Rounder Records: Skydog The Duane Allman Retrospective: additional review and commentary

A few months ago I did a review of the new Rounder release, Skydog The Duane Allman Retrospective. At the time I had a digital stream of the release to listen to and did my best to review the music without the tactile cover and notes. I now have the real deal and I want to elaborate on my original commentary. First, if you don't already know, much of the reason I am so interested in the blues comes from my introduction to Skydog's music at a young age. It became a pursuit to chase down every track that he played on, every loose concert that I could find, every magazine article ... everything. Duane Allman was just a step behind the Brits in discovering the American blues and processing it for young audiences to hear, likely for the first time. He took a totally different route and approach than Clapton, Beck, Simmonds, Mayall, Page, Green, Stones and all of the fathers of the British explosion in bringing the music to the new listeners. Each of these artists came to the blues from listening to older race records imported in small quantities to the UK and were mostly introduced by a small group of related music heads. Duane was much influenced by the current R&B scene in America, only being introduced to actual blues music as he became more involved with the music. Duane seemed to have the music inside of him and although not a terrific singer, found a way to get the music out, mimicking the voice that he heard to his guitar strings. His interest in music was so diverse that he was just as capable of playing for you a set of top 40 "pop" hits, soul and R&B tracks or a Miles or Coltrane improvisation. He lived to make music. The book that is included with the original 7 CD set has not only 11 pages of liner notes from Scott Schinder and an additional 8 pages of impressions from Galadrielle Allman, Duane's child who has additional insights. 42 photographs document Allman's career and some photos with Duane playing a Strat or Tele seem strange knowing Skydog as a Gibson man, but it's that expression of exuberance, even while playing in the studio that separated Duane from the rest. It wasn't that Duane was a better guitar player than his peers. It wasn't that Duane knew more about music than his peers. It was Duane's sheer joy in making music and his ability to bring out the best in others while contributing something that was totally Duane at the same time. Duane need only play a few notes to let you know he was there. His undeniable riffs and fat tone were unparallelled.  When Jimi was creating distortion and experimenting with blues/rock fusion, Eric was blending blues riffs on rock beats and Beck was making mind blowing sounds on the heavy side of Blues/rock and there was Duane sitting in the pocket, blending the soulful sounds of R&B and soul with the blues, making his guitar sing with a fat, saxophone like voice that no one had ever heard. Duane was an amazing young man and he changed the way that America (and the world) looked at blues music. Revisiting his recordings shows just how versatile he was and how each session influenced his personal playing style. He is attributed with starting the southern rock sound (and maybe the Allmans did) but it was his ability to coax a unique voice from his guitar and sing to blues that created the wave. It was the recognition by the music world that this young man could add warmth and depth to an already cool recording that gave him the exposure. Let's face it, Aretha and Pickett could have anyone they wanted to play on their recordings. Duane wasn't just any session player. He was "the" session player. He wasn't just the leader of the Allmans... he "was" the Allmans. Duane played with a lot of extremely talented players and I believe that he captured the respect of each and every one that he played with. He was a casual guy, but there was nothing casual about his music. It was Duane.

This is a terrific set of music and documentation. It is a very cool recollection of the music played by Duane Allman. You have a chance to buy it. Do yourself a favor.

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Duane Allman 'Skydog' Encore Edition coming November 5

