.  Band leader Duane Allman, bassist Berry Oakley, and two roadies checked into the Linwood-Bryant Hospital for rehabilitation in October 1971.  Their addictions had begun to affect their performances and matters seemed to only be getting worse, according to many involved.  Despite his struggles, Duane fueled the band's passion to get better and end their addictions.  In September they went to Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida and got down to work on what was originally intended to be their third studio album.  Sadly, on October 29th, 1971, 24 year old Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident in the band's adopted hometown of Macon, Georgia.

Following Duane's death, which severely impacted his younger brother Gregg and Berry Oakley, Dickey Betts gradually took over as group leader.  This was not due to Dicky's desire for control as much as because Betts was the only one with the comparative stability and creative input to take on the responsibility.  The band returned to Miami in December 1971 to complete work on the album.  They would complete Eat a Peach as a five-piece band, with Dickey Betts playing all of the remaining lead and slide guitar parts.  The album's title came from a quote by Duane Allman.  He reportedly said [and I quote] "You can't help the revolution, because there's just evolution.  Every time I'm in Georgia, I eat a peach for peace"[end quote].

With Tom Dowd again producing, the resulting LP served as the band's third studio album and second live album, due to its mixture of live and studio recordings.  Eat a Peach contained studio recordings from September through December 1971 at Miami's Criteria Studios, both with and without Duane Allman, and live recordings from several of the band's 1971 performances at the Fillmore East.  Eat a Peach was released on February 12th, 1972 by Capricorn Records, and it was an immediate commercial success, peaking at #4 on Billboard's 200 Album chart. The album was later certified platinum.  Highlights of the album included an extended half-hour-long "Mountain Jam", vocalist Gregg Allman's performance of his brother's favorite song, "Melissa", plus Dickey Betts' "Blue Sky".

Despite having completed Eat a Peach, the band was intact in name only.  Rather than try to replace Duane as a guitarist, they decided to add a second soloist in the form of piano player Chuck Leavell.  The group purchased a farm north of Macon in Juliette, Georgia, to become a group hangout.  However, bassist Berry Oakley was still visibly suffering from the death of Duane, excessively drinking and consuming drugs.  The group had already begun work on a long-delayed follow-up to Eat a Peach when 24 year old Berry Oakley was killed on November 11th, 1972 in a motorcycle accident only three blocks away from Duane Allman's accident site.  Lamar Williams was recruited on bass, and the new lineup continued the band's concert activities, as well as eventually finishing the group's next album.

To take advantage of the band's popularity, in early 1973 Atco reissued their first two albums, The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South, together.  The combined double-LP was remixed by Tom Dowd and called Beginnings.  Beginnings charted higher than either individual release had.  

The new band lineup continued to record, and the result would be an album with a more easygoing and freewheeling sound, less bluesy and more country.  This was partly a result of Capricorn losing the services of Tom Dowd, who had produced their three previous albums.  Also, Dickey Betts' full emergence as a songwriter and singer as well as the band's only guitarist, altered the balance of the group's sound, pushing forth his distinct interest in country-rock.  The 

Brothers and Sisters LP was released on August 1st, 1973.  Brothers and Sisters marked the beginning of a new era and was immediately successful.  The record went gold in retail sales within 48 hours after shipping began.  The album sold 760,000 copies in its first three weeks, and Brothers and Sisters was the band's best-performing album on the charts.  It logged five weeks as the #1 album in the United States on the Billboard 200 chart.  The single "Ramblin' Man" became a rare rock hit on AM stations nationwide, and it rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Although the Dickey Betts-composed instrumental single "Jessica" rose no higher than #65 on the Hot 100, it later became a staple of classic rock radio.  The Brothers and Sisters LP has since sold over seven million copies worldwide.

Here is an excerpt from The Allman Brothers Band's studio version of "Jessica":

An entire range of Southern rock acts had started to make serious inroads into the charts in the wake of the Allman Brothers success.  For the first time since the mid-1950's, a major part of the country was listening to rock & roll with a distinctly Southern twang with acts like the Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special, and the Outlaws.

Georgia's Governor, Jimmy Carter, was a big fan of the Allman Brothers Band.  In 1974 Governor Carter met the group and formed a relationship by quickly bonding with the band members over his laid back nature and his knowledge of music.  Then, when Jimmy needed help raising money for his successful 1976 Presidential campaign, the Allman Brothers came to his assistance.  Along with declaring their support for Carter's campaign, they also had several influential benefit concerts on behalf of candidate Carter.  Jimmy Carter would later say [and I quote] "It was the Allman Brothers helped put me in the White House by raising money when I didn't have any money" [end quote].

The band began showing cracks in 1974.  Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts both began solo careers, recording albums separately from the group.  Allman married the singer and actress  Cher, an event that set him up in a Hollywood-based lifestyle that created a schism with the rest of the band.  Also, as the need to produce new music and the strain and exhaustion of touring continued, indulgences in drugs and alcohol became out of control.  The group's difficulties were showcased on their next album, 1975's Win, Lose or Draw, which lacked the intensity and sharpness of their prior work.  The whole band wasn't present for some of the album.  Gregg Allman's involvement with Cher, coupled with his serious drug problems, ended up with him recording separately from the rest of the group.

The band finally came apart in 1976 when Allman found himself in the midst of a federal drug case against a supplier.  Gregg agreed to testify against a friend and band employee, and the resultant ill will toward Allman, internal turmoil, and friction among band members led to the bands dissolution.  The band reunited briefly in 1978, but the event took on the air of a soap opera in light of Gregg’s tabloid marriage to pop star Cher.  By 1982 the Allman Brothers Band had broken up again.  The band re-formed once more in 1989.  They released a string of new albums, including the critically acclaimed Seven Turns and Where It All Begins, and they toured heavily.  A series of personnel changes in the late 1990's was capped by the departure of Dicky Betts.  The group found stability during the 2000's with bassist Oteil Burbridge and guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks.  Their last studio album, 2003's Hittin’ the Note, earned critical praise. They would become renowned for their month-long concert residencies at New York City's Beacon Theatre each spring.  The band retired in October 2014 after their final show at the Beacon.  Butch Trucks and Gregg Allman both died in 2017, and Dicky Betts died in 2024, leaving Jaimoe Johanson as the only surviving original member.

The Allman Brothers Band were unique in that they incorporated elements of blues, jazz, and country music, and their live shows featured jam band-style improvisation and instrumentals.  The Allman Brothers Band was awarded seven gold and four platinum albums by the RIAA.  They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.  In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the band 52nd on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".  In 2012 the Allman Brothers Band received the Grammy Award for lifetime achievement.

Thank you for listening to another episode of Rock and Roll Flashback, where I reviewed some of the highlights of the career of the Allman Brothers Band, who - during the early 1970's - were arguably the most influential rock group in America.  I will close out this episode with the Allman Brothers Band's studio version of "Ramblin' Man".  So fellow travelers, may your path be smooth and your music always be rockin'!  And until next time...Rock On!