Duane Allman’s final show with Allman Brothers to be released on CD

August 17, 2020 BRR Staff 2 Comments Allman Brothers Band

An extraordinary piece of rock history will finally be heard this October with the 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 will be released for the first time on October 16.

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
–One Way Out
–In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
–Hot ‘lanta
–Whipping Post

New Music
Allman Brothers Band
The Final Note
Duane Allman’s final concert
Recorded October 17, 1971, Painters Mill, Maryland CD release date October 16, 2020
By Sam Idas
The Final Note
At age 67, I thought most of my exciting years were behind me. When my friends call, we usually talk about our social security checks and our latest ailments. Slowly, my peer group moves off of the “ center stage” to allow the next generation to take over the spot light, when all of a sudden…..bam, like an episode of American Pickers, something old and forgotten, becomes discovered and pushes itself right into that bright spot light again. That is exactly what happened to me and the result is the Allman Brothers Band’s release this week , October 16, 2020 of a new CD titled, The Final Note.
This CD is a brilliantly restored; live concert that I recorded 49 years ago at Painters Mill, Maryland on October 17, 1971, using my $29 Panasonic cassette tape recorder, powered with 4-C size batteries, with one 33 cent, 60 minute Compact Cassette tape. Little did I know that this recording would be incredibly important.
47 years later I emailed it to my musician cousin Simon Ritt, who exploded excitably and said, “Sam, do you know what you have here? Do you know the importance of this tape? This is the holy grail of the Allman Brothers legacy. This is something that no one ever thought could exist! This is beyond amazing! You have to get this incredible piece of history out there!” I was astounded at this revelation. Simon went on to explain to me that this concert would be legendary Duane Allman’s last performance, prior to his fatal motorcycle accident.
Duane Allman was a phenomenal guitarist, who together with his younger brother Gregg Allman, had created what was described as a new form of southern rock, in the creation of the Allman Brothers Band. Duane would be posthumously ranked the # 2 greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. To their large group of fans and followers, Duane’s tragic death at age 24, left a multitude of future great music, left unrealized. It is terrible thing when a genius is so suddenly gone, snapped of life, that one can only imagine, what could have been? Thinking of these thoughts, is how I now have come to understand some of the feelings people have told me they feel, after the discovery of my “Final Note” recording of Duane Allman’s final concert. I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a fully produced soundtrack of such a significant performance, but who knew? Suffice to say, The Allman Brothers family was shocked when I came forward with this important recording. I recall the phone conversation with ABB manager Bert Holman, when he realized he was talking to someone, who had the only known existing recording

