One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band Read online

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  To my brother David, who handed me Eat a Peach, then let me sit on that yellow shag carpet listening to his stereo for hours on end.

  And to Jacob, Eli, Anna, and Rebecca, of course.

  CONTENTS

  Endpaper

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Author’s Note

  Cast of Characters

  FOREWORD BY BUTCH TRUCKS

  PROLOGUE

  Photo of Duane and Gregg Allman, Seabreeze High

  Photo of Wilson Pickett and Duane Allman

  1. BEGINNINGS

  2. PLAYING IN THE BAND

  Photo of the ABB on stage, with Dickey and Duane on guitar

  3. GEORGIA ON A FAST TRAIN

  Photo of the band at the H and H restaurant, 1969

  Photo of the band at Macon, Georgia, spring 1969

  Photo of Butch Trucks

  4. DREAMS

  Photo of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, on guitar

  SIDEBAR: DOUBLE TROUBLE

  5. ONE MORE TRY

  Photo of Gregg Allman with his guitar

  SIDEBAR: BLUE SUEDE

  6. KEEP ON GROWING

  7. LIVING ON THE OPEN ROAD

  Photo of Idlewild South

  Photo of Dickey Betts behind the lines, at Tulane University, 1970

  Photo of Jaimoe and Duane Allman at the Thunderbird Bird Motel, Miami, 1970

  Photo of ABB life on the road, early 1970

  Photo of Phil Walden (left) and Jonny Podell at a Capricorn picnic

  Photo of Thom Doucette (left) and the ABB, Skidmore College, May 15, 1971

  Photo of tour manager Willie Perkins

  8. LIVE ALIVE

  Photo of Bill Graham introducing the ABB

  Photo of Big Brother Berry Oakley

  Photo of Berry Oakley after the Alabama bust

  Photo of (top) Butch Trucks after the Alabama bust

  Photo of (bottom) Dickey Betts after Alabama bust

  Photo of Duane Allman after the Alabama bust

  Photo of Gregg Allman after the Alabama bust

  9. PUSH PUSH

  10. SWEET LULLABY

  Photo of Dickey Betts at his wedding

  11. MEAN OLD WORLD

  Photo of Duane Allman

  12. WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN?

  13. AIN’T WASTING TIME NO MORE

  Photo of the five-man band promo shot

  Photo of “The Farm” (from left) Kim Payne, Dickey Betts, Buffalo Evans, Tuffy Phillips. Betts’ father is standing behind him

  Photo of Gregg Allman playing an acoustic guitar

  SIDEBAR: SWEET MELISSA

  14. DRUNKEN HEARTED BOY

  Photo of Dickey Betts and Berry Oakely at The Warehouse, New Orleans, 1971

  Photo of Dickey Betts, driving near the Juliette farm

  Photo of Berry Oakley

  Photo of Duane Allman’s and Berry Oakley’s graves

  Photo of The Big House, Macon, Georgia

  SIDEBAR: THE BIG HOUSE

  15. GOIN’ DOWN THE ROAD FEELING BAD

  Photo of Lamar Williams, 1973

  Photo of Lamar Williams (left) and Chuck Leavell at the Farm

  Photo of Dickey Betts and his daughter, Jessica

  Photo of Dickey Betts at home, late 1973

  16. DEMONS

  Photo of Jaimoe and Dickey Betts, JFK Stadium, June 1973

  17. MOUNTAIN JAM

  Photo of Jerry Garcia and Dickey Betts, Cow Palace, San Francisco, 1973

  18. SHINE IT ON

  Photo of Dickey Betts onstage with various musicians

  SIDEBAR: SOUTHERN MEN

  19. END OF THE LINE

  Photo of Twiggs Lyndon

  SIDEBAR: ORGANIZATION MAN

  20. CAN’T SPEND WHAT YOU AIN’T GOT

  Photo of “Dangerous” Dan Toler, 1986

  Photo of Butch Trucks, 1979

  Photo of Dickey Betts and David “Rook” Goldflies

  Photo of Mike Lawler, 1981

  Photo of Frankie Toler

  Photo of the Allman Brothers’ mothers: Mrs. Allman (left) and Mrs. Johnson

  21. IT WAS TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY

  Photo of Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts, joint solo tour, 1986

  Photo of the ABB in 1990 (from left) Dickey Betts, Warren Haynes, Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks, Allen Woody, Jaimoe, Johnny Neel