ROUNDER FOLLOWS UP DUANE ALLMAN BOX WITH SKYDOG: THE DUANE ALLMAN RETROSPECTIVE ENCORE EDITION, OUT NOVEMBER 5   CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Duane Allman’s acclaimed box set, Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective, was a critical and commercial success. Now, on November 5, 2013, Rounder Records will release an encore edition, with all the music and the original booklet in an elegant new presentation. Duane Allman was one of the defining musicians of the rock era, rated second only to Jimi Hendrix in Rolling Stone's list of 100 greatest guitarists. A founding member, with his brother Gregg, of the Allman Brothers Band, Duane was also active as a session musician, and as a member of the all-star Derek & the Dominos.   Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective (released on March 19, 2013) received nothing but the highest praise from the press and music communities, which heralded the collection as a must-have for all rock music lovers. RollingStone.com raved, “Highly recommended, and hopefully to be on the receiving end of a few awards next time the Grammys roll around.”  Uncut proclaimed, “To say the resulting seven-disc box set — with 129 tracks, 33 of them either previously unreleased or unissued on CD — has been worth the wait would be a gross understatement. Skydog is an addictive, endlessly captivating aural history of a towering figure in rock history, with each disc forming a distinct chapter in the sprawling narrative.”   The initial limited-edition run of 10,000 numbered copies completely sold out to loyal fans in a matter of weeks (the package included a gold velour-lined box that represented a guitar case, a replica of Duane’s guitar pick, a “Skydog” sticker, and vellum disc sleeves).  Now, in response to overwhelming demand, the Duane Allman fan will have access to the most important ingredient of the collection — the full breadth and depth of his music and work, offered in a slimmed-down package at a lower price.   The seven-CD set, produced by Duane's daughter Galadrielle Allman and esteemed reissue producer Bill Levenson, ranges from his early recordings (with Gregg) in bands such as The Escorts, The Allman Joys, and Hour Glass; to his studio work with Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Boz Scaggs, Delaney & Bonnie, and many others; to a live jam session with the Grateful Dead. The set includes performances available only in this collection, many classic Allman Brothers songs, and a collector’s cache of rare singles.  Also in the encore edition are the original 72-page book with essays by Scott Schinder and Galadrielle Allman, and many rare Duane Allman photographs.  # # #

11271 Ventura Blvd. #522 Studio City, California 91604

Alive Naturalsound newsletter - May 2013

Newsletter, May 2013 This month, we offer two lovingly restored albums from 1973, both produced by soul genius Swamp Dogg (aka Jerry Williams Jr), with more to come in the following months. "Gag A Maggott" is now available on Vinyl & CD Digipack from the mailorder.

Re-released for the first time on vinyl since its original release in 1973, Swamp Dogg's "Gag A Maggott" was recorded at TK in Miami with an all-star cast. The CD Digipack version features two unreleased bonus tracks recorded live at KSAN radio in 1972, and includes a 6 page booklet with new liner notes and rare photos. The song "Choking To Death (From The Ties That Bind)" was recorded by Canned Heat in 1974. Available now from the mailorder

Produced by legendary soul singer/ songwriter/producer Jerry Williams Jr., aka Swamp Dogg, and featuring Duane Allman on two songs, Irma Thomas' "In Between Tears" is finally back on vinyl with its original cover for the first time since 1973. The CD digipack version also includes her second single for Canyon records, as well as newly penned liner notes. "A lost classic that captures deep soul at its most poignant and resonant." – AMG Coming later this month

NEW RELEASES	COMING SOON	JUST ANNOUNCED
Hollis Brown "Ride On The Train"	Raw Spitt (aka Charlie Whitehead)	Dirty Streets "Blades Of Grass"
Swamp Dogg "Total Destruction"	Lightnin' Slim "High & Low Down"
Swamp Dogg "Rat On!"

Rounder Records presents: Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective - New release Review

