The Allman Brothers Band

In honour of the 37th Anniversary of Cher and Gregg Allman's unlikely marriage, I'll be talking about The Allman Brothers Band. But before that, a quick bit about Cher and Gregg Allman. Apparently, after 9 or 10 days of marriage, Cher realized that Gregg's drinking problem was too much for her, so she filed for divorce against him. He sobered up, then ended up filing for divorce in December of 1975, an act which didn't come to fruition. They had Elijah Blue Allman in 1976 and divorced in 1979, but not before recording an album together called Two the Hard Way under the name of Allman and Woman. And now, on to The Allman Brothers Band...

Gregg Allman and Cher - they had a son, Elijah Blue Allman

In 2008, my then-boyfriend dragged me to his high school's end-of-year music concert. The band ended up playing a lot of classic tunes and "Jessica" was among them. I made a note of it on the program and looked it up when I got home. Needless to say, it led me to the world of The Allman Brothers Band and "Jessica" is a staple on my finals playlists.

The Allman Brothers Band was composed of Duane and Gregg Allman, supported by Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Jia Johnson, and Butch Trucks, and formed in Jacksonville, FL in 1969. They're a bluesy-jazz band that is considered one of the architects of Southern Rock and incorporate a jam band style, much like the Grateful Dead. "Ramblin' Man" is one of their most famous hits and parts of "Jessica" are currently used in BBC Top Gear's intro (Both are from Brothers and Sisters).

Duane Allman, live at the Fillmore East in 1971

Unfortunately, shortly after their live album Fillmore East went gold, Duane died in a motorcycle accident in 1971, but the band decided to move on without him. In February of 1972, the band released Eat A Peach. It was a lot softer, as seen in the songs "Blue Sky" and "Little Martha," and finished with the dreamy 34-minute "Mountain Jam" from the Fillmore East concert. "Mountain Jam" is a sweet jam song - it's not repetitive and is a great to tune to just chill out to.

The band dissolved in 1976, got back together in 1978, broke up again in 1982, and has been on again since 1989. In 2009, the band celebrated their 40th anniversary by performing at the Beacon Theater in NY for 15 days. It included guest appearances such as Eric Clapton, Phish, and the Grateful Dead. On the last two nights, the band played their first two albums in full. The entire run was dedicated to Duane. In 2012, The Allman Brothers Band was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award.

To keep up with Gregg Allman, visit his website: http://www.greggallman.com/

To keep up with Allman Brothers Band news and tour dates, visit the website: http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/