(Credits: Far Out / Ed Berman)
Wed 19 November 2025 16:10, UK
Duane Allman had the good fortune of working with a number of legendary artists during his tragically short career. The Allman Brothers Band leader got his first major break at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and never looked back.
Before he turned 21, Allman had appeared on songs by Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and King Curtis, among a host of other legendary names. Most of these established stars instantly recognised how great he was on guitar. But his biggest praise lay ahead of him.
While attempting to kickstart the Allman Brothers, Duane also crossed paths with the widely revered Eric Clapton. The British guitarist who was once called “god” on the London scene had already been through The Yardbirds, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream, and Blind Faith by that point, but when he invited Allman to play with his new band, Derek & the Dominos, it still represented a mammoth seal of approval.
Allman’s slide guitar became a crucial part of Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, the band’s only album, but Allman declined to join full-time in order to focus on the Allman Brothers. They offered him a realm where he could flex more of his skills, and he always enjoyed complete freedom in music, whether he was playing it or listening.
The Allmans would eventually make their name as a live unit, breaking through to the mainstream with their 1971 live album At Fillmore East. During those shows, the band often shared the stage with fellow jam band pioneers, the Grateful Dead. Allman was particularly fond of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia.
Jerry Garcia on stage in 1972. (Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
“I love the Dead,” Allman enthusiastically told Dave Herman at New York radio station WABC-FM in 1970. “As for Jerry Garcia, Jerry Garcia could walk on water. He could do anything any man could ever do. He’s a prince,” he said, reflecting on the fluff ball’s amazing freedom and range.
That love was reciprocated. “We always loved playing with the Allman Brothers,” Grateful Dead rhythm guitarist Bob Weir confirmed in Alan Paul’s book One Way Out. “We developed a close relationship with Duane that unfortunately never had the time to blossom because he was gone so soon. Over the years, I got closer with Dickey as well and have always enjoyed playing with him.”
When asked in 1974 about the parallels between the two bands, Garcia noted that their approaches were similar. “Yeah, to a certain extent – I mean, insofar as their setup is basically the same as what ours was a few years ago, the thing of having two drummers and two guitars, and bass and organ,” Garcia told Kenny Wardell.
He added: “Their original form was the same as our form… [They’re the] only other band that’s really using two drummers to any degree, and in a sense, they sort of took up from where we left off on that level, went in their own direction with it, which has been groovy as far as I’m concerned. We’ve gone somewhere else musically and been trying out different things.”
Bassist Phil Lesh also thought that the Dead and the Allmans had a similar approach to jamming. ”As musicians, those guys have always had that same kind of open mind and willingness to go for the brass ring even at the risk of falling flat on their faces, which is very endearing to me,” Lesh told Alan Paul in 2000. “And it doesn’t surprise me that they could come up with the idea in Georgia while we were doing so in California. There are times when things are in the air.”
The Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band shared bills at the Fillmore East frequently throughout 1970 and 1971, and after Duane died in a motorcycle accident, the two bands continued to be close. In 1973, along with The Band, the Dead, and the Allmans played the Watkins Glen Summer Jam in July, which attracted more than half a million concertgoers.
Listen to Duane Allman jam with the Grateful Dead on ‘Dark Star’ down below.
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