Capricorn 0111
Producers: Johnny Sandlin and the Allman Brothers Band
Track listing: Wasted Words / Ramblin’ Man / Come and Go Blues /Jelly Jelly / Southbound / Jessica / Pony Boy
September 8, 1973
5 weeks
Brothers and Sisters was truly a bittersweet triumph for the Allman Brothers Band. After several false starts as the Allman Joys, the Hour Glass, and the 31st of February, Duane and Gregg Allman formed the Allman Brothers Band in March 1969.
Duane, the elder Allman, had become an acclaimed session player, working for the likes of Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, and Wilson Pickett. The Allman Brothers Band teamed the guitarist and his brother, singer/keyboardist/guitarist Gregg, with second guitarist Dickey Betts, bassist Berry Oakley, and drummers Butch Trucks and “Jaimoe” Johnson.
The group’s distinctive blend of rock, R&B, and blues was captured on its self-titled debut and Idlewood South, released in 1969 and 1970 on Atco. At Fillmore East, released on Capricorn in 1971, captured the feel of the band’s acclaimed live performances. It peaked at number 13, while critics hailed the Allmans as America’s best rock ‘n’ roll group.
Then tragedy struck. On October 29, 1971, Duane was killed in a motorcycle accident in Macon, Georgia. Eat a Peach, which combined three tracks recorded in the studio before Duane’s death along with live material from the Fillmore East concerts, reached number four.
Just as the band was getting back on its feet, tragedy struck again. On November 11, 1972, bassist Oakley was killed in a motorcycle crash, three blocks away from the site of Duane’s accident.
“We had just gotten through the thing with Duane the previous album. It took a year or so to just to get straightened out, because that was such a shock to us all. Then we lost Berry in the middle of Brothers and Sisters,” recalls Betts. “That whole period was really tough on all of us.”
The band opted not to replace Duane with another guitarist. Instead, keyboardist Chuck Leavell filled out the sound, while bassist Lamar Williams replaced Oakley.
One of the last tracks recorded with Oakley was “Ramblin’ Man,” a tune that Betts penned but wasn’t sure was right for the Allmans. “I thought it was a little bit too country for our band,” recalls Betts. “I knew it was a good song, but I thought someone else would cut it, but the band loved it.” So it wouldn’t be mistaken for a country tune, Betts composed a stacked ending with layered guitars, giving it a definitive rock ‘n’ roll feel. The song, which reached number two, became a blueprint for what would be known as “Southern rock.” That distinctive sound was also heard on the instrumental “Jessica,” which was named for Betts’s daughter.
With Gregg Allman’s backlog of songs drying up, Betts rose to the forefront, writing four of the album’s seven tracks, and handling the lead vocals on “Ramblin’ Man” and “Pony Boy.”
The influence of the fallen Allmans lived on as well. On “Pony Boy,” Betts played Duane Allman’s 1932 Dobro guitar, which was given to him by the Allman family after Duane’s death. And the final words in the liner notes state, “Dedicated to a brother — Berry Oakley.”
THE TOP FIVE
Week of September 8, 1973
1. Brothers and Sisters, The Allman Brothers Band
2. VI, Chicago
3. The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
4. Foreigner, Cat Stevens
5. We’re an American Band, Grand Funk