Gregg may have wanted to end it in 2009, but I'm guessing it wasn't him against "everybody" as I'm sure Warren and Derek would have stepped away then without a fight.

This is like a weird episode of Columbo where multiple suspects claim to have carried out the murder!

"I did it!"

"No, I did it!"

"I didn't do it but I sure wanted to!"

[Edited on 7/3/2015 by Shavian]

Personally I think Gregg wanted to leave when he turned in his notice in 2000 over reaching the end his wanting to play in a band with Dickey Betts. Gregg never thought about voting Dickey out. He was just going to leave. Then Butch Trucks called him. Trucks was also leaving but when he heard from his wife who had heard from Gregg's then wife that Gregg was also leaving over Dickey, it was Butch Trucks who hatched the idea of continuing the band without Dickey. Gregg's answer was "let me sleep on it and we'll talk tomorrow".

In a later interview Gregg said if they had not gotten Warren back he was all for just folding the band in 2001 which was just one year after they voted out Dickey.

Also if you read the interviews carefully over the years, I got the impression that Gregg, Warren and Derek were a little weird about continuing the ABB without Dickey. Warren and Derek said Dickey's sound was just such big part of the band from the beginning that they not only feel obligated to tip the hat at Duane during their solos on the old stuff but play some Dickey licks too. What made it a little weird was Dickey was still alive. That is exactly why Jimmy Herring couldn't do it. Jimmy said "nobody had ever replaced a living member of the Allman Brothers before and being a huge Dickey fan I just felt uncomfortable". Actually that is not true. David Toler replaced Jaimoe on drums for 2 years in 1980.

When 2009 finally rolled around I think all three (Gregg, Warren and Derek) were ready to part from the ABB. Derek and Warren because they were more attracted creatively to their own bands and Gregg too but because Gregg just likes being the "cook in the kitchen". Gregg has been saying that off and on since 1973. Said it in an interview I have in front of me now from 1994. How" having 4 cooks in the kitchen is tough and irritating especially when you have 1 cook who must have everything his way."

And he is saying it in interviews this year as well. Gregg seems to enjoy pointing out the fact he is now "the only cook in the kitchen which means a lot less drama". (interview from last week)

I think Butch Trucks wanted to keep going and pressured the others in 2009. And he apparently according to Warren was the one who got cold feet in 2014.

They even tried to get Dickey to play with them with invitations to Dickey several times over the years with Dickey's camp claiming he was never invited. The 40th anniversary and the last show in 2014 come to mind. Oh and the life time grammy. But Dickey was a no show everytime.

According to a Warren interview last year, Dickey has not spoken to Gregg or Butch since the legal fight over the band after Dickey was voted out. Warren said then he called Dickey recently while both were in Germany but that Dickey will not speak to the originals.

I would imagine the ABB may play again but not soon. Gregg said he's learned never to say never when it comes to the ABB. But I seriously doubt they will ever do any tours again. Probably 5 or 6 shows at the Beacon.

I've heard a rumor that Dickey might play with Gregg again for a special occasion. But I'm not sure Dickey is able to play. I wonder if Dickey's years of living the way he did and his age prevents him from playing on the level night after night that a Beacon run would require. Plus Dickey is a millionaire many times over and is 71 which means, unlike me, he does not have to work at all. I don't think Gregg could do a long Beacon run now either. He likes a shorter set and the same set each night these days. And it does make life easier to do a shorter set and have the same set list on a particular run.

But Gregg is playing well now and seems very happy. So that is great.

Dickey is not playing at all and may never play again. Who knows. I hope he is doing well.

Warren is right. Dickey Betts was as huge to the sound and success of the Allman Brothers and much as Gregg and Duane. And Oakley, Jaimoe and Butch were huge. Those six originals seemed to have had just the right musical DNA. Apparently they began to have serious problems with each other after Duane died but they sure had the right chemistry on the band stand. And I mean all six of the originals. What a band it was. I saw the original several times starting with Love Valley in 1970 and as good and as powerful as many of the later lineups were, none of them had the power, energy and creative magic as the original band. The Chuck/Lamar band came close in 1973 especially creatively. The Warren/Woody band did in the early 90's. The last lineup certainly did musically but not creatively to me. Not even close to the original.

