Jaimoe had worked with his friend Lamar Williams before the ABB and really wanted him in the band. Butch Trucks knew this and during auditions, after Lamar played about 3 songs, Butch said " enough of this...let's rehearse". After rehearsal Gregg and Dickey didn't say anything so Phil Walden told Lamar he was in the band.

Been listening to the 1973 Nassau Coliseum show ABB records put out about 2003 as an archive release in along time and I've been focusing on Jaimoe and Lamar. Both are standouts on this show. Probably hadn't pur the CD on in over 10 years.

I was at he 5/1/73 Nassau Coliseum show. Still have my ticket stub too. It was a great show, truly amazing. Lamar and Chuck brought a ton to the band. I am so thrilled this show is an archive release.

Here's some video footage of Grinderswitch. They were a very good band back in the day. Good talent. You can hear the bass of JDP quite well in this show. Dru Lombar on lead - talented! Bonnie Bramlett used them some as her backing band.

Yes Chuck and Lamar brought a bigger jazz presence into the band than the band had previously. It was there before but Chuck and Lamar brought it out more and it was right up Jaimoe's alley. Jaimoe really locked into that. The fills and coloring he does on the Nassau CD and Wipe The Windows is really cool. Just incredible drum work.

I got to talk with Chuck at a small club in North Carolina when Sea Level was playing one of their first shows.

I ask Chuck how it was going after the break up of the ABB. He said Phil signed them but no up front money so they are having to roadie for themselves right now. And yes I watched Jaimoe carry his own drums in and set them up. Chuck said they had already been playing as We Three before the band broke up. Chuck said Butch wanted to be in the band too and after they added Jimmy Nalls they did a little tour but Chuck said he liked it better with just Jaimoe on drums so Butch probably will put something together. ( Butch did and it was called Trucks but I never got to see it) Chuck said Dickey had left Capricorn and was putting together an original ABB type line up with two guitars, two drums and keyboards. Said Dickey missed the original band. Chuck said Capricorn is putting out one more ABB album that is live and he, Lamar, Jaimoe and Butch are working with Johnny Sandlin on the songs. Dickey heard about it and didn't think another live version of Liz Reed should be on it but Chuck said Dickey left the label and he, Jaimoe and Lamar want it on the record because it shows how they took it to a different place and made alot of it more a big jazz piece and it's almost a different song than the version on Fillmore East.

I ask Chuck why the ABB broke up. He said it was drugs and Gregg. Certain members using too much, what happened with a certain roadie and Gregg just wasn't into the band anymore and is a west coast cat now and busy with all that out there. Said they just couldn't get Gregg to do much with the band and had to do much of the last album without him and the Scooter thing was just the excuse Butch and Dickey had been looking for two years to end it. Chuck said Butch in particular was really fed up with Gregg. I remember Butch quoted in the press when Win, Loose or Draw came out; " You can't depend on Gregg Allman for anything". But all 4 of the original members were back together by 1978. Kinda like family members upset. Keith Richards said when he and Mick get mad and scream at each other or refuse to play together for a couple of years its like two brothers having trouble. That they still love each other.

I'm not sure what happened with Sea Level soon afterward. Just a year later they hired a new drummer, something Weaver I think, Jaimoe was moved to percussion and only played on just a few tracks on Cats on the Coast. Randell Bramlett was added on sax. Soon after that Jaimoe quit then Dickey decided he wanted to talk to Gregg and the next thing you know Gregg, Butch and Jaimoe joined Great Southern in Central Park.

blackey,

Those were good days back then. I used to see Sea Level a bunch in smaller venues. Saw them in a club here and then a few weeks later in Atlanta. Both times Chuck was quite cordial & more than happy to talk music. They expanded from a 4 piece to a 6 piece adding Randall Bramblett & Davis Causey. They were quite the versatile band & ahead of the times. With the addition of Randall, he brought great songwriting to the band.

I forgot about Davis Causey. I saw them twice as a big band. Once with Jaimoe on percussion and once when Jaimoe was gone. George Weaver I think was the drummer who replaced Jaimoe. Causey was a fine guitar player. I like to notice the gear and I think Davis may have played a Tele back then.

BTW last summer I caught Randall Bramlett at a small room in Virginia. Must have been 100 people there. But he had a tight little band and played a lot of keyboards and some sax.

He said Sea Level should have been a much bigger band. And that Jaimoe had a minor falling out with Chuck but Randall didn't want to go into it and said it wasn't a big thing anyway and Chuck and Jaimoe have been close friends for years.

You know I'm remembering more of my quick chat with Randall. He said Sea Level dissolved because after they got with Aristar records, Clive Davis put the squeeze on them. Davis expected all of his artists to find a formula to sell records like Whitney Houston and they couldn't do the kind of record they liked. So by about 1981 he said Sea Level felt so squeezed they quit. That was the same thing that happened to the ABB when they moved to that label. By putting so much pressure on them to have hits, the ABB ended up putting out two albums that didn't sell well and for the most part they becamed embarrassed about. But I like some of the material on Reach For The Sky.

I seem now to remember Paul McCartney's drummer in the 1970s replaced Weaver on drums toward the end. Joe English was the cat.

Speaking of We Three, didn't Hitten' The Note put an insert CD of them in an issue several years ago? I want to say it was three or four songs. Pretty sure I have it somewhere.

[Edited on 4/21/2019 by Lee]

Here's a tasty tune Randall Bramblett wrote & brought to Sea Level for recording. This version is from Wanee with Chuck sitting in with Randall's Band. Randall on organ & sax. Davis Causey - looking at stage from audience - far right on lead guitar. This is the signature sound that represents both Randall's early work & that which he brought to Sea level.

You know I'm remembering more of my quick chat with Randall. He said Sea Level dissolved because after they got with Aristar records, Clive Davis put the squeeze on them. Davis expected all of his artists to find a formula to sell records like Whitney Houston and they couldn't do the kind of record they liked. So by about 1981 he said Sea Level felt so squeezed they quit. That was the same thing that happened to the ABB when they moved to that label. By putting so much pressure on them to have hits, the ABB ended up putting out two albums that didn't sell well and for the most part they becamed embarrassed about. But I like some of the material on Reach For The Sky.

I seem now to remember Paul McCartney's drummer in the 1970s replaced Weaver on drums toward the end. Joe English was the cat.

Loved Dickey's instrumental on RFTS "From The Mdness of the West"!

i always wondered why joe dan petty never played bass for the bros.
after berry died he seemed like the natural choice plus he was still with them as a roadie.
he's in the bros and sis. photo inside the album. the next year he was playng with grinderswitch.
always thought his playing was real good plus wasn't he in the jokers with dickey?

was it Joe Dan who played some shows when Oakley was in a bad way after Duane died?