The Allman Brothers Band

Biography & Overview

The Allman Brothers Band were an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969. Brothers Duane (slide guitar, lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards) founded it with Dickey Betts (lead guitar, vocals), Berry Oakley (bass), Butch Trucks (drums), and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson (drums). Subsequently based in Macon, Georgia, they incorporated elements of blues, jazz and country music and their live shows featured jam band-style improvisation and instrumentals. The band's first two studio albums, The Allman Brothers Band (1969) and Idlewild South (1970), both released by Capricorn Records, were not commercially successful, but their 1971 live album At Fillmore East was a critical and commercial breakthrough.