The Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band drew from a deep well of influences including blues, jazz, R&B and country to create a new, distinctly southern brand of rock and roll whose remarkable virtuosity and improvisatory daring inspired generations of musicians to follow.

Guitarist Duane Allman and younger sibling Gregg (keyboards) formed the Allman Brothers Band with guitarist Dickey Betts, bassist Berry Oakley, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johanson. This unique configuration, highlighted by its incendiary guitar harmonies and topped off by Gregg Allman's soulful, preternaturally wizened vocals, created a powerful and distinctive sound - dubbed Southern rock - that set the group apart from its contemporaries.

The Allman Brothers Band signed to Capricorn Records to release their 1969 self-titled debut LP, followed a year later by Idlewild South. Neither album generated much attention, but the band's herculean live performances earned an intense cult following, culminating in 1971's landmark live set At Fillmore East, highlighted by epic renditions of ABB classics including "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Whipping Post." However, just months after the album's release, Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident, and a little more than a year later, Oakley suffered his own fatal motorcycle mishap.

The Allman Brothers Band carried on with a rebooted lineup, scoring its biggest radio hit with Betts' "Ramblin' Man," culled from 1973's Brothers and Sisters. Internal tensions swelled, however, and in 1976 the Allmans dissolved; many reunions and lineup changes followed, although they remained a reliable live attraction before retiring for good in October 2014 after one final run of shows at New York City's Beacon Theatre.