I have just received the new 7 CD release, Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective, documenting Duane Allmans amazing career. I have been a Duane Allman fan since I was a fairly young man and actually learned to play guitar specifically due to Duane Allman's influence. I am one of the lucky fans who actually had the opportunity of seeing Duane live with the Allman Brothers. Having spent years amassing a large vinyl collection and making every effort to capture every groove that I could find (and a few feet of unreleased tape as well) I have had the pleasure of listening to much of Duane's work for many years. This incredible retrospective not only compiles selections from the earlier released Allman Brothers albums, Derek and the Dominos, Duane Allman double disc Anthology One and Two and The Allman Brothers' Dreams; terrific additional tracks from  all of those records that the Anthologies were compiled and much much more.  The first of the "new" stuff is three tracks by the Escorts (1965 unreleased tracks with Duane and Gregg), the most interesting of these to me is the No Name Instrumental. This is a cool track with heavy reverb and traces of inventive creativity to come but other tracks definitely showing Gregg's developing vocal style and the brothers love of R&B. Two additional unreleased tracks by the Allman Joys, track Duanes following of Jeff Beck and the Yardbirds and Allmans take on their songs. A few single releases by The Bleus (single only with Duane on guitars) have a bit of a country flair. Two solid R&B tracks by Laura lee featuring Duane on lead guitar are a real treasure. The single track by Spencer Wiggins featuring Duane on slide is another terrific track. I don't know much of Spencer's work but this is terrific! A single track by Willie Walker (previous single release) crosses into the R&B funk stage and Duane is fat under the vocals. Two tracks by the Lovelles (single release featuring Duane on lead guitar) show just how Duane could meld his guitar playing to work with a band needs. On an upbeat, heavily horn infused three tracks by the Soul Survivors (from a lesser know album featuring Duane on guitars) again Allman rips some sweet riffs shining through production. A single track by The Sweet Inspiration (featuring Duane on slide) finds Cissy Houston on vocal and of course a great backing band. An additional track (the B side of Goin'n Up The Country featuring Duane on guitar) by the Duck and the Bear is also included. A strong soul vocal track from Doris Duke album is a real cool addition with Duane playing in the upper frets over a really nice track. An extraneous track from an album by Eric Quincy Tate featuring Duane on guitar has a classic Duane signature slide part. A pop like track by Laura Nyro from a earlier cited album again showing Duane's adaptability. Two tracks by Ella Brown (a single featuring Duane on guitar) shows the breadth of session work that Allman was called to do. A track by Bobby Lance  (from an album featuring Duane on slide) is definitely dated but does have some clear work from Duane. A live unreleased track from the Grateful Dead featuring Duane on lead guitar puts Duane into jam mode. I have a strong appreciation for Duanes extended solo's and this gives his fans a chance to hear him shine with one of the all time great jam bands. The three tracks from Herbie Mann's Push Push album featuring Duane on guitar allowing him to move more into a jazz setting and spread his wings from the traditional R&B /Blues mode.I haven't written a letter about the spectacular work which has been included from artists such as Clarence Carter, Wilson Pickett, Arthur Conley, Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, Barry Goldberg, Otis Rush, Boz Scaggs, Ronnie Hawkins, Lulu, Johnny Jenkins, John Hammond, Sam Samudio (Sam The Sham) and Cowboy. Much of the work included in this package, some of it previously included on an earlier release for Duane and all of it released on individual albums by the artists are an incredible treasure of Duane's work with some of the greatest artists in the business. I'm guessing if you have interest in this release, you have some familiarity with these artists and the previous work done there, but if not, it is overwhelming and you must check it out. This is a great compilation bringing it all together in one place with a lot of great extras. Three tracks from Delaney and Bonnie (previously unreleased) feature Duane on acoustic slide and of course some of his most enjoyable acoustic work. This ultra deluxe package includes incredibly interesting liner notes by Scott Schinder. This retrospective has been compiled by Duane's daughter, Galadrielle who also writes a very inciting recollection of stories with Bill Levenson. A number of terrific photos are also included in this package making it a must have for any Duane Allman fan. An incredible amount of time has been put into this package featuring a photo of one of Duane's guitar cases as the cover.
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Duane Allman 'Skydog' retrospective coming on Rounder

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SKYDOG: THE DUANE ALLMAN RETROSPECTIVE
CHRONICLES GROUNDBREAKING GUITARIST’S CAREER,
FROM GARAGE BANDS AND R&B SESSION WORK
TO THE ALLMAN BROTHERS AND DEREK & THE DOMINOS

