Long Live the ABB: Conversation from the Crossroads of Southern music, history, and culture with historian Bob Beatty

In my decades of research on the Allman Brothers Band, I have unearthed very few Lamar Williams quotes. This one comes from Downbeat magazine, September 1974. This is from a recent Conversation from the Crossroads episode with his son, Lamar Williams Jr.Downbeat writer Ray Townley spent significant time in Macon with the band and produced a fantastic four-page feature in the magazine Jaimoe called Heaven-sent.Here’s Lamar’s full quote.Were you accepted into the band immediately? It was a thing of adjusting to their particular style of music. I feel that musicians are able to . . . if you have to play country and western, then you’re going to play country and western; if you’re going to play jazz, you’ll adjust to that. Now, you take cats who are not real musicians, then they’re hung up in one particular bag, a lot of other things they’re not hip to.What does “Southern blues” mean? Well, I can relate to “down home,” you know? Musicians who come up in the South, musicians who come up on the West Coast, the East Coast, anywhere. That environment affects their heads. In most cities you have a whole bunch of other static going on. Down South, living in a small town, Macon, you have a lot of time to put into it. You have a lot of time to check out other stuff, to check out a lot of stuff in your head. The whole South is laid back, that’s where atmosphere comes from.What is the ABB’s special quality? It’s a religion. For instance, I can feel just blah, but when I get on that stage, there’ll be so much energy flowing from the other five cats that they just lift me in a real strong spiritual way till I don’t know how tired I am. It becomes a real strong spiritual thing to get to the point where the six cats on that stage, their job is to produce a sound, the Allman sound. But I don’t think it can be put in any particular category.We play the first and second numbers, all that time we’re feelin’ each other out, where everybody’s head is. As it goes up, everybody gets into a thing with each other. I can feel incredible vibes on that stage.Earth SchoolI cited my dude Richard Josey’s concept of life as “Earth School” as an example of what Lamar is talking about here. It is the concept that learning doesn’t end with formal schooling. We should be constantly learning and remain open to the possibilities of life. Here’s Richard on Conversation from the Crossroads defining Earth School.LagniappeTedeschi Trucks Band “It Ain’t Fair”>“Dreams” Beacon Theatre, 3/2/24Here’s what I mean about Alecia Chakour on “It Ain’t Fair” with a bonus “Dreams” tacked onto the end.I was there for this.Yes, I wept.🍄🍑MERCH🍑🍄Ad for ABB’s March 1971 run at Fillmore East This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.longlivetheabb.com/subscribe

Episode OverviewA few months ago, reader/subscriber/paid member J.D. Seem and I sat for a discussion on Matt Zako’s City’s Backyard podcast. Our conversation focused on At Fillmore East at 55—how the road-hardened band finally captured their live sound on their landmark album.In memory of J.D. SeemWe recorded this in July 2026 and before I edited this episode, I learned J.D. died suddenly at age 61. J.D. led the ABB tribute band Faster Things and has been an important part of my Allman Brothers family. He supported Long Live the ABB from the very beginning. Godspeed my friend.“Time goes by like hurricanes…And faster things”Our CrossroadsThere’s three folks in this conversation: me, J.D. and host Matt Zako of The City’s Backyard podcast. All of us are music lovers to the utmost degree. J.D. and I connected directly on our love and reverence for the Allman Brothers Band.The ConversationThis was an Allman Brothers Band history lesson through the eyes of two dyed-in-the-wool ABB fanatics. Our main topic was the 55th anniversary of the release of At Fillmore East, the record’s story, and the myriad connections we have to the album.* The risk. It’s 100% live (zero overdubs). The record succeeded in part because of great playing of great songs by a great band. Recording live was a risk, as was releasing a live album by a semi-unknown band who’d yet to break into the marketplace.* The recording. Tom Dowd’s recording makes the room sound alive. The band is well-rehearsed from hundreds of live shows and hours of rehearsal. At Fillmore East was the embodiment of the band’s image as the People’s Band. You can feel the energy of the band and audience.* The promotion. Band manager/record company owner/booking agent/music publisher Phil Walden fought his partner, Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records, on the final product. First, on the decision to issue a double album. Second, his campaign to sell the double album for a single album price.🍄Play All Night! Duane Allman & the Journey to Fillmore East🍄The origin story of a landmark album.BUY PLAY ALL NIGHTLagniappeHere’s J.D.’s band Faster Things on “Hot ’Lanta”Brought to you by the paid members of the Long Live the ABB community.🍄🍑MERCH🍑🍄Jimmy Carter reppin’ the ABB July 4 weekend 1976.Ad for ABB’s March 1971 run at Fillmore East. Here’s the original ad—with Johnny Winter at top of the bill. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.longlivetheabb.com/subscribe

