To Skydog and the Brotherhood: A Written Tribute to the Allman Brothers

Note: This will be the first in a series of posts about the Duane years of the legendary Allman Brothers Band, ranging mostly from their debut album in 1969 until Duane's death in October of 1971. There are many nights when I sit up until 4 or 5 in the morning listening to music, and lately it has been all Allman. I have grown to appreciate every aspect of their work, and I have been fascinated by the life and music of Duane Allman.

I will release these as chapters because of how much I have to say about Duane and the Allman Brothers, and for the sake of any readers I will spare them one long rambling post and instead will put forth many shorter rambling posts. I doubt I can do much justice to the Brotherhood with my writings, but hopefully by describing my appreciation someone will grow to have the same admiration for Duane Allman and the Brothers that I have, and onward lives the Legend of Skydog.
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Introduction

First off, I don’t think enough can possibly be said about the depths of the Allman Brothers, although in what will most likely be the long-winded, rambling post that will follow, I will try. Whether you are talking about the Duane and Gregg’s personal life story, or the jazz-inspired blues/southern rock blend of music they created utilizing Gregg’s soulful voice and Hammond skills, Duane’s smooth slide harmonizing with Dickey Betts’ guitar work, the indispensable bass of Berry Oakley, and one of the few successful incorporations of dual drummers (Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johnson), there is just so much material to work with that one cannot possibly provide an appropriate homage to the legendary musical status that the Brothers deserve.

Anyway, it should be no real surprise that I found my way to the ABB, considering my previous post of Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs, the recording of which features Skydog himself pushing Slowhand to the mesmerizing guitar heights that I have already discussed, but there is actually more to it than that. I have always had an admiration for the style of blues and southern rock that the Allman Brothers Band helped shape (including such contemporaries as Gov’t Mule, led by ABB’s latter years guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes). I can sit and listen to a southern rock jam band play for hours at a time and not grow tired…. even as I write this I am listening to a 44 minute version of Mountain Jam from the Allman Brothers Live at Ludlow Garage album.

I love the music that is produced when bands play as bands, feeding off each other member, trading solos, harmonizing, improvising, the little mistakes resulting from the spontaneity of live play that end up making the song what it should be. This is the stuff I love, instead of when bands are just track numbers in the studio. The Allmans had this down to an art, and if you listen to any of their live albums I guarantee you will agree.

Last summer I attended the Pocono Blues Festival at Jack Frost Big Boulder in the Poconos in PA, and my brother for Christmas this past year surprised me with 2 tickets to the New Years Eve Gregg Allman show at the Keswick just outside of Philly. That show was one of the best concerts I have ever attended. It was opened by Devon Allman’s Honeytribe (Gregg's son, if you were wondering), who put on an incredible opening act finishing with a tribute to his father’s famous band with their rendition of "One Way Out". It lasted from about 8:30 til past 1 in the morning (not bad since Gregg is over 60, and ringing in the New Year with Gregg Allman singing Auld Lang Syne and 1029 MGK radio serving free beer is never a bad way to go), and we had seats 4 rows from the stage on the left side where Gregg sat behind his Hammond organ.

Understandably, there weren't any jams stretched to unbelievable lengths as was the forte of the Allman shows of the 70s, but it was a show full of musicians that just loved to play, and loved to play with and feed off each other. The result was an unbelievable show featuring great musicians, fantastic medium length jams, Gregg Allman solo songs, Allman Brothers Band classics, and a performance of "Melissa" that shows that Duane is still right on the forefront of Gregg's mind (this was Duane's favorite song that Gregg wrote, and Gregg honored his brother by playing it at his funeral in 1971). Anyway, since that show, I have been obsessed with all things Allman.

I have been reading Skydog: The Duane Allman Story by Randy Poe, listening to all their early albums on continuous repeat, and constantly searching the internet for any information I can find or Amazon for any rare live stuff available that I haven’t heard yet. I finally decided I would write about it, but for the sake of any readers (and my own sanity) I will focus mostly on the works The Allman Brothers Band produced before Duane’s ill-fated motorcycle ride that forced his early departure, with a few notable exceptions.

The legend of Duane “Skydog” Allman is a great story that is tragically much shorter than it deserved to be, and reading about his life has only enhanced the appreciation I have for the music. As a final post I will conclude with some of the more interesting aspects of the life of Duane Allman, but since I really can’t wait just to get into it (expect a post on their 1969 debut very soon), I will start with the music of The Allman Brothers Band.