The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guitar, vocals, songwriting), Berry Oakley (bass guitar), Butch Trucks (drums), and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson (drums). The band incorporated elements of Southern rock, blues, jazz, and country music, and their live shows featured jam band-style improvisation and instrumentals.
The group's first two studio releases stalled commercially, but their 1971 live release, At Fillmore East, represented an artistic and commercial breakthrough. The album features extended renderings of their songs "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Whipping Post", and is often considered the best live album ever made. Group leader Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident later that year, and the band dedicated Eat a Peach (1972) in his memory, a dual studio/live album that cemented the band's popularity. Following the motorcycle death of bassist Berry Oakley later that year, the group recruited keyboardist Chuck Leavell and bassist Lamar Williams for 1973's Brothers and Sisters, which, combined with the hit single "Ramblin' Man", placed the group at the forefront of 1970s rock music. Internal turmoil overtook them soon after; the group dissolved in 1976, reformed briefly at the end of the decade with additional personnel changes, and dissolved again in 1982.
The band re-formed once more in 1989, releasing a string of new albums and touring heavily. A series of personnel changes in the late 1990s was capped by the departure of Betts. The group found stability during the 2000s with bassist Oteil Burbridge and guitarists Warren Haynes (in his second stint with the band) and Derek Trucks (the nephew of their drummer) and became renowned for their month-long string of shows at New York City's Beacon Theatre each spring. The band retired for good in 2014. The band has been awarded seven gold and four platinum albums, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Rolling Stone ranked them 52nd on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004.
Studio and contemporary live albums More so than most bands, the Allman Brothers have frequently released live albums that filled the role of conventional studio albums, in that they were recently recorded and often contained new material not on any studio album, or significantly lengthened or revamped versions of studio material. An integral part of the contemporaneous evolution of the band, such live albums are included in this section.
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications USCA AUSGERNONLNZUK The Allman Brothers Band Released: November 1969 Label: Atco Format: LP 188 — — ————— Idlewild South Released: September 1970 Label: Atco Format: LP 38 — — ————— At Fillmore East (live) Released: July 6, 1971 Label: Capricorn Format: LP 13 44 — ————— RIAA: Platinum BPI: Silver Eat a Peach (part live) Released: February 1972 Label: Capricorn Format: LP 4 12 35————— RIAA: Platinum Brothers and Sisters Released: August 1973 Label: Capricorn Format: LP 1 1 5 52—10—42 RIAA: Platinum Win, Lose or Draw Released: August 1975 Label: Capricorn Format: LP 5 79 — ———14— RIAA: Gold Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas (live) Released: November 1976 Label: Capricorn Format: LP 75 71 — ————— Enlightened Rogues Released: February 1979 Label: Capricorn Format: LP 9 15 —————— RIAA: Gold Reach for the Sky Released: August 1980 Label: Arista Format: LP 27 74 92————— Brothers of the Road Released: August 1981 Label: Arista Format: LP 44 — — ————— Seven Turns Released: July 3, 1990 Label: Epic Format: CD 53 42 — —19——— Shades of Two Worlds Released: July 2, 1991 Label: Epic Format: CD 85 78 — ————— An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set (live) Released: June 9, 1992 Label: Epic Format: CD 80 — — ————— Where It All Begins Released: May 3, 1994 Label: Epic Format: CD 45 — — ————— RIAA: Gold An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set (live) Released: May 9, 1995 Label: Epic Format: CD 88 — — ————— Peakin' at the Beacon (live) Released: November 4, 2000 Label: Epic Format: CD — — — ————— Hittin' the Note Released: March 18, 2003 Label: Sanctuary Format: CD 37 — — 55———— One Way Out (live) Released: March 23, 2004 Label: Sanctuary Format: CD 190 — — ————— "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Retrospective live albums Retrospective live albums are concert recordings "from the vault" that were released on CD or LP years after the actual performances. Many of these albums feature the original lineup of the Allman Brothers Band, including Duane Allman on lead and slide guitar and Berry Oakley on bass.