Episode OverviewYou know it’s gonna be a great conversation when the assignment is to listen to the Avett Brothers in preparation for an interview. The Avett Brothers, Scott and Seth Avett with bassist Bob Crawford and cellist Joe Kwon have been going strong since the early 2000s. Tim Mossberger Avett Bros Archivist has been along for much of that journey as the band’s unofficial archivist. They are one of my ABBsolute favorite bands of the century. Like Tedeschi Trucks Band, they are a group that carries a vibe that always (always) brings me joy.Our CrossroadsTim and I share a love for a band that extends well beyond just listening to the music. My passion for the Allman Brothers Band led me on a 30+ year research journey, culminating in Play All Night. Tim’s love of the Avett Brothers has provided fans of the band with an extensive setlist archive and fan community at https://db.nov.blue/. We’re also students of southern music and culture. The ConversationTim and the Avett Brothers. Tim’s Avett Brothers obsession began with a review of A Carolina Jubilee in No Depression (remember magazines?). He connected with the honesty in the band’s songwriting and no-nonsense approach. And cited Dickey Betts—“We were no different from our audience except we were a band”—in explanation. (He quoted me quoting Dickey in Play All Night. Yes, that’s kinda surreal.)The Avett Brothers. Tim gave a great rundown on the band’s long career: from teenagers playing acoustic music, to rock/punk, to adding Bob Crawford on upright bass and Joe Kwon on cello, to the group’s decades-long collaboration with producer Rick Rubin.Avett Brothers archivist. Go to https://db.nov.blue/ to see the fruits of his labors, a collaboration with the band’s fan community. Tim’s in the credits for May It Last, the incredible 2017 documentary about the band. But as Tim says, the project is a collective effort that relies on the community for photos, videos, and stories. Follow Tim’s newsletter Avett Bros Archivist. Fan communities. This is my sweet spot, an area I spend a lot of time thinking and writing about. Like Tedeschi Trucks Band (and the ABB before them), Avett Brothers fans are very much part of the experience. Tim and I agree that fans, not the band, are responsible for preserving a band’s history. The artists themselves are focused on the goal at hand: creating music. Upgrade to support the Conversation from the Crossroads.PlaylistsTim shared a baker’s dozen of Avett Brothers’ cuts in three different categories. * Studio tracks https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIKPzLa0NnMk&si=Tl4w8wp5kl3lY5fm* Live cuts https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOD5a5yUtdvE&si=t0mNEHY-B6Vk8lq7 (Warren Haynes and Bob Weir each make an appearance.)* Covers https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRmOIkOW6WUs&si=CCsTVUMjPMq5ywXqLagniappeAvett Brothers “I Wish I Was” October 5, 2025, Miramar Beach, Florida. Video by yours truly.🍄Play All Night! Duane Allman & the Journey to Fillmore East🍄BUY PLAY ALL NIGHTBrought to you by the paid members of the Long Live the ABB community.🍄MUSHROOM🍄MAGICIANS🍄 Brent W. Hammond, Craig Stevens, Ken Lupson, Laura McCarty, Steve Marshall🍑 PEACH 🍑 PALS 🍑 Allen Barnes, Art Dobie, Baileys Mike, Bob and Laura, Bob Johnson, Brent Pruner, Bruce Miles, Buddy Lewis, Cabinetsales, Caroline Doolittle, charlie2541, Chuck Zumwalt, Clay Hall, Clifford Morse, Cwktwo, Danbookin, David Manes, Dennis Newton, Denny, DJ Brown, Ed Ashton, Ed Pokorny, F. D., Frank Young, Gary Nagle/Chairman Wonwayout, Gary Smith, Gary Williamson, George Holman, Hlnbkt, Irishbeatz, James Reynolds, James Yerrill, Jason Hecht, Jcsarphie, JD Guitar, Jeff Kushmerek, Jeff Schein, Jerry K, JoaquinDinero, Joe Sokohl, Joel Berger, Joel Tanzer, John Delaney, John Dolan, John Haughey, Jordan David, Joseph Lilly, Kenton Lee, Kevin Harper, Kevin Walker, Kurt Nielsen, Mark Leitner, Martha Haynes, Mike Clark, Patrick McKeary, Peter Poulos, Phillip Page, Preston Root, Randy Woodall, Ray Tillman, Robert Porter, Rose Brandt, Scott Green, sswoger, Stanleyglennie8, Steve Teodeki, Surrender Cobra, Taylor Kropp, Tim Langan (Hot ‘Lanta Tim), Tina Christopher, Tom Pragliola, Tony Dobek, Tony Gioia, Wade McCurdy, Wiszowa🍄🍑MERCH🍑🍄Jimmy Carter reppin’ the ABB July 4 weekend 1976.Ad for ABB’s March 1971 run at Fillmore East. Here’s the original ad—with Johnny Winter at top of the bill. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.longlivetheabb.com/subscribe

