October 29

He was the leader of the band that helped spark the Southern rock movement of the 1970s.

Duane Allman was born in 1946 in Nashville and his family moved to Florida when he was 11.

Duane started playing guitar and he and his brother Gregg formed a band called the Allman Joys. It would be the foundation of a uniquely Southern sound that blended blues, jazz, country and rock.

In 1968, Duane became a popular session guitarist in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, working with Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and others. A year later he formed the Allman Brothers Band and moved to Macon, home to Capricorn Records.

Their second album, At Filmore East, a live album, was hailed by critics as the best live rock album ever. Duane also played guitar on Eric Clapton’s seminal Layla album. His unique style of lead and bottleneck slide guitar influenced a generation of musicians.

Duane Allman was hitting his stride and was only 24 when he was killed in a motorcycle accident in Macon on October 29, 1971, Today in Georgia History.