Formed in Macon, Georgia, USA, in 1969 by guitarist Duane Allman (b. Howard Duane Allman, 20   November 1946, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, d. 29 October 1971, Macon, Georgia, USA), the band   included brother Gregg Allman (b. Gregory Lenoir Allman, 8 December 1947, Nashville, Tennessee, USA;   keyboards, vocals), Forrest Richard 'Dickie' Betts (b. 12 December 1943, West Palm Beach, Florida,   USA; guitar), Raymond Berry Oakley (b. 4 April 1948, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 11 November 1972; bass),   Butch Trucks (b. Claude Hudson Trucks Jnr., Jacksonville, Florida, USA; drums) and Jai 'Jaimoe' Johanny   Johanson (b. John Lee Johnson, 8 July 1944, Ocean Springs, Mississippi, USA; drums).

    The above line-up   was an amalgamation of the members of several southern-based aspirants, of which the Hour Glass was  the most prolific. The latter pop/soul ensemble featured Duane and Gregg Allman, and broke up when  demo tapes for a projected third album were rejected by their record company. Duane then found   employment at the Fame studio where he participated in several sessions, including those for Aretha
  Franklin, Wilson Pickett and King Curtis, prior to instigating this new sextet. The Allman Brothers   established themselves as a popular live attraction and their first two albums, The Allman Brothers Band   and Idlewild South, were marked by strong blues-based roots and an exciting rhythmic drive.
    Nevertheless, it was a sensational two-album set, Live At The Fillmore East, that showcased the group's emotional fire.   'Whipping Post', a 22-minute tour de force, remains one of rock music's definitive
improvisational   performances. The set brought the band to the brink of stardom, while Duane's reputation as an  outstanding slide guitarist was further enhanced by his contribution to Layla And Other Assorted Love
  Songs, the seminal Derek And The Dominos album. Unfortunately, tragedy struck on 29 October 1971   when this gifted musician was killed in a motorcycle accident.
    The remaining members completed Eat A   Peach, which consisted of live and studio material, before embarking on a more mellow direction with the   US chart-topper Brothers And Sisters, a style best exemplified by the album's number 2 hit single,   'Ramblin' Man'. A second pianist, Chuck Leavell (b. 1950, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA), was added to the   line-up, but just as the band recovered its momentum, Berry Oakley was killed in an accident chillingly   similar to that of his former colleague on 11 November 1972.
    Not surprisingly, the Allman Brothers seemed   deflated, and subsequent releases failed to match the fire of those first recordings. Their power was further   diminished by several offshoot projects. Gregg Allman (who later married Cher twice) and Dickie Betts  embarked on solo careers while Leavell, Johanson and new bassist Lamar Williams (b. 1947, Hansboro,   Mississippi, USA, d. 25 January 1983, a victim of cancer) formed Sea Level. The Allmans broke up   acrimoniously in 1976 following a notorious drugs trial in which Gregg testified against a former road
  manager.
    Although the other members vowed never to work with the vocalist again, a reconstituted 1978   line-up included Allman, Betts and Trucks. Enlightened Rogues was a US Top 10 success, but subsequent
  albums fared less well and in 1982 the Allman Brothers Band split for a second time. A new incarnation   appeared in 1989 with a line-up of Gregg Allman (vocals, organ), Betts (vocals, lead guitar), Warren Haynes   (vocals, slide and lead guitar), Allen Woody (bass), Johnny Neel (keyboards), Trucks (drums) and Mark   Quinones (percussion).

    This much-heralded reunion spawned a credible release: Seven Turns. Neel left the  band and the remaining sextet made Shades Of Two Worlds. Quinones (congas and percussion) joined for  An Evening With The Allman Brothers Band in 1992. The 1994 album, Where It All Begins, was recorded  effectively live in the studio, with production once more by Allman Brothers veteran Tom Dowd. Further  studio work followed, but it is as a touring unit that the band retains its remarkable popularity. Woody and  Haynes left in April 1997 to join Gov't Mule. New members Derek Trucks (guitar) and Oteil Burbridge  (bass) were subsequently added to the line-up. The work displayed on the Allman Brothers Band first five
  albums remains among the finest guitar music recorded during the late 60s and early 70s, noted, in  particular, for the skilful interplay between two gifted, imaginative guitarists.