Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American guitarist, session musician, co-founder and leader of the The Allman Brothers Band until his death in a motorcycle accident in 1971 at the age of 24.The Allman Brothers Band was formed in 1969 and based in the Southeastern United States. In the early 1970s, the band had major success. Allman is best remembered for his brief but influential tenure in the band and in particular for his expressive slide guitar playing and inventive improvisational skills. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Allman at #2 in their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, second only to Jimi Hendrix and in 2011 he was ranked #9. His tone (achieved with a Gibson Les Paul and two 50-watt bass Marshall amplifiers) was named one of the greatest guitar tones of all time by Guitar Player.A sought-after session musician both before and during his tenure with the band, Duane Allman performed with such established stars as King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Herbie Mann. He also contributed heavily to the 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos.Duane Allman's skills as a guitarist were complemented by personal qualities such as his intensity, drive and ability to draw the best out of others in making music. He is still referred to by his nickname "Skydog".
November 20, 1946, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Died
October 29, 1971, Macon, Georgia, United States
Place Of Birth
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Profession
Guitarist, Songwriter
Education
Seabreeze High School
Nationality
American
Children
Galadrielle Allman
Parents
Willis Turner Allman, Geraldine Alice
Siblings
Gregg Allman
Music Groups
The Allman Brothers Band (1969 – 1971)
Star Sign
Scorpio
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Trademark
1
Gibson Les Paul
2
Long guitar riffs
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Fact
1
As a term of endearment, he called his brother Gregg "baybrah", short for "baby brother".
2
Release of the book, "SkyDog: The Story of Duane Allman" by Randy Poe. [2005]
3
Played on Jazz flutist Herbie Mann's 1971 release, "Push Push". Herbie Mann covered The Allman Brothers Band's song, "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", on his 1973 release, "Turtle Bay".
He helped Eric Clapton record the album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs." Clapton, in turn, wrote the score to the film Rush (1991); that film featured Duane's brother, Gregg Allman.
7
The Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Free Bird" was dedicated to him.
8
Played guitar on the Derek and the Dominos song "Layla." He and Domino member Eric Clapton were very good friends, and they held a lot of respect for each other.
Duane Allman is among the most famous players of electric slide guitar, and almost certainly the greatest. Duane played bottleneck slide using a glass Coricidin D cold medicine bottle, and usually tuned his guitar to open E.
11
The nickname "SkyDog" is a blending of Duane's two older nicknames. Wilson Pickett, whom Duane worked with as a session musician in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, (they recorded a cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude", among other songs) dubbed Duane "Skyman Allman". Duane had also been called "Dog", because of his thick sideburns and long hair.
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The History of Rock 'n' Roll
1995
TV Series documentary
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Song of the South: Duane Allman and the Birth of the Allman Brothers Band
$700,000