The tragic fate of The Allman Brothers
Sometimes, life does have some strange coincidences in store for us, but there’s something especially cruel about what happened to The Allman Brothers Band. Originally made up of brother Duane and Gregg Allman, alongside Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jai Johanny ‘Jaimoe’ Johanson, the Floridian rock band were just in the stages of truly finding their feet when tragedy struck them in the worst of ways – not once, but twice.
The band’s first two albums – The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South, released in 1969 and 1970, respectively – had gained limited critical success, but it was three times the charm when it came to their next record in 1971, At Fillmore East, which began their breakthrough into the rock and roll landscape. Riding high, The Allman Brothers were set to keep moving on to bigger things.
That was until the night of October 29th, 1971, when the fate of the band would be forever changed. Lead guitarist and founder Duane Allman was driving his motorcycle down a quiet road in Georgia when he collided with a truck and dragged a far stretch across the ground with his vehicle on top of him. Tragically, he was not able to survive his injuries and was pronounced dead in hospital some hours later.
Devastating as this was for the band, they continued to make music in Allman’s honour, and their next album, Eat a Peach from 1972, was dedicated to his memory. In a subverted sense, it turned out to be a fitting tribute as this was the album that cemented them for a legion of fans and brought critical acclaim. However, lightning was set to strike again and leave the good feeling in ruin.
This came just a year and 13 days after Allman’s passing, on November 11th, 1972, when bassist Berry Oakley set out on another motorcycle ride in Georgia. Inconceivably, he too crashed – and to make matters even more spooky, it happened just three streets over from where his bandmate had lost his life. Allegedly under the influence, Oakley dismissed the need for medical treatment and headed home. However, later in the night, he reported feelings of delirium – but, heartbreakingly, by the time he was taken to hospital, it was already too late. He, too, was pronounced dead from a fractured skull and brain swelling.
The utter desperation of these circumstances would be enough to disturb anyone, but even more tragically coincidental was the fact that Allman and Oakley were both 24 years old at the time of their deaths. Despite the heartbreaking turn of events that had befallen them, the remaining members of The Allman Brothers, along with some new recruits, continued to high success in their musical pursuits until they finally decided to break up in 1976. There were various reunions that ensued over the years, but none could replace the magic of their fallen friends.
The impact of The Allman Brothers is considered to be seismic in the overall scene of rock, but sadly, only original member Jaimoe is still living—Gregg Allman and Trucks both passed away in 2017, and subsequent member Dickey Betts died earlier this year. It is more important than ever to maintain their significant legacy, both as part of the rock and roll canon and to honour those who made it.