Seven CD set, due out March 5 on Rounder Records,
 includes rare recordings by Allman’s early bands:
the Escorts, Allman Joys, the 31st of February, and the Bleus.
Extensive liner notes are accompanied by a tribute from Allman’s daughter.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Even if he’d never formed the Allman Brothers Band, Duane Allman would be a major figure in American popular music. Long before his name became known to mainstream audiences, he had already established his credentials as a once-in-a-lifetime guitar visionary, leaving his unmistakable stamp on a broad array of recordings. On March 5, 2013, Rounder Records, a division of Concord Music Group, will release the most ambitious retrospective of Allman’s short but influential career titled Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective.

The deluxe seven-disc collection, carrying a list price of $139.98, contains the guitarist’s best-known and most commercially successful recordings with the Allman Brothers Band and Derek & the Dominos, as well as session work with Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Boz Scaggs, Clarence Carter, King Curtis, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, Ronnie Hawkins, Otis Rush, Laura Nyro, Lulu, the Sweet Inspirations, Laura Lee, Spencer Wiggins, Arthur Conley, Willie Walker, the Lovelles, the Soul Survivors, Johnny Jenkins, John Hammond, Doris Duke, Eric Quincy Tate, Herbie Mann and more.

The set was produced by Galadrielle Allman (Duane’s daughter) and two-time Grammy® winning producer Bill Levenson. Rounder Records’ Scott Billington served as executive producer. Scott Schinder contributed comprehensive historical liner notes, complemented by additional notes by Galadrielle Allman.

In her recollection of her father, who died when she was a young child, Galadrielle writes, “I am very lucky that my father is Duane Allman, an artist who left behind a wealth of incredible music . . . Working on this retrospective, I have gotten closer than I ever have been to understanding my father’s development as a musician and a man.”

Duane Allman, known to his bandmates as Skydog, was born in Nashville in 1946. With Gregg, his only sibling, Duane had his first moment of musical revelation upon witnessing a late ’50s R&B bill that featured B.B. King and Jackie Wilson. By 1960, both Duane and Gregg owned guitars and played in a series of neighborhood garage bands in Tennessee and Florida. Continuing their interest in blues and R&B in the shadow of blues radio station WLAC-AM’s continent-spanning signal, as well as absorbing the influence of the British Invasion, the brothers launched the Escorts in 1965 and the Allman Joys, who recorded a handful of sides in Bradley’s Barn in Nashville in 1966. By 1967, Duane and Gregg signed to Liberty as the Hour Glass and recorded two albums in Nashville and Los Angeles. When the band sought to defy the label and spread its musical wings, they were dropped. The brothers returned to Florida, hooked up with drummer Butch Trucks, and recorded two sides as the 31st of February, and later at Ardent Studio in Memphis as the Bleus.

By this time Duane had developed a reputation as a leading session guitarist. He was on Fame Studio’s A list, his guitar licks coloring hits by Wilson Pickett. Atlantic Records producer and executive Jerry Wexler took note and hired him to perform on Atlantic sessions by King Curtis, Otis Rush, Arthur Conley, the Soul Survivors and Sweet Inspirations. Wexler signed him to a solo Atlantic deal, resulting in a session that contained the raucous original “Happily Married Man” and more. The session, contained on the Skydog set, was abandoned mid-stream. But by then Capricorn Records’ Phil Walden had noticed the rumblings from Muscle Shoals. Duane gathered up brother Gregg, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, Jai Johanny Johanson and others and the Allman Brothers Band was born.

According to reissue annotator Schinder, “The [Allman Brothers Band’s] music was complex and adventurous, yet unfailingly accessible. The subtle and harmonic interplay between Duane and Dickey’s dual lead guitars was matched by the three-man rhythm section’s surging, swinging cross-rhythms, with Gregg’s massively expressive singing and organ playing keeping the music firmly grounded in human emotion.” The band’s profile grew with each release — the self-titled debut, Idlewild South and eventually the band’s breakthrough, At Fillmore East.

