Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs

Duane Allman joins

One further critical element needed to make Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs a classic had yet to be added, and shortly after the band went into the studio and started work, it arrived. Clapton had long admired the work of Duane Allman, which he knew from recordings by Aretha Franklin and others, and he had long wanted to meet him. Allman, like many other musicians of the day, revered Clapton. Dowd, as a producer for both, was in a position to make it happen.

Related Topics:
Duane Allman - Aretha Franklin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Clapton heard from Dowd that the Allman Brothers were due to play in Miami, he insisted on going to see their show. He was allowed to sit at the front of the stage, and made his way out while Duane had his eyes closed, playing a solo. Duane was so shocked when he opened his eyes to find the great Eric Clapton sitting at his feet that he momentarily stopped playing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After the show, the two returned to the studio and formed a deep bond quite literally overnight; Dowd reported that they "were trading licks, they were swapping guitars, they were talking shop and information and having a ball -- no holds barred, just admiration for each other's technique and facility" http://www.ericclaptonfaq.com/questions/When_and_how_did_Clapton_and_Allman_meet.htm.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Although the original concept was that "I was just going to play on one or two", Duane said, the result was that as the recording of the album progressed, he wound up contributing to almost all the tracks on Layla, even the ones on which work had already started - and lifting everyone's work onto a higher plane. "He brought out the best in all of us", said Whitlock.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~