Chocolate Thunder – the Slam interview

Posting the picture of me and Darryl Dawkins in the Shanghai Ritz Carlton lobby in 2007 on Facebook generated a lot of feedback and prompted me to dig this Slam feature out of the archives. I think it's a classic of my oeuvre. It ran in…

Expanded Fillmore East concerts to be released

So the full Fillmore concerts, long rumored, are finally on their way. A new 6-CD set, The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings, will be released on July 29. It includes at least 14 previously unreleased songs. This is the one we've been waiting…

An interview with Triangle mastermind Tex Winter

In honor of Derek Fisher's hiring as the New York Knicks new head coach by Phil Jackson, I present this interview with Tex Winter, the mastermind behind the Triangle Offense, so beautifully executed by Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan and the Chicago…

Allman Brothers’ low point? “Straight From the Heart” on Solid Gold

Pretty much everyone agrees that the Allman Brothers Band's low point was their second album for Arista Records, 1980's Brothers of the Road, and its slight, poppy lead single "Straight From the Heart." The band had fired the great Jaimoe by…

Warren Haynes’ National Anthem

Warren Haynes performs the National Anthem for the National Museum of American History, where the flag that inspired the song is on display. Enjoy: Amazon.com Widgets

Allman Bros At the Fillmore East, 1970

In case anyone is still wondering why I spent half of my life writing and reporting  One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band. Enjoy the Allman Brothers Band at the Fillmore East, 1970. This clip features four songs…

From the archives: Dickey Betts and his custom Gibsons

In 2001, I went out to Long Island to introduce Dickey Betts to Andy Aledort, who would be working with him on a column for Guitar World. Dickey only wanted to do interviews with me, but I assured him that if he met Andy he would love him. That…

A very different take on “Little Martha”

I think this captures the eerie solitude and beauty of Rose Hill cemetary, which I've visited many times, and also reflects the structural sturdiness and melodic beauty of Duane's only composition. It's worth noting that Dickey Betts disputes…

Are the Allman Brothers ending this year or not?

I'm getting a lot of emails and other inquiries about whether or not the Allman Brothers will really stop touring after this year. Articles like this one in Ultimate Classic Rock spur the issue along. Of course, that article was based…

Eric Church – “Ain’t Wasting Time No More

The CD and DVD All My Friends: Celebrating The Songs & Voice Of Gregg Allman  will be released on May 6. Yesterday, I posted my review of the evening and a video of "Midnight Rider," featuring Gregg, Vince Gill and Zac Brown. Here's…