of Duane’s last concert. Bert says to me, “Sam, please tell me this cassette has not been sitting on your car’s Florida sun baked dashboard for the last 30 years?” And I replied, “Ha, yea I know people like that, but no….as a former radio disc jockey, I know better than that”.
Things then started moving pretty fast. Within days, Bert and I wrapped up a contract. I was quite excited to now be partners with the last 2 surviving Allman Brothers Band members as well as the families of those that have passed, including Gregg and Duane’s heirs. My cousin Simon remarked, “That is pretty cool seeing a contract with the ABB logo on it!” Next came an interview by ABB family member John P. Lynskey for the CD booklet insert. Shortly thereafter, my 33 cent cassette was handed off to a restoration specialist and Bert reported a BIG thumbs-up, satisfied with its fidelity. They not only saved it, but through modern technology they enhanced it. Amazing times we live in. I kept thinking, if that “Final Note” concert had happened today, there would probably be no less than a thousand people in the audience, capturing not only the audio, but also the video of that performance on their smartphones. So how did this all happen? That is quite a story……
INTERVIEW – Sam Idas with John Lynskey featured in the new “Final Note” CD Booklet Insert:
“I was 18 years old and had just graduated high school when I recorded the Allman Brothers Band at Painters Mill,” said Sam Idas about this priceless piece of musical history. “For two years prior to that, I had part-time work at a couple of radio stations in the Baltimore area, which is where I grew up. In October of 1971, I would work at one station on Saturday, and the other one on Sunday. Now, here’s a bit of a back story that ties into the Allman Brothers and the recording of this show. Being a kid in the radio business at that time, it seemed the only way to get ahead was to get a first-class commercial radio telephone license, which would allow you to operate the equipment. It’s one thing to be a disc jockey, but it’s even more important to have that license. I was advised to go to a vocational school for a six-week course to get that license, and I ended up going to the Elkin’s Institute of Radio Broadcasting, which was in Atlanta. So in the summer of 1970, I enrolled there, and I stayed at a place called the Southern Club for Men. I was assigned a roommate named Mitchell Faulk, who was from Dublin, GA. At the time, I didn’t know anything about the Allman Brothers or Macon or anything like that. Mitch and I became friends, and during that summer, I learned of free concerts at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Of course, anything that is free to a 17-year-old kid – I mean, why not? So we would go over to the park and listen to whoever was playing, and that was the first time I ever heard the Allman Brothers Band. I saw them twice that summer. I had no idea who Duane or Gregg or Dickey were, but I really liked listening to them. Mitch had told me that they were a really cool band, and after we saw them in Piedmont Park, we ended up going to the Atlanta Pop Festival, which was held in Byron that July. I managed to wrangle some press passes and Mitch and I went, because we were able to stay at his parents‟ house in Dublin, which wasn‟t too far from Byron. Like Woodstock, Atlanta Pop was massive. It was hot – really hot – and I‟ll never forget how people were having sex everywhere, and they were doing drugs everywhere! It was a hippie fest – truly. It was pretty amazing, and, of course, the Allmans were there as well. “When I returned home at the end of the summer, I was an absolute fan of the Allman Brothers Band. Shortly thereafter, I go back to working in radio again in Baltimore. Lo and behold, in October, here comes the Allman Brothers Band, playing at Painters Mill. In addition, I was given access to interview Gregg after the show, which was incredibly cool. I obtained great seats, maybe 10 or 12 rows from the stage, left-center. I had a cassette recorder with me for the interview with Gregg, and 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 a show. After the show, I was granted an interview with Gregg Allman. All these years later, I still remember being a little bit intimidated, but I must tell you, Gregg was amazingly open and honest and friendly with me; he went out of his way to make me feel comfortable, and we ended up talking for about 40 minutes. Some celebrities make you feel like crap, but Gregg was congenial and genuine. We spoke about a lot of things, including the time they got busted in Alabama, life in Macon, and their upcoming album, which turned out to be Eat a Peach – it was an amazing conversation. Gregg even went on to invite me to visit him in Macon, the next time I was traveling through. He then wrote down his home phone number for me. Who would have thought that in a few weeks Duane would be gone forever. That December, 1971, I did make a visit to Gregg at his home. My buddy Michael Richards (aka Robinson) and I made the drive to winter break in Florida that year, and after picking up Mitch Faulk in Dublin (Georgia), we drove the 40 minutes to visit Gregg Allman, at his home in Macon. Gregg received us like good friends offering us wine, food and great conversation. We talked of the band‟s last concert at Painters Mill and he let me know, that the band members had all agreed after the concert, that it was the best they had done to date.”
In the CD‟s booklet, I then relate the journey the tape took over the ensuing decades. “I stayed in the radio business as a DJ, and eventually drifted towards the business side of the profession. I ended up being in sales, and I actually owned a few radio stations for a while. I‟m also a historical guy and a collector of things. Then in 2014 Mark Gunderson, who I used to hang around with in high school, reached out to me over Facebook. Mark is now a professor of English at Citrus College out in Glendora, California, and he‟s all about music – it‟s his passion. He reminded me of all the concerts we went to, and then asked if I still had the tape I made of the Allman Brothers. I couldn‟t believe he remembered that. I told him that I‟d have to take a look, so I rummaged through where I thought it might be, and I found it. I sent it to Mark, and to a few other friends, and they thought it was cool. Then I sent it to my cousin, Simon Ritt, who is a professional musician in Boston, who responds as I wrote earlier. Simon then gets me in contact with a former ABB family “ insider” named Richard Price, who goes on to put me in contact with Richard Brent, who runs the Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House in Macon. Brent, in turn, got me in touch with Bert Holman, the manager of the ABB and that brings us to its official release this week. As John Lynskey so appropriately ends his manuscript – “savor every note. Wail on, Skydog!”
Sam Idas WISZ Radio, Glen Burnie, MD 1971

2 thoughts on “Duane Allman’s final show with Allman Brothers to be released on CD”

