Posted on 08/04/2024 9:32:49 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Wickipedia: "Little Martha" was the only Allman Brothers Band track written solely by group leader and partial namesake Duane Allman. The song first appeared as the final studio track on the Allman Brothers Band's fourth album, Eat a Peach, released in 1972. The track was recorded in October 1971, a few weeks before Duane Allman's death in a motorcycle accident.
What a great guitarist.
Open D tuning
very underrated tune on a very underrated album. showed Duane’s unmatched versatility and range.
I loved the Allman Brothers had three fantastic songs simply named for girlfriends and wives: Little Martha, Jessica, and Sweet Melissa (my least favorite of them).
One of their happiest Sunday Morning songs was Blue Sky. The song was written and sung by guitarist Dickey Betts, who penned it about his girlfriend, Sandy "Bluesky" Wabegijig. The track is also notable as one of guitarist Duane Allman's final recorded performances with the group.
Mac MacAnally does a nice version of it. He is interviewed him as saying it took him a while, listening to it to learn it is not two guitars.
Band is still pretty raw, working through some things - didn't quite have the timing down yet for Elizabeth Reed.
Duane is still doing a lot of the vocals (pretty weak). It's a damned good thing he passed that duty on to his brother - Greg had a great blues voice.
Seems the Allmans wrote more songs with female names than anyone
They knew the difference.
Many great tracks done years ago in Macon. Not far from Berry and Duane’s graves is the gravesite for “Little Martha” Martha Ellis, dying at 12 years old in 1896. With the inscription on the little tyke’s grave stone:
Daughter of C.S.A. Sergeant Major, Company B, Georgia 3rd Infantry Regiment Reserves, Theodore William ELLIS, Sr. (1847-1923) and Eugenia Lucinda Rogers Ellis
MARTHA ELLIS
DAUGHTER OF
MR. & MRS. THEO. W. ELLIS
DEPARTED THIS LIFE
JAN. 18, 1896. AGED 12 YRS. 11 MOS.
Our Baby
She was love personified and her mem-
ory is a sweet solace by day, and pleas-
ant dreams by night to Mamma, Papa,
brothers and sisters. We will meet again
in the sweet bye and bye.
Fairly certain a creation/myth of Duane’s fans, there developed a kind of Southern spiritual connection to the memory of this little girl.
It is true that Dickey Betts wrote “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” from having seen the nearby the gravestone of Elizabeth Jones Reed Napier. Little Martha
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1473/elizabeth-jones-napiers nearby.
I remember that time when the album game out and the terrible news not long after of the accident. I was shocked to hear of it because the album was played everywhere. Really tragic.
” a very underrated album”
Not sure where you grew up, but “Eat a Peach” was part of our youth musical soundtrack.
Interest in piano and guitar grew out of that.
Was dropped on my head too much as a baby so I drifted more towards The Who, Black Flag, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys and more.
Eat a Peach? Top Ten all time.
Interesting background, John. Thanks.
The Macon county coroner listed Dead Duane as weighing 75 lbs. fans called and said don’t you mean 175? Cause Duane was 6’3” tall. The coroner replied, no not 175. Was 75lbs. I have to wonder about the physical health of Duane and about how much got scraped off of his body during the motorcycle crash.
good stuff...
thx for the reminder. great string playing. love the harmonics. as good in it’s own way as Yasha Heifz in his prime.
One of the finest Rock albums of all time. I’ve worn out 3 copies.
He had just kicked heroin, and may have not eaten enough. He’d have been skin and bones at 75 lbs though. There is no mystery of the coroner’s report, he may have been in terrible shape to be riding a Harley and hit a flatbed. So sad, and so promising.
Dreams, Whipping Post, Jelly Jelly, Not my Cross to Bear, Blue Sky, Trouble No More.
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