The Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band is a pioneering and innovative Southern rock and Blues group from Macon, Georgia originally popular in the 1970s, described by Rolling Stone's George Kimball in 1971 as "the best damn rock and roll band this country has produced in the past five years" http://www.superseventies.com/allmanbrothers.html.

Turmoil and dissolution

Personality conflicts started to tear the band apart, however. Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts both began solo careers, while Allman married Cher, separated quickly, reconciled, and eventually separated again, all in a storm of publicity; drug abuse took its toll on the entire band. Musically, Betts and Leavell were pulling in opposite directions, with Allman trying to mediate. The tension resulted in the uneven Win, Lose Or Draw (1975), with some members not participating or doing so only from afar. The few stand-out tracks included a stop-start take on Muddy Waters' "Can't Lose What You Never Had", Betts' instrumental "High Falls", and Allman's Jackson Browne-influenced title song. The band still managed to limp along until 1976, when Gregg Allman was arrested on federal drug charges and agreed to testify against a friend and employee of the band. Leavell, Johanson and Williams formed Sea Level, while Betts worked on his solo career. All four swore that they would never work with Allman again.

Related Topics:
Cher - Drug abuse - Win, Lose Or Draw - 1975 - Muddy Waters - Jackson Browne - 1976 - Sea Level

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Capricorn Records released several albums of previously unreleased material and live albums, such as Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas in 1976; some of these sold reasonably well.

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The group reformed in 1978 and released Enlightened Rogues (1979). It featured new members Dan Toler (guitar) and David "Rook" Goldflies (bass), who replaced Leavell and Williams, both of whom refused to rejoin the band in order to concentrate on Sea Level. "Crazy Love" was a minor hit single, but overall The Allman Brothers Band was no longer as popular as before, and financial woes plagued both the group and Capricorn Records, which collapsed in 1979. PolyGram Records took over the catalogue, and the Allman Brothers Band signed to Arista Records. The band released a pair of critically-slammed albums, firing Jaimoe in the process, and then disbanded in early 1982.

Related Topics:
1978 - Enlightened Rogues - 1979 - Dan Toler - David "Rook" Goldflies - PolyGram Records - Arista Records

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