Allman Brothers Band is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman, along with Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson. The band’s first two studio albums, The Allman Brothers Band (1969) and Idlewild South (1970), were released to great acclaim and established the band as a powerhouse of Southern rock.
The band reached new heights with their live album At Fillmore East (1971), which is often considered one of the greatest live albums ever made. The album featured extended jams, including “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, which clocked in at over 23 minutes.
Following the death of Duane Allman in a motorcycle accident in 1971, the band released Eat a Peach (1972), which was another critical and commercial success. The album included the hit single “Ramblin’ Man” and the extended jam “Mountain Jam”.
The band’s next studio album, Brothers and Sisters (1973), marked a change in direction for the group, with a more country-influenced sound. The album yielded the band’s biggest hit to date, “Ramblin’ Man”, which reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The Allman Brothers Band continued to tour and release albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, though lineup changes and creative differences resulted in some turmoil within the group. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and their 1971 live album At Fillmore East was added to the National Recording Registry in 2004.
In recent years, the band has continued to tour and release new music, with Gregg Allman’s final studio album Southern Blood (2017) being released just months before his death in 2018. The band is currently touring with longtime members Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, as well as Oteil Burbridge and Marc Quinones.
Here are 10 things you might not know about the Allman Brothers Band:
1. The band’s name was actually inspired by a Confederate military officer.
2. Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident just two years after the band formed.
3. The band’s bassist, Berry Oakley, also died in a motorcycle accident just one year after Duane Allman’s death.
4. The band was originally signed to Capricorn Records, a label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter specifically for them.
5. The Allman Brothers Band was the first band to popularize “jamming” in rock music.
6. Their live album At Fillmore East is considered by many to be one of the greatest live albums ever made.
7. The band has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
8. The band has had multiple lineup changes over the years, with only original members Gregg Allman and Jaimoe remaining in the current lineup.
9. The band’s 1973 album Brothers and Sisters featured the hit single “Ramblin’ Man”, which reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
10. The band is currently touring with longtime members Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, as well as Oteil Burbridge and Marc Quinones.