The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers

Having already cut its collective teeth via live shows throughout the South, the Allman Brothers Band was properly vetted for its initial major-label foray. In particular, Gregg and Duane Allman had done stints in several other collectives that recorded a handful of long-forgotten records. Duane, too, established himself as a go-to whiz-kid slide and lead guitarist, becoming a session instrumentalist for Muscle Shoals' FAME Studios and playing with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, Wilson Pickett, and others. He and organist/vocalist Gregg's deft touch and innate knack for soulful tonalities help define his namesake group's eponymous 1969 debut, notched with raw-boned R&B and purifying gospel motifs that seeped into the duo's consciousness while growing up in Jacksonville.