Duane Allman created the idea of having two lead guitarists , which was inspired by Curtis Mayfield ; " he wanted the bass , keyboards , and second guitar to form patterns behind the solo rather than just comping , " said Allman . Their style and incorporation of guitar harmonies was very influential on later musicians . " The pair also had a wide range of complementary techniques , often forming intricate , interlocking patterns with each other and with the bassist , Berry Oakley , setting the stage for dramatic flights of improvised melodies . " Dickey Betts ' playing was very melody-based ; " My style is just a little too smooth and round to play the blues stuff straight , because I 'm such a melody guy that even when I 'm playing the blues , I go for melody first , " he said . His listening of country and string bluegrass growing up influenced this considerably : " I played mandolin , ukulele , and fiddle before I ever touched a guitar , which may be where a lot of the major keys I play come from . " He later characterized their style as " question and answer , anticipation and conclusion , " which involved allowing each musician 's downbeat to arrive in a different spot , while also keeping consideration of the bass guitar lines . The group also held an improvisational approach to live performances , which connected the band with jam band culture . " Jazz and blues musicians have been doing this for decades , but I think they really brought that sense that anyone onstage can inspire anyone else at any given time to rock music , " said Haynes . " We sure did n't set out to be a " jam band " but those long jams just emanated from within the band , because we did n't want to just play three minutes and be over , " said Allman . '' Rolling Stone '' referred to the group as " without question the first great jam band , and they took the jam to heights that it had not previously reached . " The Allman Brothers Band were considerably influential within the Southern United States . Their arrival on the musical scene paved the way for several other notable Southern rock bands — among those Lynyrd Skynyrd , the Marshall Tucker Band and Wet Willie — to achieve commercial success , and also " almost single-handedly " made Capricorn Records into " a major independent label . " Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top , writing for '' Rolling Stone '' , wrote that the group " defined the best of every music from the American South in that time . They were the best of all of us . " He went on to call the band " a true brotherhood of players — one that went beyond race and ego . It was a thing of beauty . " The band 's extended popularity through heavy touring in the early 1990s created a new generation of fans , one that viewed the Allmans as pioneers of " latter-day collegiate jam rock . " AllMusic praised the band 's history : " they went from being America 's single most influential band to a shell of their former self trading on past glories , to reach the 21st century resurrected as one of the most respected rock acts of their era . " In 2012 , an official historic marker was erected on the site of the July 1970 Second Atlanta International Pop Festival near Byron , Georgia . The Allman Brothers Band had played two sets at the festival , which was a significant event in their career . The marker text reads , in part : " Over thirty musical acts performed , including ... Macon 's Allman Brothers Band on their launching pad to national fame . " Official sponsors of the marker included the Georgia Allman Brothers Band Association , The Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House , and '' Hittin ' the Note '' . In 2003 , the band released a recording of their festival opening and closing performances , '' Live at the Atlanta International Pop Festival : July 3 & 5 , 1970 ''
Second Atlanta International Pop Festival
Atlanta International Pop Festival (1970)
The Allman Brothers Band