Episode OverviewReese Wynans joins me at the crossroads to discuss his role in the founding of the Allman Brothers Band. Reese was a collaborator of Dickey’s going back to their days in the Sarasota scene. He was a member of the Second Coming with Dickey and Berry. And, of course, Reese manned the Hammond B-3 in the first jam of the Allman Brothers Band, March 23, 1969. Three days later, Gregg returned, and Reese was out of a gig.Part two begins with him joining Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Here’s Part 1.Our CrossroadsThis one’s simple, Reese’s seven-decades-long association with the Allman Brothers Band spanning 57 years (and counting).The ConversationStevie Ray Vaughan. Reese played keyboards for Double Trouble from 1985 until Stevie’s tragic death in a helicopter crash August 27, 1990. He speaks reverently of his time alongside one of the most important blues guitarists of his generation.Berry Oakley. Carrying the influence of Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead, Reese called Berry the engine that ran the jams. In the Second Coming and later with the Allman Brothers Band, Berry directed the band with a lead bass sound.The Brothers at Madison Square Garden. I always felt it was particularly fitting that Reese manned the B-3 spot he’d long-before conceded to Gregg. The significance was not lost on Reese either, nor was the band’s choice to open the 2020 show with “Don’t Want You No More,” a cover Berry and Dickey took with them to the ABB from the Second Coming.Sweet Release. Reese’s 2019 solo album that includes guest appearances by Allman Brothers Warren Haynes and Jack Pearson; Reese’s Double Trouble bandmates Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton; and Joe Bonamassa, Vince Gill, Bonnie Bramlett, and Jimmy Hall, among others. https://shop.jbonamassa.com/products/reese-wynans-and-friends-sweet-release-double-vinyl🍄Play All Night! Duane Allman & the Journey to Fillmore East🍄 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.longlivetheabb.com/subscribe

Episode OverviewDana Dowd, daughter of producer Tom Dowd tomdowd.org, joins me at the Crossroads to talk about her father’s life and legacy. Our conversation ranged far beyond Tom’s truly significant role with the Allman Brothers Band. Dana is a legit archivist who has spent decades compiling and caring for her father’s legacy. Our CrossroadsThe Allman Brothers Band is where we directly intersect, but I’ve been listening to her father’s work at least since I bought Disraeli Gears at the used record store when I was about 12 or 13. We’re South Florida natives, Dana grew up in the “big city” of Miami. We share respect/reverence for our own dads’ contributions in the world, and a drive to “get it right.” The ConversationTom Dowd, the man. Dana shared her father’s backstory as a 16-year-old bottle washer at a physics lab, to his work on the Manhattan Project during World War II—efforts he swore to silence. Don’t miss the discussion about the Bikini Islands.Tom Dowd, the audio genius. Dowd invented the first linear console, using faders rather than dials to control volume. He was among the first to mike a room rather than forcing all musicians to record from the same microphone. Tom was also an early pioneer of stereo recording. The Allman Brothers. Tom Dowd heard the ABB for the first time on a trip to Macon sometime in summer 1969. “Get them to me immediately. They are ready,” he said. But Dowd wasn’t available when the Allmans recorded their debut album, so the production task went to Adrian Barber. Dowd produced the band’s next 3 albums—Idlewild South, At Fillmore East, and Eat a Peach. Legacy. Dana shares the story of why the 2003 Grammy-nominated documentary Tom Dowd & the Language of Music has never seen re-release. And at tomdowd.org she’s curating an 8,000-entry discography built from “love notes” Tom left her among his effects. She continues to mentor younger audio students who study her father’s work. Off the Record, On the Charts is her podcast with the sons of two other legendary Atlantic Records producers: Joe Mardin (Arif) and Adam Dorn (Joel). It’s a must-listen. They get DEEP and know their shit. Paid members get previews of new Conversation from the Crossroads episodes🍄Play All Night! Duane Allman & the Journey to Fillmore East🍄BUY PLAY ALL NIGHT This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.longlivetheabb.com/subscribe