Duane Allman’s Contribution To Rock Music

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Duane Allman died in 1971 but his influence on guitarists is still with us. There are many recordings of rock songs that featured Duane Allman as a session player and it seems that his contribution helped make these tracks immortal.

It is part of rock guitar folk lore that Duane Allman taught himself to play slide guitar when he was sick with the flu. He was listening to a Taj Mahal album and decided to learn to play a song on the album – Statesboro Blues by Blind Willie McTell. Not having a guitar slide to use, he emptied the bottle of Coricidin he had at his bedside, removed the label and started his career as a slide guitar player.

Duane Allman’s first work as a session guitar player was on Wilson Pickett’s Hey Jude. His playing on this track was what brought him to Eric Clapton’s attention and also made him an in-demand session player for popular artists of the time like Clarence Carter, King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Otis Rush, Percy Sledge, Johnny Jenkins and Boz Scaggs. While we are on the subject, one of Duane Allman’s standout tracks was Loan Me A Dime on Boz Scaggs first album. If you have never heard of it, it is worth looking for.

The Allman Brothers Band gave Duane another outlet for his creativity without the constraints of playing for another artist. Duane Allman died shortly after the band’s third album went gold. The band is still playing to the present time.

Here is a video of Duane Allman at his best – The Allman Brothers Band with Duane – Whipping Post – Fillmore East – 09/23/1970 (Part 1):