The Allman Brothers Band consisted of Gregg Allman on organ, Duane Allman on lead guitar, Dickey Betts on guitar, Berry Oakley on bass guitar, with percussionists Butch Trucks and “Jaimoe” Johanson. They came together as a band in Jacksonville florida, in 1969. They gained a reputation for their live shows, as well as for their studio albums and compositions, with their live album “At Fillmore East” being their most highly regarded album, as it captured the band at their best.
The roots of the Allman Brothers’ music can be found in all the music of the south, both from the African and African American traditions, and from the White-European tradition. They were primarily a blues band. Gregg Allman’s slide guitar always had a blues intunation, as well as blues sensibilities in melody, relying heavily on blue notes. The band hand a gritty, “dirty” sound in general, with Gregg Allman’s throaty-growling vocals being reminiscent of barroom blues, and twin overdriven guitars providing the bite to accompany Gregg’s bark. The band frequently used call and response; between different vocalists, between different instruments, and even between the band members and the audience. One of the signature sounds of the band is Duane’s call and response slide playing. In songs like statesborough blues, Duane responds to Gregg’s “A” lines (“Woke up this morning, had them statesborough blues”), while songs like you don’t love me often feature extended call and response slide guitar jams between Duane and Dickey Betts, with the rest of the group providing an interesting and evolving background.
Group improvisation is a huge part of the Allman Brother’s sound; they were one of the first groups to be considered a “Jam Band,” a subgenre of music still popular today. They were able to create a wall of sound, each member responsible for a portion of the soundscape, their ranges often overlapping and dancing around each other. With the inclusion of two drummers, they were able to create complex rhythms without losing the simple, swing heavy, straight ahead groove that made their music so exciting. Butch Trucks and Jaimoe were known to riff off of each other, creating polyrhythms harking back to African drum ensemble music. Bassist Berry Oakley was known to be both solid and melodic. He could hold down the rhythm section with his driving blues bass as well as play a more melodic style often referred to as a “third guitar,” following the momentum of the lead instrument, or playing lead himself. Gregg Allman’s organ playing was spacey at times, and frantic and pulsing other times. He coloured each composition with his chordal textures, often adding in a “splash” on the keys in a similar way to bop players dropping bombs. Dickey Betts and Duane Allman did not play in the standard lead/rhythm roles. Rather, they would play dual leads, often playing melody and counterpoint, or call and response. Dickey Betts had a more melodic ear, and his playing is often sweeter and softer than Duane’s who was primarily a blues guitarist. Songs like Mountain Jam feature the two guitarists playing the same melody, either in unison or different harmonic intervals, and improvising off the melody in a melody and counterpoint manner.
The Allman Brother’s had two fantastic writers in Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts. Gregg writes primarily vocal tunes in the vein of folk, blues, R&B and soul songs. His melodies are often lonesome, dealing with topics such as heartbreak, hard times, and life on the road, the bread and butter of blues singers. His songs are sometimes positive, hopeful, and loving, but always pay homage to his southern roots. Dickey Betts writes primarily instrumental songs. His ear for melody in unquestionable, and many songs such as “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and “Jessica” have been played on FM radio and covered so frequently that many people recognize the melody even if they do not know who wrote the song, or even the rest of the song itself.
Duane Allman and Berry Oakley both met an untimely end shortly after the release and success of the live album “At Fillmore East.” The Allman Brothers were at their peak, in terms of composing, and performing, and were starting to see real success. No one can say what would have happened if the band didn’t lose two of the founding members within such a short span (Oakley died about two weeks after Duane). However, the band decided to continue work, adding a keyboardist, Chuck Leavell, rather than trying to do the impossible-replace Duane on guitar, and finding a new bassist, Lamar Williams. Even with these losses, the band continued to record hits and play shows. The band played on and off throughout the decades. They are currently active, and play a legendary march run of shows at the beacon theatre in Manhattan, and summer shows around the country.
