I never got to see the Allman Brothers, although I came close to it several times. The last time I got there just in time to hear the closing notes of their last song. By the time I got in the building, they were already off the stage. That was at the local armory--a place that used to be a great venue for all kinds of bands.
Right before they became the Allman Brothers, they were known as the Hour Glass. They practiced in this area because their drummer Johnny Sandlin lived here. So I've heard several stories from musicians and other people I know about Gregg and Duane. For example, several years ago, I got into a conversation about music with my dental hygienist. She was telling me about being a young teenager out in the country where they used to practice. She had taken a motorcycle ride with Duane one day without her father's permission. When her father found out, of course he was extremely pissed off. I used to have the 45 of the Hour Glass single "The Power of Love." It was a regional hit here, although from what I read none of that stuff they did as the Hour Glass got any national attention. In speaking of the Hour Glass, Duane Allman had said, "A good damn band of misled cats is what it was." How much of a difference Berry Oakley's addition to the band made may be hard to calculate. Personally, I think it made a big difference. Of course by that time the Hour Glass was no more and they were the Allman Brothers Band.
