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The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band from Macon, Georgia. Formed in March 1969 by brothers Duane (guitar) and Gregg Allman (organ, vocals), the group originally also included guitarist and vocalist Dickey Betts, bassist Berry Oakley, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson. The band went through multiple personnel changes and broke up twice before retiring in 2014, when the lineup included founding members Gregg Allman, Trucks and Johanson, plus guitarist and vocalist Warren Haynes, percussionist Marc Quiñones, bassist Oteil Burbridge and guitarist Derek Trucks.

History

1969–1976

The Allman Brothers Band was founded in March 1969 by Duane and Gregg Allman with Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson. Just two years after forming, however, Duane Allman died in a motorcycle crash in Macon on October 29, 1971. The guitarist was not replaced, although Chuck Leavell was added as a second keyboardist in 1972 after the band performed as a five-piece. On November 11, 1972, the group lost a second member when Oakley died in a motorcycle accident similar to Allman's. He was replaced by Lamar Williams, a childhood friend of Johanson's. In May 1976, the group disbanded after Allman testified in the trial of road manager John "Scooter" Herring, who was accused of drug dealing, with the rest of the band publicly condemning his decision to do so.

1978–1982

Two years later, in August 1978, the solo bands of Betts and Allman combined for a performance in New York City, sparking rumors of an Allman Brothers Band reformation. By the end of the year the band had returned, with Allman, Betts, Trucks and Johanson joined by new guitarist "Dangerous" Dan Toler and bassist David "Rook" Goldflies. After the release of Enlightened Rogues and Reach for the Sky, Mike Lawler was added on keyboards and Johanson was replaced by Toler's brother David. The pair performed on 1981's Brothers of the Road, before the group broke up again in January 1982. Betts and Allman later toured together with their respective solo bands during 1986.

During their 1982-1989 hiatus the band reunited twice. Their first reunion took place on July 12, 1986, when they were invited by the Charlie Daniels Band to play at their annual Volunteer Jam, which took place that year at Starwood Amphitheater in Nashville, TN. Daniels himself introduced the band, before Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe took the stage, flanked by Dan Toler and Chuck Leavell, as well as Bruce Waibel and Jerry McCoy. The reunited Allman Brothers Band then turned in an electric sixty-minute set that marked their first performance as a band in over four years. The night turned into a veritable greatest hits show, opening with their classic cover of “Statesboro Blues” before performing gorgeous versions of “Blue Sky” and “One Way Out”. They took on the exploratory “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed”, before the dream set continued with “Ramblin’ Man” and “Jessica”. The night concluded with a raucous take on the band’s traditional show-closer, “Whipping Post”. Later that year, The Allman Brothers played a second show as part of the Crackdown on Crack concert that took place at New York's Madison Square Garden on October 31. The lineup included Allman, Betts, Trucks, Jaimoe, Leavell, Dan Toler and bassist Marty Privette.

1988–2014

A second reformation followed in the summer of 1989 to mark the band's 20th anniversary, with the lineup including the return of Johanson and the addition of guitarist and vocalist Warren Haynes, bassist Allen Woody and keyboardist Johnny Neel. Neel left in 1990, and percussionist Marc Quiñones was added the following year. Both Haynes and Woody left The Allman Brothers Band in April 1997 to devote their attention to Gov't Mule. Their places were taken by Jack Pearson and Oteil Burbridge, respectively, although the former was replaced by Derek Trucks in 1999. Founding member Betts was fired in May 2000 due to alleged ongoing problems with drug abuse, which he claimed were "totally, absolutely, unfounded". He was briefly replaced by Jimmy Herring, and later by the returning Haynes.

In January 2014, Haynes and Trucks announced that they planned to leave The Allman Brothers Band by the end of the year in order to focus on other projects. The group subsequently intended to retire after a string of shows at New York Beacon Theatre in March, but due to Allman suffering bronchitis the dates were postponed. The rescheduled shows were subsequently completed in October. The band's final performance on October 28, 2014, marked the 43rd anniversary of Duane Allman's death, with Trucks playing a number of his guitars to mark the occasion. Since the band's retirement, its two constant members have both died – first, Butch Trucks committed suicide by gunshot on January 24, 2017, and Gregg Allman later died on May 27, 2017, due to complications from liver cancer.