Testament to his energy and ambition, Duane still found time for side projects. When bandmates would hole up at home after tours, Duane joined fellow world-class guitarist Eric Clapton on Derek & the Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. While not an official member, he quickly emerged as a major contributor to the classic album, his twin guitar interplay with Clapton shaping the hits “Layla” and “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad.” He also worked with Delaney & Bonnie & Friends and Laura Nyro between Allman Brothers Band projects.

By then acknowledged as one of rock’s premier guitarists, Duane and the Allman Brothers Band began recording their follow-up to At Fillmore East — Eat a Peach. Tom Dowd, another legendary Atlantic house producer, oversaw sessions at Criteria Studios. Then on October 29, 1971, four days after Fillmore had been certified gold, Duane was riding his motorcycle and swerved to avoid hitting a truck. He crashed and died of internal injuries. He was 24 years old.
The band forged ahead as a quintet on Eat a Peach, which became one of their best selling albums. The Allman Brothers, led by Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks, continue to perform to this day.

Schinder notes, “More than four decades after his death, Duane Allman remains a towering figure whose stature has only increased in his absence. His influence lives on, not only in the multiple generations of guitarists who have been motivated by his input, but also in the legions of listeners who have continued to find inspiration in his vibrant vision of American music, which remains as fresh and truthful today as when it was created.”

 “When a musician of my father’s caliber dies, every note he ever recorded becomes even more precious,” writes Galadrielle. “Each song is pressed into the service of telling his story. The longer Duane is gone, the clearer it becomes that there will never be another like him.”

Over seven discs, Skydog tells the Duane Allman story with rare and never-before-heard gems alongside smash hits.

“I hope the celebration of Duane’s life inspires you to live fearlessly and enjoy life,” Galadrielle concludes. “I know that would have made him proud.”

Disc One
 1            THE ESCORTS  Turn On Your Love Light  2:33
  2            THE ESCORTS  No Name Instrumental  3:13
  3            THE ESCORTS  What’d I Say  4:04
  4            THE ALLMAN JOYS  Spoonful  2:27
  5            THE ALLMAN JOYS  Gotta Get Away  2:38
  6            THE ALLMAN JOYS  Shapes Of Things  2:47
  7            THE ALLMAN JOYS  Crossroads  3:32
  8            THE ALLMAN JOYS  Mister, You’re A Better Man Than I  4:45
  9            THE ALLMAN JOYS  Lost Woman  5:23
10            HOUR GLASS  Cast Off All My Fears  3:31
11            HOUR GLASS  I’ve Been Trying  2:39
12            HOUR GLASS  Nothing But Tears  2:29
13            HOUR GLASS  Power Of Love  2:51
14            HOUR GLASS  Down In Texas  3:08
15            HOUR GLASS  Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)  3:01
16    HOUR GLASS  B.B. King Medley 7:07
17            HOUR GLASS  Been Gone Too Long  3:03
18            HOUR GLASS  Ain’t No Good To Cry  3:08
19            31ST OF FEBRUARY  Morning Dew  3:46
20            31ST OF FEBRUARY  Melissa  3:12
21            THE BLEUS  Milk And Honey  2:34
22            THE BLEUS  Leavin’ Lisa  2:43
23            THE BLEUS  Julianna’s Gone  2:59

