Blues to Rock with Duane Allman

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The “Allman Brothers Band” are featured live in concert at the Fillmore East in 1971.

Personnel:

Gregg Allman, organ & vocals
Duane Allman, guitar
Dickey Betts, guitar
Berry Oakley, bass
Jai Johanny Johanson, drums

Duane Allman was born in Nashville on November 20, 1946 and moved with his family to Daytona Beach, Florida when he was ten. Together with his younger brother Greg, he became inspired by the blues after attending an R&B concert where B.B. King was as featured performer.

The boy learned the rudiments of guitar from local musicians in Nashville where they spent Summers with their grandmother and, forming a small group “The Escorts”, started playing publically in 1961. They opened for “The Beach Boys” in 1965 but disbanded before reforming as the “Allman Joys”, and eventually changing their name to “The Hour Glass”.

Another great influence on Duane’s guitar playing came from Taj Mahal whose debut album first introduced him to the blues of Blind Willie McTell most importantly the “Statesboro Blues” a song he would later come to record.

After spending a few months playing around Florida following the break up of “The Hour Glass” in early 1968 Duane Allman was hired by at FAME Studios in Alabama to record tracks for Wilson Pickett’s “Hey Jude” LP in November of that year.

Rapidly tiring of the limitations of session work Duane reunited with Greg to form the “Allman Brothers Band”. Featuring a blues based repertoire, they were destined to become one of the most influential rock groups of the 1970s.

In 1970 Duane had an opportunity to record with his admirer Eric Clapton, who has referred to Duane as being the “musical brother I’d never had but wished I did”, at a session released under the name “Derrick and the Dominos” producing songs including the rock & roll classic “Layla”.

Lead guitarist Duane Allman passed away the year this was recorded at the age of twenty-four.

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