Members

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Albums (excluding retrospective releases)
	Gregg Allman	1969–1976 1978–1982 1989–2014 (both died 2017)	organ piano clavinet rhythm guitar lead and backing vocals	all Allman Brothers Band releases
	Butch Trucks		drums percussion timpani congas
	Dickey Betts	1969–1976 1978–1982 1989–2000 (died 2024)	lead and slide guitars backing and lead vocals	all except Hittin' the Note (2003) and One Way Out (2004)
	Jai Johanny Johanson	1969–1976 1978–1980 1989–2014	drums percussion congas timbales	all except Brothers of the Road (1981)
	Berry Oakley	1969–1972 (until his death)	bass backing and occasional lead vocals	The Allman Brothers Band (1969) Idlewild South (1970) At Fillmore East (1971) Eat a Peach (1972) Brothers and Sisters (1973)
	Duane Allman	1969–1971 (until his death)	lead and slide guitars	The Allman Brothers Band (1969) Idlewild South (1970) At Fillmore East (1971) Eat a Peach (1972)
	Chuck Leavell	1972–1976	piano synthesizers clavinet backing vocals	Brothers and Sisters (1973) Win, Lose or Draw (1975) Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas (1976)
	Lamar Williams	1972–1976 (died 1983)	bass
	David "Rook" Goldflies	1978–1982		Enlightened Rogues (1979) Reach for the Sky (1980) Brothers of the Road (1981)
	Dan Toler	1978–1982 (died 2013)	lead and rhythm guitars
	Mike Lawler	1980–1982	piano clavinet synthesizers	Brothers of the Road (1981)
	David "Frankie" Toler	1980–1982 (died 2011)	drums
	Warren Haynes	1989–1997 2001–2014	lead and slide guitars backing and lead vocals	Seven Turns (1990) Shades of Two Worlds (1991) An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set (1992) Where It All Begins (1994) An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set (1995) Hittin' the Note (2003) One Way Out (2004)
	Allen Woody	1989–1997 (died 2000)	bass backing vocals	Seven Turns (1990) Shades of Two Worlds (1991) An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set (1992) Where It All Begins (1994) An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set (1995)
	Johnny Neel	1989–1990 (died 2024)	piano synthesizers harmonica backing vocals	Seven Turns (1990)
	Marc Quiñones	1991–2014	congas percussion drums backing vocals	Shades of Two Worlds (1991) An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set (1992) Where It All Begins (1994) An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set (1995) Peakin' at the Beacon (2000) Hittin' the Note (2003) One Way Out (2004)
	Oteil Burbridge	1997–2014	bass backing and occasional lead vocals	Peakin' at the Beacon (2000) Hittin' the Note (2003) One Way Out (2004)
	Jack Pearson	1997–1999	lead and slide guitars backing vocals	none
	Derek Trucks	1999–2014	lead and slide guitars	Peakin' at the Beacon (2000) Hittin' the Note (2003) One Way Out (2004)
	Jimmy Herring	2000		none

Timeline

Lineups

All lineup changes taken from the band's official website.

References

1. Eder, Bruce. "The Allman Brothers Band: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
2. Landau, Jon (November 25, 1971). "Bandleader Duane Allman Dies in Bike Crash". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
3. Wickstrom, Ann. "Chuck Leavell: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
4. Dukes, Billy (November 11, 2015). "45 Years Ago: Allman Brothers Band's Berry Oakley Dies". Ultimate Classic Rock. Loudwire. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
5. ^ Edwards, Gavin (November 25, 1999). "The Allman Brothers Band: 30 Years of Ups and Downs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
6. Giles, Jeff (May 28, 2016). "How Scooter Herring's Arrest Broke Up The Allman Brothers Band". Ultimate Classic Rock. Loudwire. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
7. ^ "The Allman Brothers Band: A Chronology". The Allman Brothers Band. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
8. Jerome, Jim (February 12, 1979). "The Allman Brothers Band Finally Buries the Hatchet—and Not in One Another". People. Time Inc. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
9. ^ Giles, Jeff (January 26, 2014). "Allman Brothers Band Lineup Changes: A Complete Guide". Ultimate Classic Rock. Loudwire. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
10. "Watch The Allman Brothers Reunite After A Four Year Hiatus In 1986". L4LM. 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
11. Giles, Jeff (July 4, 2015). "How the Allman Brothers Band Regrouped for an Impressive '90s Comeback". Ultimate Classic Rock. Loudwire. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
12. Messing, Philip (August 27, 2000). "Ex-Allman Brothers Bassist Dead". New York Post. News Corp. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
13. Uhelszki, Jaan (May 23, 2000). "Dickey Betts Fires Back at Allman Brothers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
14. Doyle, Patrick (January 8, 2014). "Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks Leaving Allman Brothers Band". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
15. Ratliff, Ben (October 29, 2014). "At the End of the Line, A Hit-Filled Goodbye". The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
16. Eriksson, Daniel (November 4, 2014). "Trucks Plays Duane Allman's Goldtop at Final ABB Show". Gibson. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
17. Fricke, David; Trucks, Derek (January 31, 2017). "Derek Trucks Remembers Butch Trucks: 'He Left an Impression at All Times'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
18. Morris, Chris (May 27, 2017). "Gregg Allman, Southern Rock Pioneer, Dies at 69". Variety. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
19. "The Band". The Big House Museum. Retrieved May 6, 2021.

External links

• The Allman Brothers Band official website

• The Allman Brothers Band members
• Lists of members by band