Disc Two
 1            CLARENCE CARTER  The Road Of Love  2:54
  2            CLARENCE CARTER  Light My Fire  2:49
  3            WILSON PICKETT  Hey Jude  4:06
  4            WILSON PICKETT  Toe Hold  2:49
  5            WILSON PICKETT  My Own Style Of Loving  2:41
  6            WILSON PICKETT  Born to Be Wild  2:45
  7            LAURA LEE  It’s How You Make It Good  2:32
  8            LAURA LEE  It Ain’t What You Do (But How You Do It)  2:05
  9            SPENCER WIGGINS  I Never Loved A Woman (The Way I Love You)  3:01
10            ARTHUR CONLEY  Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da  3:00
11            ARTHUR CONLEY  Stuff You Gotta Watch  2:15
12            ARTHUR CONLEY  Speak Her Name  2:39
13            ARTHUR CONLEY  That Can't Be My Baby  2:22
14            WILLIE WALKER  A Lucky Loser  2:20
15            THE LOVELLES  I'm Coming Today  2:59
16            THE LOVELLES  Pretending Dear  2:38
17            ARETHA FRANKLIN  The Weight  2:53
18            ARETHA FRANKLIN  It Ain't Fair  3:22
19            SOUL SURVIVORS  Darkness  2:56
20            SOUL SURVIVORS  Tell Daddy  2:30
21            SOUL SURVIVORS  Got Down On Saturday  3:10
22            KING CURTIS  Hey Joe  2:56
23            KING CURTIS  Foot Pattin'  4:49
24            KING CURTIS  Games People Play  2:46
25            KING CURTIS  The Weight  2:47
26            THE SWEET INSPIRATIONS  Get A Little Order  2:06

Disc Three
 1            THE BARRY GOLDBERG BLUES BAND  Twice A Man  4:26
  2            DUANE ALLMAN  Goin' Down Slow  8:44
  3            DUANE ALLMAN  No Money Down  3:25
  4            DUANE ALLMAN  Happily Married Man  2:40
  5            OTIS RUSH  Me  2:55
  6            OTIS RUSH  Reap What You Sow  4:53
  7            OTIS RUSH  It Takes Time  3:25
  8            THE DUCK & THE BEAR  Going Up The Country  2:34
  9            THE DUCK & THE BEAR  Hand Jive  2:41
10            BOZ SCAGGS  Finding Her  4:10
11            BOZ SCAGGS  Look What I Got  4:13
12            BOZ SCAGGS  Waiting For A Train  2:41
13            BOZ SCAGGS  Loan Me A Dime  13:01
14            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Don't Want You No More  2:26
15            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  It's Not My Cross To Bear  5:01
16            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Black Hearted Woman  5:07
17            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Trouble No More  3:45

Disc Four
 1            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Every Hungry Woman  4:13
  2            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Dreams  7:16
  3            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Whipping Post  5:16
  4            RONNIE HAWKINS  One More Night  2:22
  5            RONNIE HAWKINS  Will The Circle Be Unbroken  2:50
  6            RONNIE HAWKINS  Matchbox  3:05
  7            RONNIE HAWKINS  Down In The Alley  5:08
  8            RONNIE HAWKINS  Who Do You Love  2:13
  9            LULU  Marley Purt Drive  3:21
10            LULU  Dirty Old Man  2:20
11            LULU  Mr. Bojangles  3:08
12            LULU  Sweep Around Your Own Back Door  2:40
13            JOHNNY JENKINS  I Walk On Gilded Splinters  5:16
14            JOHNNY JENKINS  Rollin’ Stone  4:56
15            JOHNNY JENKINS  Down Along The Cove  3:02
16            JOHNNY JENKINS  Voodoo In You  4:50
17            JOHN HAMMOND  Shake For Me  2:42
18            JOHN HAMMOND  Cryin’ For My Baby  2:39
19            JOHN HAMMOND  I’m Leavin’ You  3:20
20            JOHN HAMMOND  You’ll Be Mine  2:42
21            DORIS DUKE  Ghost Of Myself  3:06

Disc Five
 1    ERIC QUINCY TATE  Comin’ Down (demo version)  2:52
  2            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Hoochie Coochie Man (live)  5:00
  3            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Midnight Rider  2:58
  4            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Dimples (live)  4:59
  5            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town (live) 9:21
  6            DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS  Soul Shake  3:06
  7            LAURA NYRO  Beads Of Sweat  4:47
  8            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’  3:28
  9            DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS  Living On The Open Road  3:03


