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With their combating guitar leads and harmonies built on a
double drummer foundation, the Allman Brothers Band cast perfectly
represents the mold for the southern rock sound. Virtuoso musicians, their
songs drew upon a number of southern influences, including country, the
blues, New Orleans
jazz, and even gospel, creating a sound that distinctly is their asset.
Allman's are famous for creating sweet, infectious harmonies on the
instrumental "Jessica" that became a classic reference point in themselves.
They are probably best known for the heroic "Ramblin' Man." Written and sung
by the now legendary Dickey Betts, the song contained everything that made
the band great. It featured intricate guitar harmonies, a strong melody, and
just enough plunk to keep the thing tight. While the Allmans also cemented
their reputation with incredible live marathon songs. The Allmans were first
rate writers of more conventional rock songs as well. Many of these are
staples on classic rock radio, like "Ramblin' Man," "Melissa," "Blue Skies,"
and "Midnight Rider." Other highlights include "Ain't Wasting Time No More,"
"Jessica," the Duane Allman swan song "Little Martha" and "Statesboro
Blues." Also included are a couple of longer early blues rock cuts, "In
Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Whipping Post." The Allman Brothers' genre of
music is at the minimum, a first cousin of country music.
A
string of knockout performances from coast to coast, the Allmans have come
also to become known as "musicians' musicians," a band's band. The band’s
self-titled album, the Allman Brothers Band played numerous shows in the
south before releasing their debut album. It was highly appreciated by the
critics but the blues-rock album found only a few listeners, attracting only
a sect audience. Most of the record had a blues-rock sound, but "Dreams", a
spacey number in 3/4 time, became the framework for some of their best jams.
They gave a distinctly Southern voice andto their acts of '70s rock inspired
from south of the Mason-Dixon Line, including the Marshall Tucker Band,
Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Blackfoot, whose music, was a celebration of their
roots. By this time, the band's concerts were becoming legendary. On October
29, 1971, Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident while the band
had been midway through work on its next album, Eat a Peach. The groups
played hard and lived hard. Consequently, the Allman Brothers broke up in
acrimony amid federal drug charges in 1976. By the mid-1980s with the change
in the musical tastes of the listeners and radio formats the genre of
Allman’s music disappeared. The kinship between country and Southern rock
went back into the cellar. They were even inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1989, the band was reactivated again and in the
1990s a new form of country music emerged, called by some alternative
country, or "insurgent country". It ignored the Nashville-dominated sound of
conventional country and borrowed more from punk and rock groups. They
reunited band also restored the band's original double-lead-guitar
configuration, adding Warren Haynes on lead guitar alongside Dickey Betts,
with Allen Woody playing bass. The reinvigorated band signed with Epic
Records and surprised everyone with their first release, Seven Turns which
got some of the best reviews and healthiest sales they'd had in more than a
decade. For many years, the Allman Brothers' song "Jessica" was synonymous
with the BBC TV series Top Gear, and was used as its theme tune. Apart from
their Arista releases, the Allman Brothers Band has remained remarkably
consistent, altering their music only gradually over 30 years.
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