Title Release date Notes Live at Ludlow Garage: 1970 April 20, 1990 Recorded April 11, 1970 at Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati Two CDs Fillmore East, February 1970 1996 Recorded February 11–14, 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York City Remastered and re-released in 2018 as Bear's Sonic Journals: Fillmore East, February 1970. American University 12/13/70 April 2002 Recorded December 13, 1970 at American University in Washington, D.C. S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook: Stonybrook, NY 9/19/71 March 2003 Recorded September 19, 1971 at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in Stony Brook, New York Two CDs Live at the Atlanta International Pop Festival: July 3 & 5, 1970 October 21, 2003 Recorded July 3 and 5, 1970 at the Atlanta International Pop Festival in Byron, Georgia Two CDs Macon City Auditorium: 2/11/72 2004 Recorded February 11, 1972 at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia Two CDs Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY: 5/1/73 2005 Recorded May 1, 1973 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York Two CDs Boston Common, 8/17/71 2007 Recorded August 17, 1971 at Boston Common in Boston Play All Night: Live at the Beacon Theatre 1992 February 18, 2014 Recorded March 10–11, 1992 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City Two CDs Live from A&R Studios April 1, 2016 Recorded August 26, 1971, at A&R Studios in New York City The Fox Box March 24, 2017 Recorded September 24–26, 2004 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta Eight CDs Remastered version of the 9-CD album of the same name that was released in 2004 Cream of the Crop 2003 June 15, 2018 Recorded July 25 – August 10, 2003 at various venues Four CDs Fillmore West '71 September 6, 2019 Recorded January 29–31, 1971 at the Fillmore West in San Francisco Four CDs The Final Note October 16, 2020 Recorded October 17, 1971 at the Painters Mill Music Fair in Owings Mills, Maryland Songs from the last concert with Duane Allman, captured on a hand-held cassette recorder Warner Theatre, Erie, PA 7-19-05 October 16, 2020 Recorded July 19, 2005 at the Warner Theatre in Erie, Pennsylvania Two CDs Down in Texas '71 March 26, 2021 Recorded September 28, 1971 at the Austin Municipal Auditorium in Austin, Texas Syria Mosque October 28, 2022 Recorded January 17, 1971 at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh Manley Field House, Syracuse University, April 7, 1972 January 12, 2024 Recorded April 7, 1972 at Manley Field House in Syracuse, New York Final Concert 10-28-14 October 25, 2024 Recorded October 28, 2014 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City
Compilation albums Title Album Details Peak chart positions CertificationUSCAGEUK Beginnings Released: 1973 Re-release of The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South 2538—— RIAA: Gold The Road Goes On Forever Released: 1975 Compilation of 17 songs (LP), expanded to 30 songs (CD) in 2001 43——54 The Best of the Allman Brothers BandErlewine, Stephen Thomas. The Best of the Allman Brother Band at AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2014. Released: 1981 Compilation of songs from their first eight albums ———— RIAA: Gold Dreams Released: June 1989 Compilation of songs from the Allman Brothers Band and from group members' solo albums 103——— RIAA: Gold A Decade of Hits 1969–1979 Released: October 22, 1991 Compilation of songs from their first eight albums 39——— RIAA: 2× Platinum Ramblin' ManErlewine, Stephen Thomas. Ramblin' Man at AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2014. Released: May 15, 1992 Compilation of songs from their first six albums ———— Hell & High Water: The Best of the Arista YearsHuey, Steve. Hell & High Water: The Best of the Arista Years at AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2014. Released: 1994 Compilation of songs from Reach for the Sky and Brothers of the Road ———— Legendary HitsTheakston, Rob. Legendary Hits at AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2014. Released: April 16, 1995 Compilation of songs from their first six albums ———— The Best of the Allman Brothers Band Live Released: 1996 Compilation of songs from At Fillmore East, Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas and the Gregg Allman solo album The Gregg Allman Tour Also released under the titles All Live!, and Jessica ———— Mycology: An Anthology Released: June 9, 1998 Compilation of songs from their 1990–1995 albums ———— Madness of the West Released: 1998 Compilation of songs from Reach for the Sky and Brothers of the Road ———— 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Allman Brothers Band Released: January 25, 2000 Compilation of songs from their first eight albums 89——— RIAA: Gold Still RockinRuhlmann, William. Still Rockin at AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2014. Released: September 26, 2000 Compilation of songs from Reach for the Sky and Brothers of the Road ———— Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: The Allman Brothers BandUnterberger, Richie. Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: The Allman Brothers Band at Allmusic. Retrieved March 7, 2014. Released: September 9, 2003 Compilation of blues-rock songs covered by the Allmans ———— Stand Back: The Anthology Released: June 8, 2004 2-CD compilation of songs from their 1969–2003 albums on various labels ———— The Essential Allman Brothers Band: The Epic Years Released: August 31, 2004 Compilation of songs from their 1990–1995 albums ———— Gold Released: October 11, 2005 Compiles the same tracks as the expanded reissue of The Road Goes On Forever ———— 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Allman Brothers Band — Live Released: July 29, 2007 Compilation of songs from At Fillmore East, Eat A Peach, and Dreams———— Playlist PlusMonger, James Christopher. Playlist Plus at AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2014. Released: April 29, 2008 3-CD compilation of songs from their first eight albums ———— Green Series: The Best of the Allman Brothers BandLeggett, Steve. Green Series: The Best of the Allman Brothers Band at AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2014. Released: April 29, 2008 Compilation of songs from their first eight albums ———— Trouble No More: 50th Anniversary Collection Released: February 28, 2020 Career retrospective compilation on 5 CDs or 10 LPs ——51—
Concert videos Title Album DetailsPeak Chart Position CertificationUS Brothers of the Road Released: 1982 Recorded: October 26, 1980 and December 16, 1981University of Florida Bandshell, Gainesville, FloridaCapitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York— Live at Great Woods Released: 1992 Recorded: September 6, 1991Great Woods Amphitheater, Mansfield, Massachusetts— RIAA: Gold Live at the Beacon Theatre Released: September 23, 2003 Recorded: March 25–26, 2003Beacon Theatre, New York, New York14 RIAA: Platinum 40 Released April 29, 2014 Recorded: March 26, 2009Beacon Theatre, New York, New York —
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