Few musicians affected those close to him
as profoundly as Duane Allman did. Time and again, surviving friends
and musician-peers remember him not just for his prowess on guitar, but
also for his personal charisma, his leadership skills and his devotion
to those who comprised his inner circle. Below we’ve collected
some of the more incisive remembrances about Allman and his lasting impact.
Johnny Sandlin (producer/musician), on Duane’s ability
to bring out the best in his fellow musicians (as told to Swampland.com):
He was one of the most interesting, exciting
and alive people that I ever knew. He was one of the most intelligent
as well. Most of the time he was great to be around and he was so dedicated
to music and it was a central thing in our lives. Whenever anyone played
with Duane he would bring out the best in them. Not that it was a competition,
but he was an inspiration. He was one of the best that there ever was. |
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Dickey Betts (guitarist), on how Duane developed his style on slide guitar
(as told to Jasobrecht.com):
Well, Robert Johnson. You’ve heard that name a million times, but he’s
influenced so many people. I guess that he was probably one of the biggest
influences on Duane. [And] who’s the guy, the slide player? Elmore James!
He got really into Elmore James a lot for the electric part of it. You know,
Robert Johnson never played any electric, of course. So Elmore James was a
big influence on his electric slide.
Tom Dowd (producer), on Duane’s diplomatic skills
in the studio (as told to Swampland.com):
[Duane was] a pussycat, an absolute humble, soft spoken, brilliant leader.
He never provoked anyone in the band. He was never demonstrative, but he was
in charge and he got everyone to go the right way, whether he did it by playing
them something or saying something to them.
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John Hammond (guitarist), on
what it was like to record with Duane (as told to HittinTheNote.com):
Everybody just fell all over themselves
for Duane, you know. He was their idol. All of a sudden these [session]
guys knew exactly what I wanted them to do. From having not understood
a thing before, everybody understood what the deal was. Duane was the
catalyst completely for that. To play with him was like feeling almost
invincible, because he played everything right. He was just terrific.
It was more inspirational than actually learning notes and stuff. He
was a good friend.
Butch Trucks (drummer), on the purity of Duane’s
musical vision (as told to The
Aquarian):
Duane changed us all. He got us all to realize how important
music was and that being in a band isn’t about money and isn’t
about fame. It isn’t about success. It’s about playing music.
I think that our best music, and when we were having the most fun, was
up until Duane died. We lost that leader…. |
Eric Clapton (guitarist), on his friendship with Duane (from Clapton: The
Autobiography):
I was mesmerized by him. I felt sure he was the leader
of the band, just by his body language. Duane and I became inseparable during
the time we were in Florida
[recording Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs].
He was like the musical brother I’d never had but wished I did, more
so than Jimi [Hendrix], who was essentially a loner, while Duane was a family
man, a brother.
Phil Walden (Capricorn Records founder), on Duane’s disdain for rock “fashion” (as
told to Gibson.com):
For the first date outside the south, I booked them at
the Boston Tea Party, where they opened for the Velvet Underground. Most
of press who came out were into bands like The Who or other English groups.
The comments I heard that night were things like, “You know, you ought to dress up those guys a
bit.” And I remember Duane made one of his classic remarks, which was, “You
know, if you wanna go to a fashion show I suggest you go to the garment district.
But if you want to hear rock ‘n’ roll music, you shouldn’t
be too concerned about what we’re wearing.”
Paul Hornsby (producer/musician), on Duane’s genius
for innovation (as told to Blues.GR):
Duane was one of the few musicians, who I would go as
far as to say, was a genius. He was an inventor with the guitar. That’s a big difference from
being an imitator. In addition to being a great musician, he was just smart
intellectually and was charismatic. That’s just something you have and
can’t be explained. You either got it or you don’t.
Pete Carr (guitarist), on how Duane opened up new possibilities on the guitar
(as told to TheGearPage.com):
I think he took bottleneck a long, long way to people
who really hadn’t
heard that much bottleneck – blues-rock guitar bottleneck, anyway. Just
a lot of openness. When I say that, I mean as far as the playing style goes.
He brought a little more freedom – not so much locked into a certain
thing. You know, if you wanted to jam for a few minutes on a tune, you could
do it.
Gregg Allman (musician), on how Duane loved to stir things up (as told to
Gibson.com):
He was a triple Scorpio. If nothing was happening, he would make it happen.
And when he was sick, it was like no one except him had ever been sick. (laughs)
He was always the first to face the fire, in any circumstance. |
