Remembering Berry Oakley: The Allman Brothers Band Early Years Live Spotify Playlist

Today marks the anniversary of the untimely passing of The Allman Brothers Band co-founding member Berry Oakley. The bassist in the legendary Southern rock group from its formation in 1969 through his tragic death following a motorcycle accident in 1972 was an essential component to the

This edition of Saturday Stream presents a Spotify Playlist made up entirely of The Allman Brother Band live recordings from the Oakley era. The classic ABB lineup of keyboardist Gregg Allman, guitarists Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, drummer Butch Trucks, percussionist Jaimoe and Oakley can be heard in their formative years mixing soulful blues with exploratory improvisation.

The 101-track collection totalling 16+ hours begins on April 11, 1970 at Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati anchored by a monster 45-minute “Mountain Jam.” That set is followed by a show from December 13th of that year at American University in Washington D.C.

The 37-track The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings comprising the complete historic ABB shows held on March 12 and 13 in New York City are followed by selections from Oakley and the group’s final show at the Fillmore East on June 27, 1971. Three closely recorded sets begin with an August 17, 1971 appearance in Boston, followed by their August 26, 1971 live session at A&R Studios in New York City and their September 19, 1971 concert at S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook in Stonybrook, New York.

The playlist concludes with The Allman Brothers Band’s February 11, 1972 show at Macon City Auditorium in their hometown of Macon, Georgia. It is the lone recording featured below that showcases the brief quintet period the band entered following the death of Duane Allman in October 1971. Dig into the Berry Oakley-era of The Allman Brothers Band below: