Recommendations of the Editorial team
In a way, her name says everything – and this does not mean that Duane and Gregg Allman had the same parents. As a musician, the Allman Brothers band were a conspiratorial brotherhood for which breed and ego had no meaning. It was a constellation that remains unreachable in this perfection.
The Allmans were the first big jam band and they brought the art of jaming to a completely new level. They mixed traditional blues with their very own understanding of rock’n’roll.
Duane Allman played what he wanted to hear. Bottleneck guitarists were already in front of him, but Duane suddenly conjured up things that no one had played before him. His sound and technology were unique. He was a breathtaking and municipal musician who went much too early.
And then there was Gregg, his younger brother. With his vocals and the keyboards, he delivered a darker primer, a shot of soul that gave the allmans’ rainbow an additional color. They had respect for the roots of their music, they learned from the blues and interpreted him according to their idea, they took the old and made new things out of it.
There are a few moments on “at Fillmore East” that cannot be described in words
I was lucky enough to experience them in their early years. I heard of them when they first made a name for themselves outside of Macon, Georgia. They then played in Austin and left an excellent impression. And suddenly we were on tour with them and Quicksilver Messenger Service and experienced how music history was written. After our set we always stayed behind the stage and followed how Duane and Dickey beds the balls; It was like making them together on a precious carpet. Even Dickey was a factor that could not be underestimated, even if nobody tried to play the others in the band at first.
There are a few moments on “At Fillmore East” that cannot be described in words. For me, the extended version of “Whipping Post” is the measure of all things. The Allmans were a great Southern band, but they were more than that: they transformed everything that was musically relevant in the southern states at the time. They were the best of all of us.