10            ELLA BROWN  A Woman Left Lonely  3:23
11            ELLA BROWN  Touch Me  2:59
12            BOBBY LANCE  More Than Enough Rain  5:51
13            DEREK & THE DOMINOS  I Am Yours  3:34
14            DEREK & THE DOMINOS  Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?  4:41
15            DEREK & THE DOMINOS  Have You Ever Loved A Woman  6:52
16            DEREK & THE DOMINOS  Layla  7:03
17            ERIC CLAPTON & DUANE ALLMAN  Mean Old World  3:48

Disc Six
 1            SAM SAMUDIO  Me And Bobby McGee  3:31
  2            SAM SAMUDIO  Relativity  3:14
  3            SAM SAMUDIO  Goin' Upstairs  5:06
  4            RONNIE HAWKINS  Don't Tell Me Your Troubles  2:13
  5            RONNIE HAWKINS  Sick And Tired  2:45
  6            RONNIE HAWKINS  Odessa  3:19
  7            DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS  Gift Of Love  2:09
  8            DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS  Sing My Way Home  4:02
  9            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Statesboro Blues (live)  4:17
10            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed (live)  13:04
11            GRATEFUL DEAD  Sugar Magnolia (live)  7:20
12            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  One Way Out (live)  4:57
13            HERBIE MANN  Push Push  10:03
14            HERBIE MANN  Spirit In The Dark  7:59
15            HERBIE MANN  What’d I Say  4:57

Disc Seven
 1            DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS  Come On In My Kitchen (live)  3:42
  2            DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS  Going Down The Road Feeling Bad (live) 4:03
  3            DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS  Poor Elijah / Tribute To Johnson (Medley) (live)  4:54
  4            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  You Don't Love Me / Soul Serenade (live) 19:25
  5            COWBOY  Please Be With Me  3:41
  6            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Stand Back  3:24
  7            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Blue Sky  5:09
  8            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Blue Sky (live)  11:24
  9            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Dreams (live)  17:56
10            THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND  Little Martha  2:07

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It's Duane Allman's Birthday

It's hard for me not to do a special post for "Skyman", one of the most influential guitar players in my lifetime on the day of his birth. Duane, Lke Jimi wasn't with us very long, but he made a huge impact on the blues music scene as we know it. People who only know Duane as being in the Allman Brothers think of the Allman Brothers as a Southern Rock Band but during Duane's time they were primarily a blues band playing mostly old standards and improvisational music. It was upon Duane's death that Dickey Betts penned Ramblin Man which skyrocketed the Allmans into Southern Rock stardom. Here is a cool photo collage of Duane as he played with the Grateful Dead.



Duane as many of my readers know had a heavy influence on my music tastes as a youth and then as my musical tastes developed. He has had a profound influence on most anyone who had tried to play slide guitar since then.

Happy Birthday Skydog!

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Soul Serenade - King Curtis & The Kingpins

Anyone who has been following me knows that Duane Allman is one of my primary influences back to the blues. Most Allman fans know that Duane played on Instant Groove, a King Curtis album, but I used to have this live concert tape of Duane where he actually played a little riff of this song. Duane was influenced by King Curtis' tone and was actually studying his sax technique to try to get a more singing sound on guitar. I think he got it!

Curtis Ousley (February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), who performed under the stage name King Curtis, was an American saxophone virtuoso known for rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, funk and soul jazz. Variously a band leader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer. Adept at tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, he was best known for his distinctive riffs and solos such as on "Yakety Yak", which later became the inspiration for Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax" and his own "Memphis Soul Stew".
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The Last Ride - Duane Allman - Berry Oakley

Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident only months after the release and initial success of At Fillmore East. While in the western part of Macon on October 29, 1971 during a band break from touring and recording, Allman was riding his motorcycle toward an oncoming truck that was turning well in front of him. The truck suddenly stopped in mid-intersection. Allman lost control of his Harley Davidson Sportster motorcycle while trying to swing left, possibly striking the back of the truck or its crane ball. He was thrown from his motorcycle, which landed on him and skidded ninety feet with him under it, crushing his internal organs. Though he was rushed to the hospital and operated on, he died several hours later, just weeks before his 25th birthday.

