The Allman Brothers Band
USA, 1969–2014
American band formed in 1969, combining Delta and Chicago blues with extended modal improvisation. At Fillmore East (1971) documents Duane Allman's slide playing and Dickey Betts's melodic lines, and established Southern rock.
MusicRoots documents 7 artists who influenced The Allman Brothers Band and 2 artists The Allman Brothers Band influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.
Who influenced The Allman Brothers Band?
- B.B. King — B.B. King was a shared foundation for both Duane and Dickey Betts — the singing, string-bending blues lead at the core of the Allmans' guitar language.
- Muddy Waters — Muddy Waters's electric Chicago blues was a bedrock of the band's repertoire and improvisational base.
- Robert Johnson — Robert Johnson's Delta blues fed Duane Allman's slide vocabulary — the deepest root of the band's blues.
- Elmore James — Elmore James's electric slide was Duane Allman's direct model — the roaring bottleneck sound behind the Allmans' 'Statesboro Blues'.
- Miles Davis — The band's improvisational reach came from jazz — Betts and Berry Oakley were fascinated by the modal Kind of Blue, the harmonic openness behind their extended jams.
- John Coltrane — Coltrane's modal, exploratory improvisation was a model for the Allmans' long-form jamming — the jazz spirit under 'Whipping Post' and 'Mountain Jam'.
- James Brown — Duane Allman was a devotee of James Brown — the funk rhythmic drive beneath the band's groove (Duane's session work at FAME steeped him in it).
Which artists did The Allman Brothers Band influence?
- Blind Melon — The Allman Brothers' Southern jam-rock looseness is a clear model for Blind Melon's organic, improvisational alt-rock.
- Kings of Leon — Echoed in Kings of Leon's tone and approach, with Skynyrd and Creedence.