And the original band was only here from 1969 to 1971. It was kinda like the background radiation noise from the big bang. You can still hear and feel it.

Personally I think Gregg wanted to leave when he turned in his notice in 2000 over reaching the end his wanting to play in a band with Dickey Betts. Gregg never thought about voting Dickey out. He was just going to leave. Then Butch Trucks called him. Trucks was also leaving but when he heard from his wife who had heard from Gregg's then wife that Gregg was also leaving over Dickey, it was Butch Trucks who hatched the idea of continuing the band without Dickey. Gregg's answer was "let me sleep on it and we'll talk tomorrow".

In a later interview Gregg said if they had not gotten Warren back he was all for just folding the band in 2001 which was just one year after they voted out Dickey.

Also if you read the interviews carefully over the years, I got the impression that Gregg, Warren and Derek were a little weird about continuing the ABB without Dickey. Warren and Derek said Dickey's sound was just such big part of the band from the beginning that they not only feel obligated to tip the hat at Duane during their solos on the old stuff but play some Dickey licks too. What made it a little weird was Dickey was still alive. That is exactly why Jimmy Herring couldn't do it. Jimmy said "nobody had ever replaced a living member of the Allman Brothers before and being a huge Dickey fan I just felt uncomfortable". Actually that is not true. David Toler replaced Jaimoe on drums for 2 years in 1980.

When 2009 finally rolled around I think all three (Gregg, Warren and Derek) were ready to part from the ABB. Derek and Warren because they were more attracted creatively to their own bands and Gregg too but because Gregg just likes being the "cook in the kitchen". Gregg has been saying that off and on since 1973. Said it in an interview I have in front of me now from 1994. How" having 4 cooks in the kitchen is tough and irritating especially when you have 1 cook who must have everything his way."

And he is saying it in interviews this year as well. Gregg seems to enjoy pointing out the fact he is now "the only cook in the kitchen which means a lot less drama". (interview from last week)

I think Butch Trucks wanted to keep going and pressured the others in 2009. And he apparently according to Warren was the one who got cold feet in 2014.

They even tried to get Dickey to play with them with invitations to Dickey several times over the years with Dickey's camp claiming he was never invited. The 40th anniversary and the last show in 2014 come to mind. Oh and the life time grammy. But Dickey was a no show everytime.

According to a Warren interview last year, Dickey has not spoken to Gregg or Butch since the legal fight over the band after Dickey was voted out. Warren said then he called Dickey recently while both were in Germany but that Dickey will not speak to the originals.

I would imagine the ABB may play again but not soon. Gregg said he's learned never to say never when it comes to the ABB. But I seriously doubt they will ever do any tours again. Probably 5 or 6 shows at the Beacon.

I've heard a rumor that Dickey might play with Gregg again for a special occasion. But I'm not sure Dickey is able to play. I wonder if Dickey's years of living the way he did and his age prevents him from playing on the level night after night that a Beacon run would require. Plus Dickey is a millionaire many times over and is 71 which means, unlike me, he does not have to work at all. I don't think Gregg could do a long Beacon run now either. He likes a shorter set and the same set each night these days. And it does make life easier to do a shorter set and have the same set list on a particular run.

But Gregg is playing well now and seems very happy. So that is great.

Dickey is not playing at all and may never play again. Who knows. I hope he is doing well.

Warren is right. Dickey Betts was as huge to the sound and success of the Allman Brothers and much as Gregg and Duane. And Oakley, Jaimoe and Butch were huge. Those six originals seemed to have had just the right musical DNA. Apparently they began to have serious problems with each other after Duane died but they sure had the right chemistry on the band stand. And I mean all six of the originals. What a band it was. I saw the original several times starting with Love Valley in 1970 and as good and as powerful as many of the later lineups were, none of them had the power, energy and creative magic as the original band. The Chuck/Lamar band came close in 1973 especially creatively. The Warren/Woody band did in the early 90's. The last lineup certainly did musically but not creatively to me. Not even close to the original.

