Skydog, gone in a flash. The last fun Halloween I had as a youngster was in 1970; then after we lost him, it never meant much to me; it hurt that bad. I never wore a costume again; there was nothing to be happy about, still isn't. At 15 years old, I was riding around in the street on a BSA 441 Victor, with no license or plates, and I owned an acoustic guitar that I built from a kit. He was a hero to me. My first motorcycle crash on pavement happened the next summer, in 1972...
Make sure you take your medicine before you play; just sayin'...
Dog tired in Boston;
Yeah, that's my hometown,
I slept good there, too...
"I'm hitting a lick for peace; and every time I'm in Georgia, I eat a peach for peace." Duane Allman - After being asked by an interviewer what he was doing for the revolution.
Brothers
"If you do something, you got to be ready to pay the goddamn dues. I dropped three tabs of red acid on a motorcycle going a hundred miles an hour down the road; no shoes and no helmet on. And, of course, you've got to pay dues for stuff like that" - Duane Allman
After finishing a rehab stint in Buffalo, NY, on the 28th, Duane called Grover Sassaman, a Macon Harley Davidson dealer, and told him to go by his house and pick up his purple 1970 Harley Davidson Sportster, (Possibly an XLCH model), with a 6'' over front end, which he had purchased used. He asked him to put new tires on it, and wanted to pick it up on the 29th.
Though not his bike in the picture below; it was very similar to it.
When he picked up his bike at Sassaman's, he bought a new helmet and promptly cut the leather chin strap in half with a knife. He headed over to the Big House, (Linda Oakley, Berry, and Candace Oakley, Berry's sister, were the original tenants), and spent some time carving Halloween pumpkins, while getting ready for Linda Oakley's surprise birthday party later in the day. It was time to pick up the cake and other presents which were stashed at his house. Duane led the way on his bike back to the house, with Dixie Meadows, his girlfriend, and Candace Oakley in the first car behind him, while Berry followed in a second car. And then it happened, with Candace and Dixie watching from the crest of a hill maybe 60 feet behind. It was just about a quarter to 5:00 PM.
"On the afternoon of his accident, Duane Allman was speeding along Hillcrest Avenue on his Harley-Davidson Sportster when he slowed to let a flatbed truck carrying a huge crane boom make a left-hand turn in front of him. Allman pulled his bike toward the center of the road so he could swing around the outside of the truck, but in the middle of its turn the flatbed suddenly rumbled to a stop. Unable to maneuver around or under the giant obstacle, Allman ran right into it. The crane's weight ball knocked him off his Harley, which bounced up in the air and off of Allman's chest before skidding to a stop along the curb. The guitarist was not killed instantly—in fact, he had no visible injuries except some bumps and scrapes—but died in surgery later that evening." - xlforum.net
Just a few months before, Duane had attended King Curtis' funeral on August 13th. This was going to be a rough road ahead for the band. Bare naked, they were, without Duane...
I have always dug his New Year's Resolution for 1969;
These are words everyone should live by...
"This year I will be more thoughtful of my fellow man, expect more effort in each of these endeavors professionally as well as personally. Take love wherever I find it, and offer it to everyone who will take it, In this coming year I will seek knowledge from those wiser than me and try to teach those who wish to learn from me. I love being alive and I will be the best man I possibly can" - Duane Allman
More below the Sweet Georgia Peach...
I always loved the piece below by these two giants. In my mind, it always had the Beatles' version beat, hands down. The richness of a soulful voice with the added sweet strings. What a great time to be alive and to be a musician; full of passion in the era.
The Gibson Les Paul Guitars, so much sound; silenced too soon.
'57 Goldtop, '59 Cherry Burst, & '58/'59 Dark Cherry Burst
More info on the guitars here: http://www.guitarworld.com/...
Only 24 years old, heartbreaking...
A little over a year later, on November 11th, 1972, Berry, my favorite Bassist of all time, goes down in Macon. That's a whole nother set of tears for me.
And then there were two...
Love and Remembrance, this day.
I only posted just the two songs, because I would like you all to throw up your favorites, as I know they will intertwine with the ones I have in mind, to be sure, and I have many. I loved this man's thought process, and the way he played; fuck, what could have been? If you don't know how to embed video, post a link, and I will help you. Peace, Love, and Happiness; even in the time of dying and endless grief...SSK