  Photo of Johnny Neel, 1990

  22. REVIVAL

  Photo of Dickey Betts with his Navajo spiritual mentor, Stuart Etsitty

  Photo of Derek Trucks, 1991

  Photo of the ABB, Memphis, 1991, during the Shades of Two Worlds sessions

  Photo of the marquee outside the Beacon Theater, New York City

  SIDEBAR: MARCH MADNESS

  23. SECOND SET

  Photo of the Shades of Two Worlds sessions, Ardent Studio, Memphis. Tom Dowd is on the right

  Photo of Warren Haynes and Dickey Betts

  Photo of Blues giant Albert King and Dickey Betts, Memphis, 1991

  Photo of Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts in the Late Show with David Letterman dressing room

  24. STAND BACK

  Photo of Jack Pearson, 1998

  Photo of the ABB, 1997–99, with Jack Pearson and Oteil Burbridge

  Photo of Allen Woody, Matt Abts, and Warren Haynes, Macon, Georgia, 1994

  SIDEBAR: KICKIN’ ASS

  25. LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN

  Photo of manager Bert Holman (center) with Dickey Betts and Gregg Allman

  26. WALK ON GILDED SPLINTERS

  Photo of Jimmy Herring

  Photo of “The Allman Rescue Unit,” 2000: Butch Trucks, Jimmy Herring, Oteil Burbridge

  27. ONE MORE RIDE

  Photo of Allen Woody

  Photo of Warren Haynes

  Photo of Derek Trucks, playing with Warren Haynes

  Photo of Jaimoe playing the drums

  Photo of the ABB frontline since 2001: Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Oteil Burbridge

  Photo of Gregg Allman and his keyboard

  Photo of Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks

  SIDEBAR: YOUNGER BROTHER

  28. HITTIN’ THE NOTE

  Photo of the ABB in Gregg Allman’s Georgia backyard, 2003

  Photo of Warren Haynes and Gregg Allman, rehearsal at the Beacon Theater, New York City, 2009

  Photo of Derek and Butch Trucks

  29. THE ROAD GOES ON FOREVER

  Photo of Gregg Allman and B. B. King, Apollo Theater, Harlem

  Photo of Eric Clapton with the ABB, Beacon Theater, New York City, 2009

  Photo of the ABB, 2009

  Photo of Warren Haynes

  Photo of Duane Allman

  AFTERWORD BY JAIMOE

  Acknowledgments

  APPENDIX: A HIGHLY OPINIONATED ABB DISCOGRAPHY

  Index

  Photos

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Endpaper

  Author’s Note

  One Way Out is the culmination of thirty years trying to untangle the myths and legends surrounding the Allman Brothers Band. I have interviewed the members hundreds of times, shared meals, ridden buses, quietly watched rehearsals, and attended countless shows. Through it all, I have never lost sight of why this story matt
ers: the music.

  Any access I have gained has been in the service of trying to understand how this exotic brew came to be. I have viewed everything with the eyes and ears of a journalist but the heart and soul of a fan. The Allman Brothers Band, I believe, has no equal.

  The original six-piece band, with Duane and Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe created inspired, utterly unique magic. From their remarkable self-titled debut album in 1969, the band succeeded in reinventing blues-based music in a way that was both visionary and true to the original material.

  Their music was the result of true group collaboration. Butch Trucks and Jaimoe’s pulsating drive provided unique depth and jazz swing. Dickey Betts and Duane Allman’s guitar work expanded the blues melodically and harmonically, setting a new standard for touch and tone without ever lapsing into overplaying. Berry Oakley’s bass wove between the other instruments, playing melodic lines that tied the music together into one cohesive package. Gregg’s funky organ seasoned the mix, while his vocals sounded both ancient and modern, singing the blues in a legit fashion his peers could only fantasize about.

  The instrumental majesty would not have meant much without a magnificent set of songs, written by Gregg Allman and Betts: “Whipping Post,” “Dreams,” “Midnight Rider,” “Blue Sky,” “Melissa,” “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” and “Jessica” are both timeless and wildly diverse with clear echoes of country, jazz, blues, and rock.

  Given the rancor and turmoil that has often surrounded the group, it’s easy to scoff at the notion of a musical brotherhood. But I believe that in its earliest years, the members and crew shared a bond that sustained them through perilous times. Since the early, devastating deaths of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, the band has also managed to find brilliant new musical voices to keep them moving forward, including Chuck Leavell, Warren Haynes, and Derek Trucks.

  The Allman Brothers’ long history is equally tragic and uplifting, heroic and sad. I have spoken to virtually every living person who had a hand in this tale. When two people’s recollections of an event differed, I present them here side-by-side.

