Jerry Garcia on the similarities between the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers
On paper, there were plenty of similarities between the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers Band. Both were pioneering rock bands who excelled at improvisation and extended jams. Both integrated classic Americana imagery into their lyrics. Both groups had two drummers. In fact, if you were hanging around the Fillmore East in the early 1970s, there were a couple of opportunities to watch Jerry Garcia, and Duane Allman melt faces on the same bill.
The Dead and the Allman Bros shared the same Fillmore East bill on February 11th, during which Duane Allman and Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green joined the Dead on a scorching ‘Dark Star>Spanish Jam>Turn On Your Lovelight’ sequence. The Dead and the Allmans would meet up again in the following years, sharing bills at large-scale stadium events like the historic weekend at Watkins Glen in July of 1973.
During a 1973 interview, Garcia explained what the dynamic was like between the two bands and the similarities they shared. “It’s kind of like playing with us the way we were five years ago,” Garcia shared. “Musically and setupwise, they’re kind of similar to the way we used to be. They especially sounded like us when they were the original Allman Brothers. They had two drummers, two guitars, organ, and bass – exactly the instrumentation we had.”
By 1973, the Dead had gone through some extensive changes to their sound and their lineup. Original organist/harmonica player/frontman Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan had died early that year and hadn’t played with the band since the early summer of 1972. New keyboardist Keith Godchaux was added to the band, as was his wife Donna Jean Godchaux, who began singing with the group in late 1971. Keith largely favoured sticking with the upright piano, fundamentally changing the Dead’s previous organ-heavy sound and pushing them into a jazzier direction.
“Dickey [Betts] and the guys had flashed on our music when we played a festival in Florida about five or six years ago. We really inspired them and they patterned a lot of their trip after us,” Garcia added. “They’re like a younger, Southern version of us in some ways musically. I really enjoy playing with those guys; they’re fun to play with. They’re good.”
If you really want to go digging, there are audience tapes and soundboards of the February jam at the Fillmore East, but if you want a small taste (well, small by these bands’ standards), you can check out some of the ‘Spanish Jam’ from that concert down below.
