Great interview. And what a wonderful musician is Chuck Leavell.
I saw Sea Level the first time in a small club in Greensboro, N. C. Maybe December of 1976?
I had never heard of Jimmy Nalls. Jimmy played great. The guys didn't have a roadie. Set up their own gear expect I think the big grand piano was always in this place. I remember Jaimoe making several trips to the van to bring in his drum kit. The bass drum had a big mushroom sticker on it that read " Allman Brothers Band".
The opening band from Chapel Hill, N. C. called Arrogance also used the same grand piano Chuck played.
Chuck Leavell's belt ( for his trousers) had piano keys on it.
It was a good show. But I was sad the Allman Brothers Band had broken up. I got to speak to Chuck and he said it fell apart when Butch and Dickey decided they couldn't work with Gregg Allman anymore. Chuck told me Gregg was in LA with Cher and Dickey was going back to the lineup he liked which will mirror the original Allman Brothers. Twin lead guitars, organ, bass and two drummers.
Chuck also told me Butch Trucks wanted to be in Sea Level too and they just finished a short club tour but Chuck said he liked it better with just Jaimoe on drums so Butch will have to find something else. Also I seem to remember at this period Butch put together a band called Trucks but I never saw them and don't know who was in it. By the summer of 1978 Butch was back with the Allman Brothers Band when Butch, Jaimoe and Gregg joined Dickey and Great Southern for an Allman Brothers Band set at Central Park in New York. Soon they recorded Enlightened Rouges.
Phil Walden wanted the Brothers and Sisters lineup but Chuck and Lamar Williams did not want to give up Sea Level so Dickey brought in Danny Toler and David Goldflies from Great Southern. Butch always said that choice of musicians just didn't work. Butch said the chemistry just wasn't right and it got worse when David Toler replaced Jaimoe and Mike Lawler was added on keys.
Chuck replaced Mike Lawler in early 1982 but before they played a show, Gregg, Danny and David Toler quit and put together a band so Dickey, Butch and Chuck formed Betts, Hall, Leavell, Trucks.
Wipe the Windows has a great LIVE Southbound with Chuck and the original Brothers and Sisters arrangement. It smokes. Jaimoe and Lamar Williams are also outstanding live on this. ( Jaimoe is on the opposite channel from Chuck)
I played Highway Call in the car for the first time in ages last week and Chuck Leavell's solo on Handpicked is also one of his best!!
Yes!! and his solo on Highway Call...just beautiful!!!
I really like WTWCTOADG...Chucks solo in E Reed takes me to another place...Wipe the Windows has a great LIVE Southbound with Chuck and the original Brothers and Sisters arrangement. It smokes. Jaimoe and Lamar Williams are also outstanding live on this. ( Jaimoe is on the opposite channel from Chuck)
Yes the live Liz Reed on WTWCTODG is very good and Chuck's solo is a highlight of that version recorded live in November 1973 at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
Chuck also has a great solo on Les Brer in A Minor also from that show at the Winterland Ballroom. It wasn't included on the 1976 WTWCTODG live album but is on the 2013 40th anniversary release of Brothers and Sisters where you have the original album plus outtakes from the studio AND most of the Winterland Ballroom show from November 1973.
Here it is. Chuck Leavell lays it down right after Gregg's solo.
I would have loved to hear Chuck with the original band...With Duane that is...Yes the live Liz Reed on WTWCTODG is very good and Chuck's solo is a highlight of that version recorded live in November 1973 at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
Chuck also has a great solo on Les Brer in A Minor also from that show at the Winterland Ballroom. It wasn't included on the 1976 WTWCTODG live album but is on the 2013 40th anniversary release of Brothers and Sisters where you have the original album plus outtakes from the studio AND most of the Winterland Ballroom show from November 1973.
Here it is. Chuck Leavell lays it down right after Gregg's solo.
@goldtop Chuck would have been a tremendous seventh member. Chuck was the first musician to join the band after the original six. Chuck joined just before Berry Oakley lost his life.
Duane announced months before he died he had hired a seventh member but he wasn't ready to announce it. And he never did. We figured Ace Doucette was it but we (other fans I knew) didn't know with certainly plus Ace said he didn't want to be a full time member of a band. He wanted to come and go when he felt like it.
Maybe Gregg got that from Duane!! Gregg announced a lot of things over the years that never happened:)
Chuck said Berry was so gracious and concerned Chuck was happy and liked what he was asked to do.
There is one video on YouTube with Chuck playing a live show and Berry is on bass.
I played Highway Call in the car for the first time in ages last week and Chuck Leavell's solo on Handpicked is also one of his best!!
Thank you! Been ages for me too. Busting mine out today! It was also one of my son's favorites when I used to drive him to school.
