Cover Alert | Leo Kottke Tackles Duane Allman’s Little Martha
By Scott Bernstein Feb 12, 2014 • 2:10 pm PST

Guitarist Leo Kottke is an expert fingerpicker who has a distinctive style and flair when he picks up an acoustic that’s easy to recognize from the first note. On the other side of the musical spectrum is Duane Allman, who was known for his powerful and gritty slide guitar work. Yet Duane wasn’t a one-trick pony as “Little Martha,” the only Allman Brothers Band track he wrote by himself, shows that Skydog was just as adept as fingerpicking a beautiful ditty as he was scorching the fretboard on songs like “Dreams” and “Whipping Post.” 

Kottke has long been a fan of Allman’s and even throws his own take on “Little Martha” into the occasional setlist. One such time took place at NYC’s City Winery on February 29, 2012. Our pal LazyLightning55 was on hand to capture Leo’s beautiful version of the instrumental. Check it out: