Southern rock pioneers, The Allman Brothers, were always a hard luck band, with too many of its members dying too soon. The group lost another original member yesterday when drummer Butch Trucks died at the more advanced age of 69.

Trucks shared the early drumming responsibilities with Jaimo Johanson, a rare, but not totally unique band set up. He grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, and attended Florida State University to avoid going off to the Vietnam War. While gigging with a band in Daytona Beach, Trucks met the Allman Brothers, and the rest is history. Read the Rolling Stone obit HERE. Trucks played a concert as recently as January 6 of this year.

The Allman Brothers produced a distinctive sound that would define Southern rock. They were also one of the first “jam bands,” with their long, improvisational live performances of their songs, like “Whipping Post,” from their breakout “Live at the Fillmore East” 1971 album.

Doc Watson