And the original band was only here from 1969 to 1971. It was kinda like the background radiation noise from the big bang. You can still hear and feel it.

"Gregg never thought about voting Dickey out. He was just going to leave." But is was reportedly Gregg who wrote or had input into the requirements listed in the fax for Dickey to return to the band (which were numbered as conditions). When Dickey got the fax, he came out and said they were firing him and the band said no it was just temporary for the summer tour and they hoped he would return in the fall. And the entire inquiry by fans began demanding answers as to what was going on. That green site (first ABB site) was smokin' hot with questions and answers back in the day.

At this point I think the original members without Dickey could reform in some capacity and just play some old music but also new music with additional players as an evolved, different band. Warren is done, Derek's out living his own legacy. That time of those players playing together as a band is over. What happens in the future is unknown. It will take time, inspiration, collaboration, jamming with different people and seeing how they all feel about what they are doin'. Nobody has put away their instruments to just sit on a beach and do nothing the rest of their lives.

Give them the time they need to re-invent, evolve as musicians, see 'em with their side bands. ABB as it was is over. What comes next will be an evolution, individually and/collectively if they decide to get together in some other band formation.

Gina good to read your input. If you remember, Gregg and Butch wanted Dickey fired but Jaimoe wouldn't go along. He said a original member has to die to get out of the band so Gregg and Butch came up with the points you mentioned in the fax for Dickey to consume.

But before Gregg got the phone call from Butch Trucks who found out Gregg was leaving due to Dickey from his wife who got it from Gregg's then wife, Gregg was just going to leave the band. He has said in post 2001 interviews his resignation was all typed up and ready to be turned in. He was done with the Allman Brothers. They would have to continue without him. And that would have been next to impossible. My guess is they would have just broken up with Gregg leaving.

So Gregg was leaving and Butch was leaving and that changed to "get rid of Dickey" when Butch found out Gregg was leaving from his wife. Butch called Gregg. If I remember correctly, Gregg told Butch he wanted to sleep on it that night. The next day he decided he would stay in the band and they would do the summer 2000 tour with Jimmy Herring in Dickey's spot. Gregg also said he had a real zinger of a fax ready for Dickey but he toned it way down and left room for Dickey to return in the fall and Gregg said he was really glad he didn't sent the original fax. It must have been rather brass and insulting and a real verbal firing.

Dickey won in court though because Dickey was the President of the Allman Brothers Band Inc. and owned 1/4 of the band and it was not permissible for the other three owners to have meetings and phone calls about the Allman Brothers without Dickey there. I think Dickey got well over 1 million dollars but the band has never revealed what Dickey got.

For Dickey's part, he says in interviews that about three years before he was thrown out of the band, Butch Trucks was trying to take over but he (Dickey) would not be part of a situation where Butch's personal business activities and tour plans would involved the Allman Brothers. Dickey finally told Butch that if he can get the band to do these west coast tours and festivals then fine, but don't expect me to be there. And Dickey also revealed that during the last tour and Beacon run, Butch wasn't speaking to him. But Dickey said he was still blindsided when he came. Dickey said he didn't care if Butch didn't want to speak to him or what he thought. What he wasn't expecting was for Gregg Allman to side with Butch and sell him (Dickey) out.

But we are talking about events now 15 years old. And with Gregg now occasionally mentioned Southbound is a song written by Dickey Betts in his shows, maybe they have gotten over the hard feelings which led up to the split.

Warren said in 2014 on a New York TV interview show that Dickey has not called or spoken to Gregg in many years and apparently is not interested as he also is a no show when he's invited so certain band shows and the life time grammy award.

I would hope they could be on speaking terms again. Both of those men though their musicianship and song writing were huge factors in the ABB becoming famous. And Dickey was very close musically to Duane, Gregg's brother.

is greg on heavy drugs again?