  Cast of Characters, in Order of Appearance

  GREGG ALLMAN: Singer/keyboardist, founding member of the Allman Brothers Band (ABB); younger brother of guitarist Duane Allman.

  JOHNNY SANDLIN: Longtime Allman friend and colleague. Bassist in the Allman Joys and Hour Glass. Produced Brothers and Sisters and other Allman Brothers releases.

  RICK HALL: President, Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

  JON LANDAU: Writer for Rolling Stone and Crawdaddy; Bruce Springsteen’s manager since 1978.

  JAIMOE: Drummer and founding member of the ABB.

  JACKIE AVERY JR.: Songwriter, friend of Jaimoe.

  JOHN HAMMOND JR.: Guitarist/singer. Good friend of Duane Allman.

  DICKEY BETTS: Guitarist/singer and founding member of the ABB. Has performed with his band Great Southern since an acrimonious 2000 departure from the ABB.

  REESE WYNANS: Keyboardist in the Second Coming, with Dickey Betts and Berry Oakley. Participant in original jams that led to the ABB. Later a member of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble.

  THOM DOUCETTE: Harmonica player, Duane confidant, and unofficial member of the ABB.

  BUTCH TRUCKS: Drummer and founding member of the ABB.

  RICHARD PRICE: Florida bassist; played with Betts and Oakley and was there for the Jacksonville jams that birthed the Allman Brothers Band.

  LINDA OAKLEY: Wife of Berry Oakley.

  PHIL WALDEN: Original manager of the ABB and president of Capricorn Records. Died April 23, 2006.

  KIM PAYNE: One of the band’s original crew members; with the ABB 1969–73.

  JOHN McEUEN: Founder, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, brother of Bill McEuen, Hour Glass manager.

  MIKE CALLAHAN: One of the band’s original crew members; with the ABB 1969–73. Died September 2007.

  RED DOG: One of the band’s original crew members; with the ABB 1969–2000. Died February 21, 2011.

  A.J. LYNDON: Twiggs’s little brother, ABB crew member 1973–76.

  MAMA LOUISE HUDSON: Cook and owner, H&H Soul Food Restaurant; mother figure to the band.

  COL. BRUCE HAMPTON: Founder of the Hampton Grease Band, who often played with the ABB in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park; friend of Duane Allman.

  W. DAVID POWELL: Partner in Wonder Graphics, the duo that designed the ABB’s mushroom logo and the iconic cover of Eat a Peach.

  BUNKY ODOM: Vice President, Phil Walden and Associates; day-to-day management contact.

  JOHN LYNDON: Twiggs’s brother.

  GARY ROSSINGTON: Lynyrd Skynyrd founder/guitarist.

  DON LAW: Manager of the Boston Tea Party; major New England promoter for forty-five years.

  STEPHEN PALEY: Photographer who took the pictures on the debut album cover.

  WARREN HAYNES: Guitarist/singer who joined the ABB in 1989. Left in 1997. Rejoined in 2001.

  SCOTT BOYER: Guitarist in the band Cowboy, friend of Duane Allman.

  TOM DOWD: Producer of many ABB albums, including Idlewild South, At Fillmore East, and Eat a Peach. Also worked with Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Derek and the Dominos, and many others. Died October 27, 2000.

  BOBBY WHITLOCK: Derek and the Dominos keyboardist; also worked with Duane in Delaney and Bonnie.

  ERIC CLAPTON: Guitarist, rock legend. Worked with Duane Allman on Derek and the Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.

  JONNY PODELL: ABB booking agent since 1969.

  WILLIE PERKINS: ABB Road Manager, 1970–76.

  BOB WEIR: Grateful Dead guitarist.

  STEVE PARISH: Grateful Dead crew member.

  DR. JOHN: Pianist, friend of Duane Allman.

  DICK WOOLEY: Capricorn Vice President of Promotion, 1972–76.

  CHUCK LEAVELL: Pianist, member of the ABB 1972–76.

  SIDNEY SMITH: Photographer.

  LES DUDEK: Guitarist, played on “Ramblin’ Man” and “Jessica.”

  DAVID “ROOK” GOLDFLIES: Bassist, member of the ABB 1979–82.

  MIKE LAWLER: Keyboardist/producer. Member of the ABB 1980–82.

  JOHN SCHER: Promoter; ABB manager, 1981–82.

  BERT HOLMAN: ABB manager since 1991.

