Southern Rock Pioneers
The Allman Brothers Band were formed in 1969 and they started it with twin guitars and twin drums, and by that, they brilliantly created the “southern rock” by combining different musical elements such as blues, jazz, country, and rock and roll. They opened up a door of opportunity for subsequent bands including the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Marshall Tucker Band, and Wet Willie.
Duane with his brother Gregg Allman were born in Nashville, Tennessee. As children, they moved to Florida with their parents, and there they started their musical career. They played in various bands before forming the Allman Joys in 1965, and in 1967, they formed their new band called Hour Glass. With Hour Glass they managed to record and release two albums in California: Hour Glass (1967) and Power of Love (1968).
In 1968, they went back to Florida and joined the group called the 31st of February. But soon after, Gregg returned to California while Duane became a session musician at Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
Duane continued to persuade Gregg to come back home, while he was playing with the band Second Coming, where he recruited drummer Butch Trucks, vocalist, and guitarist Dickey Betts, and bassist Berry Oakley to join him in forming a new band. Duane also added session drummer Jaimoe Johanson. When Gregg finally returned home, it was the start of history — the Allman Brothers Band debuted in Jacksonville, Florida, on March 29, 1969, and recorded their debut album The Allman Brothers Band in August 1969 in New York then came Idlewild South (1970) and the double album At Fillmore East (1971), a live rock album where the band received wide critical acclaim.
In 1998 the Allman Brothers were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.