“THE FINAL NOTE”
DUANE ALLMAN’S LAST SHOW, FOUND ON CASSETTE,
TO BE RE-RELEASED ON VINYL FOR RECORD STORE DAY;
ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND FOUNDER AND GUITARIST
KILLED IN MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT 12 DAYS AFTER OCTOBER 17, 1971 SHOW
An extraordinary piece of rock history is being celebrated with the first-ever vinyl release of the ALLMAN BROTHERS
BAND’s last show with founder and guitarist DUANE ALLMAN. Recorded October 17, 1971 at the Painters Mill Music Fair
in Owings Mills, MD, the recording marks Duane’s last show, as he was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident 12 days
later. Recorded on a hand-held cassette machine by 18-year-old radio journalist Sam Idas, this music was released on
10/16/20 and is now being made available on limited and numbered color vinyl in conjunction with Record Store Day Drops
on July 17 (via the Allman Brothers Band Recording Company, distributed by The Orchard).
The ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND were riding a wave of great success in late 1971 and wrapped up an intense summer of
touring with the two shows at Painters Mill that day. The July 1971 release of their breakthrough At Fillmore East live album
had brought them critical acclaim, hordes of new fans, and even a little money. The band—DUANE ALLMAN, GREGG
ALLMAN, DICKEY BETTS, JAIMOE, BUTCH TRUCKS and BERRY OAKLEY—had toured all summer long and were
looking forward to some time off before heading back to the studio.
The Final Note package features some remarkable never-before-published photos from that night’s show, extensive liner
notes from ABB archivist John Lynskey plus a photo of the actual cassette Idas used. On hand to interview Gregg Allman
after the concert, Idas recalls how it happened: “My only intention was to record the interview. This was a brand-new cassette
recorder with an internal microphone, and I had one 60-minute cassette tape. I was sitting there with the recorder in my lap,
and I remember thinking ‘Why don’t I try this out? I can record the concert!’ It was a totally spontaneous decision. I’d been
to many concerts, but this was the only time I had the thought—and the motivation—to record the show.” The cassette went
forgotten by Idas until a few years ago when his old roommate asked him if he still had it. Word of this incredible piece of
ABB history reached the group’s manager Bert Holman, who immediately knew the importance of this find.
Captured on this simple audience recording were eight tracks from the band’s standard setlist, including smoking versions
of “Statesboro Blues,” Hot ’Lanta” and “Whipping Post.” Despite the obvious limitations that come with a 50-year-old cassette
tape, modern technological enhancements help restore the magic of this significant night. The Final Note is a must-have for
anyone who appreciates the musical excellence of the original Allman Brothers Band.
The Final Note (October 17, 1971)
–Statesboro Blues
–Trouble No More
–Don’t Keep Me Wondering
–Done Somebody Wrong
–One Way Out
–In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
–Hot ‘lanta
–Whipping Post
About Record Store Day: Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners
and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1400 independently
owned record stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally. The first Record Store Day took place on
April 19, 2008. Today there are Record Store Day participating stores on every continent except Antarctica