Duane Allman: How the “best guitarist” gave Don Felder his career
During the mid-1970s, some of the biggest names in rock music were starting to emerge out of the southern states of America. Although most of the music superstars usually came from California or New York, artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd were starting to make a name for themselves with songs like ‘Sweet Home Alabama’, with fellow Florida musicians like Tom Petty honing his craft. In between the millions of guitar acolytes, a young kid named Don Felder was refining his chops before spreading his wings.
Long before he was known for his classic solos with the Eagles’ material, Felder was known as a prominent session musician, working on different songs for plenty of other rock musicians. In his travels through various bands, though, Felder learned the most from working alongside the fathers of southern rock.
Although Lynyrd Skynyrd might have the distinction of being one of the most popular southern rock acts, The Allman Brothers were right beside them, bringing their unique brand of bluesy flair and boogie across the country. While the band could jam for hours without breaking a sweat, Duane Allman’s playing significantly impacted Felder.
As Felder recalled to Goldmine, he was knocked out seeing the Allmans work together, remembering, “They were the best band, Duane by far was the best guitar player, and Gregg was such a cool singer with a great voice”. Having already worked with various acts in his native Gainesville, Felder got the chance of a lifetime when he was given a lesson from the man himself about how to play the guitar.
Since Duane was known for his incendiary slide licks, Felder remembered asking him how to make his guitar sing like that, saying, “We later ended up at their mother’s house with Duane on the floor playing slide guitar. I said, ‘You gotta show me how to do that!’ If Duane hadn’t taught me how to do that, none of this probably would have happened”.
Although Felder would first utilise the slide technique in the song ‘Good Day in Hell’ from the Eagles album On the Border, it would not become as much of a foundation of his style. Once Joe Walsh was brought into the group for the album Hotel California, Felder began honing his craft as part of a guitar tandem, often playing lead alongside Walsh and playing off each other in whatever way they knew how.
Felder’s real lesson didn’t come from the slide guitar but from how Allman phrased most of his licks. When listening to songs like ‘New Kid In Town’, Felder treats his lead breaks just like a singer would, which aligns with Allman’s habit of making his guitar sound like it’s crying out in pain whenever he touched it.
After dying following a motorcycle accident, Allman became a guitar legend, with students like Felder picking up where he left off just a few years before. Felder already had a certain amount of chops playing in various outfits, but Allman’s knowledge of melody helped teach a valuable lesson: learn to play the song rather than the instrument.