  MICHAEL CAPLAN: Epic Records A&R man who signed the Allman Brothers Band in 1989.

  DANNY GOLDBERG: ABB manager 1989–91; has also worked with Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, and other rock icons.

  JOHNNY NEEL: Keyboardist, member of the ABB, 1989–91.

  ALLEN WOODY: Bassist, member of the ABB 1989–97. Died August 26, 2000.

  MATT ABTS: Gov’t Mule drummer.

  DEREK TRUCKS: Guitarist, member of the ABB since 1999; nephew of Butch Trucks.

  MARC QUIÑONES: Percussionist, member of the ABB since 1991.

  KIRK WEST: ABB “Tour Magician” and logistical coordinator, 1989–2009.

  DAVID GRISSOM: Guitarist. Toured with the ABB for nine shows in 1993, subbing for Dickey Betts.

  ZAKK WYLDE: Ozzy Osbourne guitarist who played with the ABB for one gig, filling in for Dickey Betts in 1993.

  JACK PEARSON: Guitarist, member of the ABB, 1997–99.

  OTEIL BURBRIDGE: Bassist, member of the ABB since 1997.

  JIMMY HERRING: Guitarist, summer tour 2000.

  BILLY GIBBONS: ZZ Top guitarist.

  BUDDY GUY: Blues guitarist.

  Foreword by Butch Trucks

  Early in 1969, I was living on the St. John’s River with my first wife and on the verge of quitting what was, at the time, a very unprofitable and unsatisfying career in music. My not-too-well-thought-out plan was to return to college and get my degree in math, since that was what I seemed to be best at doing. My first attempt at “higher education” ended in 1966 when Florida State University asked me not to return for the fall trimester. It seems that the nonattendance that led to a great deal of F’s was unacceptable even at the great party school of FSU. I joined up with two of my buddies from high schoo
l who happened to land in the same dorm as me and we decided to start a band and play this new stuff by the Byrds and the newly electric Bob Dylan among others, such as the Lovin’ Spoonful. We called ourselves the Bitter Ind. and somehow going to class just didn’t seem as important as rehearsing and playing for every frat at FSU.

  In the summer of 1966 we packed our gear in the back of our guitar player and singer Scott Boyer’s car and headed to Daytona Beach to make it big. Well, that bombed big-time. We auditioned at all of the clubs there and they all thought we were the best band they had ever heard, but the universal rejections came because “you can’t dance to it.” We were doing our last audition at a place called the Martinique when in walked the Beatles. Of course, it wasn’t actually John, Paul, George, and Ringo, but the way people acted it may as well have been. It was a band called the Allman Joys, and walking in the lead was this dude with long blond hair followed closely by another dude with even longer and blonder hair. This was of course, Duane and Gregg Allman.

  We played our set and got the usual “you guys are great but they can’t dance to it” from the club owner. Waiting for us backstage, however, were those two blond guys, and they were blown away with what we had just played. We explained our predicament and got an invite to come hang out at 100 Van Avenue where they lived with their mother, Momma A.

  After a few days we packed it up, stuck our tails between our legs, and headed back to Jacksonville, where a few weeks later I got a call from Duane asking me to come to a club in downtown Jacksonville, because their drummer had just quit. I, of course, said, “I’m on my way.” I played with them for a night or two and Duane, knowing that this club’s owner was a huge Dylan fan, got our band an audition and we took over the Allman Joys’s gig. That lasted for around eight months. Then we hit the Southern club circuit, where we would run into Duane and Gregg from time to time.

  Sometime in, I believe, 1967, we were in Daytona and stopped by 100 Van Avenue and found Duane and Gregg fresh from a run at the big time in L.A. as the Hour Glass. We decided to join forces and played for the next few months as the Bitter Ind., the Hour Glass, or the 31st of February. (We had signed a record contract with Vanguard Records and the Bitter End club in New York would not let us use that name).

  We took this version to Miami to record our second record for Vanguard. You can hear two of those recordings on Duane’s retrospective, Skydog. One of them was the very first recording of “Melissa.” When we finished there, Gregg flew back to L.A. and found out that the Hour Glass’s record company, Liberty, which has no relation to the current label of the same name, would release the rest of that band from their contracts if he would stay and record solo. I was with Duane in Daytona when he got the call from Gregg. I believe if Duane could have gotten through the phone he would have strangled Gregg on the spot. Well, Duane had been offered a gig as a studio player in Muscle Shoals and without Gregg he just didn’t feel like our band was going to go anywhere, so he packed it up and headed to Alabama.