Allman Brothers Band
Bio
They formed in 1969, but the road veterans continue to tour like they have something to prove. They're already legends with a secure place in history and a plaque at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND is also a vital contemporary phenomenon, as much a part of the present and future of music as any band can be.
The Allman Brothers Band, with its mix of down-home groove and instrumental virtuosity, blues-drenched soul and guitar-driven rock, and dedication to all-night jamming, laid the groundwork for the Southern Rock movement. In March 1969, Florida-raised guitarist Duane Allman, an in-demand session player on recordings by Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, King Curtis and Boz Scaggs, decided to form his own band by recruiting bassist Berry Oakley and guitarist Dickey Betts from a Jacksonville, Florida band called the Second Coming. Duane also tapped two drummers, Jaimoe and Butch Trucks, and Hammond B-3 organist and lead vocalist Gregg Allman.
The Allman Brothers Band's sonic trademarks were all in place by the time their self-titled debut album was released in 1969. Driven by the relentless propulsion of Jaimoe and Butch, Gregg's bluesy keyboard comping, and Berry's deep, melodic bass lines, Duane and Dickey crafted a unique twin lead guitar approach that took its cues from jazz horn players as well as the harmonized fiddle lines of Western swing and bluegrass. Together, they rewrote the rulebook on how rock guitarists could play together, and paved the way for every two- and even three-guitar band that would follow their path.
On their first four recordings, the ABB perfected a sound that effortlessly combined rock, blues, country, and jazz on such tunes as "Dreams," "Revival," "Midnight Rider," "Melissa" and "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed." The tragic deaths of both Duane Allman and Berry Oakley in eerily similar motorcycle accidents, in 1971 and 1972 respectively, couldn't stop the band's upward trajectory to stardom.
The success of the single "Ramblin' Man" triggered a mid-Seventies run (with the four surviving original members joined by bassist Lamar Williams and keyboardist Chuck Leavell) that ended only when internal conflicts sundered the group in 1976. A third incarnation was formed in 1978, but after two further albums, the group disbanded once again.
In the summer of 1989, the Allman Brothers Band launched a 20th Anniversary Tour with Gregg, Dickey, Butch, and Jaimoe, complemented by slide guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Percussionist Marc Quiñones joined the band in 1991. In October 1989, the ABB headlined the Beacon Theater in New York City for four nights, inaugurating a live performance tradition of multi-night stands that continued through 2009; the band was forced to move uptown to the United Palace Theatre in spring 2010.
In 1994, the band was voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility and at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards in 1996, they won the first Grammy in its 27-year history: Best Rock Instrumental Performance, for "Jessica," a track from the acclaimed live album 2nd Set.
In the spring of 1997, when Haynes and Woody left to pursue Gov’t Mule, they were replaced by Oteil Burbridge on bass and Jack Pearson on guitar. Derek Trucks, the 21-year-old nephew of Butch, made his debut on guitar in June 1999, replacing Pearson as co-lead and slide guitarist. That same year, the Brothers announced that Betts would be replaced by Jimmy Herring for the remainder of their 2000 season. With Haynes' return to the group, the seed was planted for their triumphant return to the studio for the early 2003 critically lauded release, Hittin' The Note, their first new studio project in nine years (and 24th overall) released on their own Peach label.
In late ‘03, the ABB released the Live At the Beacon Theatre DVD to capture the event for fans that were unable to get to a show and in 2009, Butch Trucks expanded this idea with the launch of Moogis.com, allowing its paying members to stream the band’s shows online. The group also continues to release music from their personal archives, which they’ve guarded closely over the years.
Not many groups have been around as long as The Allman Brothers Band. Of those that have, most have either lapsed into a nostalgia-act coma or withered on a weary vine. If you're talking about a band that has both legs and heart, whose experience feeds an intensity that's rare even among the greenest music newbies, that narrows the field pretty much down to these psychedelic sons of the South.
