Thread: Duane Allman: LOTR Fan

I'm reading the new autobiography, My Cross to Bear, of Gregg Allman who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band with his older brother Duane Allman. The Allman Brothers are one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

Duane died tragically in a motorcycle accident just after they became famous, and it's clear decades later, Gregg (his "bay-broh") still misses his older brother. The book is filled with reminiscences of what he was like.

One thing not many people know, and that is mentioned in the book, is that Duane Allman was a big Lord of the Rings fan. Gregg says Duane was reading the trilogy for the fifth time when he died. (He also like Kurt Vonnegut).

Gregg also reveals that The Allman Brothers was almost named after the Lord of the Rings as well.

When the band was founded, the six original members put possible band-names in a hat. The 4 non-Allman's wrote down "The Allman Brothers", Gregg wrote "Beelzebub" and Duane wrote something from the Lord of the Rings. Gregg doesn't say what it was, but he says it had nothing to do with the music they made (Duane was that much of a fan). Obviously, Duane was out-voted.

Great book so far, and worth checking out.

thanks for sharing! I still crank up Blue Sky when in a meh kinda mood.

Duane also named his daughter Galadrielle, which, though it doesn't mention it in the book, is pretty obviously based on Galadriel, mother-in-law of Elron.