The first Southern rock group I heard was Lynyrd Skynyrd, much before I was exposed to the Allman Brothers Band (ABB). This was at Delhi University in 1983, when many campus bands would play the Skynyrd classic ‘Sweet Home Alabama’. That led us to other gems like ‘Free Bird’ and ‘Tuesday's Gone’.
My first brush with ABB was in 1986, when a friend recorded a tape of their album ‘Brothers Of The Road’. I loved their sound and guitars, and the song ‘Straight From The Heart’ played on repeat. Another pal heard it, and said, “This is nothing. Check their earlier stuff, man.” The real fascination thus began.
The death of the iconic American band’s vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter Gregg Allman on May 27 must have sparked similar nostalgia among many fans worldwide. Along with his brilliant brother, the late guitarist Duane Allman, guitarist Dickey Betts, bassist Berry Oakley, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny ‘Jaimoe’ Johanson, they created a path-breaking mix of Southern American sounds, blues, jazz and country.
When I first heard Skynyrd or ABB, I didn't know the term Southern rock. All this came much later. For most of us, rock meant rock, though one sometimes differentiated it from heavy metal. At best, we classified them as British, American or bands from other regions. The words ‘classic rock’ and ‘retro’ were not in our dictionary then.
Only the songs mattered. In the case of ABB, there was an entire bunch – ‘Whipping Post’, ‘Statesboro Blues’, ‘Midnight Rider’, ‘Ramblin’ Man’, ‘Jessica’, ‘Dreams’, ‘Hot Lanta’, ‘Melissa’ and my favourite ‘In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed’, to name some. The self-titled debut, and the albums Idlewind South , Eat A Peach , Brothers And Sisters and Live At Fillmore East were added to my collection.
Those days, in the late 1980s, it was a fad to listen to specially recorded cassettes on Sony Walkmans. So while the track lists were handwritten on the jackets, one hardly knew which band-member wrote which song, or whether it was a cover version. Not many had each vinyl record, which would have these details. Anyway, the LP fad was slowing down.
Most of us lent or gifted cassettes to friends, and shared whatever little knowledge we acquired through hearsay. Somewhere down the line, I heard ABB and Skynyrd were Southern Rock, along with some then-unknown-to-me groups like the Charlie Daniels Band, Barefoot Jerry, Marshall Tucker Band, Little Feat and Atlanta Rhythm Section. So when I found compact discs of these bands years later, I picked them up without hesitating. Also added Gregg Allman solo albums Laid Back and I'm No Angel to my collection.
Newer bits of otherwise-known trivia started trickling in. Like, before his fatal 1971 motorcycle crash, Duane Allman had played on the brilliant ‘Layla’ with Eric Clapton's band Derek and the Dominoes and with Wilson Pickett on a cover of the Beatles' ‘Hey Jude’. Or that Gregg Allman wrote ‘Midnight Rider’ and ‘Whipping Post’, and Betts wrote ‘Ramblin’ Man’ and ‘In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed’.
Then came the DVD phase. Suddenly, one could see some great concerts in drawing rooms. Compared to the earlier VHS phase, the variety was much larger. ABB's ‘Live At Great Woods’ concert was an eye-opener, and when music industry veteran Anand Prasad lent his copy of Scott Freeman's biography MidnightRiders, it gave me a completely new perspective.
Today, but for the dedicated vinyl hunters, it's all about YouTube and apps. The former offers some of the rarest song versions and concert recordings. And after Gregg Allman's death, one heard of many looking to buy ABB albums online. The consumption patterns have changed but the magic remains the same.
Gregg has now joined Duane, Berry and Butch for their great gig in the sky. It's a classic line-up of vocals/ keyboards, guitar, bass and drums. The Midnight Riders must surely be jamming to ‘Heavensboro Blues’. And cracking a ‘Whipping Post’.
