One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band
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Authors: Alan Paul
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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
Photo of Duane and Gregg Allman, Seabreeze High
Photo of Wilson Pickett and Duane Allman
Photo of the ABB on stage, with Dickey and Duane on guitar
Photo of the band at the H and H restaurant, 1969
Photo of the band at Macon, Georgia, spring 1969
Photo of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, on guitar
Photo of Gregg Allman with his guitar
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
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
Photo of Dickey Betts at his wedding
12. WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN?
13. AIN’T WASTING TIME NO MORE
Photo of the five-man band promo shot
Photo of Gregg Allman playing an acoustic guitar
Photo of Dickey Betts and Berry Oakely at The Warehouse, New Orleans, 1971
Photo of Dickey Betts, driving near the Juliette farm
Photo of Duane Allman’s and Berry Oakley’s graves
Photo of The Big House, Macon, Georgia
15. GOIN’ DOWN THE ROAD FEELING BAD
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
Photo of Jaimoe and Dickey Betts, JFK Stadium, June 1973
Photo of Jerry Garcia and Dickey Betts, Cow Palace, San Francisco, 1973
Photo of Dickey Betts onstage with various musicians
20. CAN’T SPEND WHAT YOU AIN’T GOT
Photo of “Dangerous” Dan Toler, 1986
Photo of Dickey Betts and David “Rook” Goldflies
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 Dickey Betts with his Navajo spiritual mentor, Stuart Etsitty
Photo of the ABB, Memphis, 1991, during the
Shades of Two Worlds
sessions
Photo of the marquee outside the Beacon Theater, New York City
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
Photo of the ABB, 1997–99, with Jack Pearson and Oteil Burbridge
Photo of Allen Woody, Matt Abts, and Warren Haynes, Macon, Georgia, 1994
Photo of manager Bert Holman (center) with Dickey Betts and Gregg Allman
Photo of “The Allman Rescue Unit,” 2000: Butch Trucks, Jimmy Herring, Oteil Burbridge
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
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
Photo of Gregg Allman and B. B. King, Apollo Theater, Harlem
Photo of Eric Clapton with the ABB, Beacon Theater, New York City, 2009
APPENDIX: A HIGHLY OPINIONATED ABB DISCOGRAPHY
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 matters: 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.