Duane and Berry shown here, Duane in Eric Clapton's hand made Peacock shirt given to Duane during the Layla session. Duane so loved this shirt that he claimed to want to be buried in it.



On November 11, 1972, Oakley was involved in a motorcycle accident in Macon, Georgia, just three blocks from where Duane Allman had his fatal motorcycle accident the year before. Oakley was driving around a sharp right bend of the road on Napier Avenue at Inverness when he crossed the line and collided at an angle twice with a city bus making the bend from the opposite direction. After striking the front and then the back of the bus, Oakley was thrown from his bike, just as Allman had been, and struck his head. Oakley said he was okay after the accident, declined medical treatment, and caught a ride home. Three hours later, he was rushed to the hospital, delirious and in pain, and died of cerebral swelling caused by a fractured skull. Attending doctors stated that even if he had gone straight to the hospital from the scene of the accident, he could not have been saved.
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Don't Keep Me Wonderin' - Duane Allman and Berry Oakley ABB

It is downright pitiful that this is the best we have of one of the best guitar players that ever walked the planet. Had it not been for Duane Allman I may never had been interested in the guitar or the blues. At least we have this!

Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American guitarist, session musician and the primary co-founder of the southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band. He is best remembered for his brief but influential tenure in that band, his expressive slide guitar playing and improvisational skills.

A sought-after session musician both before and during his tenure with the band, Allman performed with such established stars as King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Herbie Mann. He also contributed heavily to the 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos.

In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Allman at #2 in their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, second only to Jimi Hendrix His tone (achieved with a Gibson Les Paul and two 50-watt bass Marshall amplifiers) was named one of the greatest guitar tones of all time by Guitar Player.

He died in October 1971 in a motorcycle accident.

He is still referred to by his nickname "Skydog," which may be a reference to his signature guitar sound and tone. Many consider "Skydog" a variant of the nickname "Skyman" given to him by Wilson Pickett during the recording of Pickett's cover of the Beatles' "Hey Jude." Jim Dickinson was quoted in Keith Richards' autobiography Life as saying he was given the name because he was high much of the time.
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In Memory of Elizabeth Reed - Allman Brothers Band

Apologies... It's really hard to find good video of Duane Allman. Yes, Duane Allman played second fiddle to Eric on Derek and the Dominos - Layla album. Now it's my humble opinion that Eric directed a great band and played some tasty licks...but Duane brought the life to the band. He is sorely missed. Duane Allman introduced me to the blues.



Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American guitarist, session musician and the primary co-founder of the southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band. He is best remembered for his brief but influential tenure in that band, his expressive slide guitar playing and improvisational skills.



A sought-after session musician both before and during his tenure with the band, Allman performed with such established stars as King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Herbie Mann. He also contributed heavily to the 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos.



In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Allman at #2 in their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, second only to Jimi Hendrix. His tone (achieved with a Gibson Les Paul and two 50-watt bass Marshall amplifiers) was named one of the greatest guitar tones of all time by Guitar Player.



He died in October 1971 in a motorcycle accident.



He is still referred to by his nickname "Skydog," which may be a reference to his signature guitar sound and tone. Many consider "Skydog" a variant of the nickname "Skyman" given to him by Wilson Pickett during the recording of Pickett's cover of the Beatles' "Hey Jude." Jim Dickinson was quoted in Keith Richards' autobiography Life as saying he was given the name because he was high much of the time.

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Duane Allmans Gold Top

A great piece of blues history is back on the stage. Tedeschi Trucks Band plays a sold-out Center Stage in Atlanta. Check out Derek playing Duane Allman's Gold Top Les Paul. Check the bands site for photos.