Wild And Reckless Facts About Duane Allman, Rock's Rambling Man

And Then There Was One

A musical powerhouse, the Allman Brothers’ greatest triumph came just before their most heartwrenching tragedy: the death of Duane Allman, one of the great guitar players of all time, rupturing one of the greatest bands ever known. The tale starts somewhere special, but it’s a bumpy ride almost from the start.


1. He Was Born In The Right Place

Duane Allman was born in 1946 in Nashville, Tennessee, that almost mythical musical kingdom in America’s South.

His brother Gregg was born 13 months later, but the family would soon be on the move due to the father’s military service, ending up in Norfolk, Virginia. It’s here where the family’s first tragedy would strike.

Guitarist Duane Allman playing a guitar in hotel room

Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images

2. He Soon Saw Tragedy

Lieutenant Willis Allman and a fellow officer struck up a conversation with an army vet—unaware of the man's murderous intent. The vet returned later that day and shot Allman, taking all his money. It was the day after Christmas, 1949, and the brothers were now fatherless. 

Their mother, Geraldine, would have to figure out how to make ends meet.

Photo of Allman Brothers October 16, 1970, Alabama

Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images

3. His Mother Sent Him Away

Geraldine decided to train as an accountant, and, no longer able to play housewife, sent her children off to a military academy in Tennessee.

But the boys weren’t destined to follow in their father’s footsteps—they loathed every minute at the academy.

But soon they’d be moving to another cultural hotspot, this time even further south.

Lebanon Tennessee City Hall

Ichabod, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

4. He Moved To Another Hotbed of Culture

Daytona Beach, land of NASCAR races and white-sand beaches, would be the brothers’ next home, and they soon enrolled in Seabreeze High School.

This was a welcome end to the military discipline of their former school—but it was not the end of their visits to Tennessee.

Daytona Beach old images

Boston Public Library, Picryl