Sam Idas

October 22, 2020 at 5:09 pm

New Music
Allman Brothers Band
The Final Note
Duane Allman’s final concert
Recorded October 17, 1971, Painters Mill, Maryland CD release date October 16, 2020
By Sam Idas
The Final Note
At age 67, I thought most of my exciting years were behind me. When my friends call, we usually talk about our social security checks and our latest ailments. Slowly, my peer group moves off of the “ center stage” to allow the next generation to take over the spot light, when all of a sudden…..bam, like an episode of American Pickers, something old and forgotten, becomes discovered and pushes itself right into that bright spot light again. That is exactly what happened to me and the result is the Allman Brothers Band’s release this week , October 16, 2020 of a new CD titled, The Final Note.
This CD is a brilliantly restored; live concert that I recorded 49 years ago at Painters Mill, Maryland on October 17, 1971, using my $29 Panasonic cassette tape recorder, powered with 4-C size batteries, with one 33 cent, 60 minute Compact Cassette tape. Little did I know that this recording would be incredibly important.
47 years later I emailed it to my musician cousin Simon Ritt, who exploded excitably and said, “Sam, do you know what you have here? Do you know the importance of this tape? This is the holy grail of the Allman Brothers legacy. This is something that no one ever thought could exist! This is beyond amazing! You have to get this incredible piece of history out there!” I was astounded at this revelation. Simon went on to explain to me that this concert would be legendary Duane Allman’s last performance, prior to his fatal motorcycle accident.
Duane Allman was a phenomenal guitarist, who together with his younger brother Gregg Allman, had created what was described as a new form of southern rock, in the creation of the Allman Brothers Band. Duane would be posthumously ranked the # 2 greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. To their large group of fans and followers, Duane’s tragic death at age 24, left a multitude of future great music, left unrealized. It is terrible thing when a genius is so suddenly gone, snapped of life, that one can only imagine, what could have been? Thinking of these thoughts, is how I now have come to understand some of the feelings people have told me they feel, after the discovery of my “Final Note” recording of Duane Allman’s final concert. I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a fully produced soundtrack of such a significant performance, but who knew? Suffice to say, The Allman Brothers family was shocked when I came forward with this important recording. I recall the phone conversation with ABB manager Bert Holman, when he realized he was talking to someone, who had the only known existing recording

of Duane’s last concert. Bert says to me, “Sam, please tell me this cassette has not been sitting on your car’s Florida sun baked dashboard for the last 30 years?” And I replied, “Ha, yea I know people like that, but no….as a former radio disc jockey, I know better than that”.
Things then started moving pretty fast. Within days, Bert and I wrapped up a contract. I was quite excited to now be partners with the last 2 surviving Allman Brothers Band members as well as the families of those that have passed, including Gregg and Duane’s heirs. My cousin Simon remarked, “That is pretty cool seeing a contract with the ABB logo on it!” Next came an interview by ABB family member John P. Lynskey for the CD booklet insert. Shortly thereafter, my 33 cent cassette was handed off to a restoration specialist and Bert reported a BIG thumbs-up, satisfied with its fidelity. They not only saved it, but through modern technology they enhanced it. Amazing times we live in. I kept thinking, if that “Final Note” concert had happened today, there would probably be no less than a thousand people in the audience, capturing not only the audio, but also the video of that performance on their smartphones. So how did this all happen? That is quite a story……
INTERVIEW – Sam Idas with John Lynskey featured in the new “Final Note” CD Booklet Insert:
“I was 18 years old and had just graduated high school when I recorded the Allman Brothers Band at Painters Mill,” said Sam Idas about this priceless piece of musical history. “For two years prior to that, I had part-time work at a couple of radio stations in the Baltimore area, which is where I grew up. In October of 1971, I would work at one station on Saturday, and the other one on Sunday. Now, here’s a bit of a back story that ties into the Allman Brothers and the recording of this show. Being a kid in the radio business at that time, it seemed the only way to get ahead was to get a first-class commercial radio telephone license, which would allow you to operate the equipment. It’s one thing to be a disc jockey, but it’s even more important to have that license. I was advised to go to a vocational school for a six-week course to get that license, and I ended up going to the Elkin’s Institute of Radio Broadcasting, which was in Atlanta. So in the summer of 1970, I enrolled there, and I stayed at a place called the Southern Club for Men. I was assigned a roommate named Mitchell Faulk, who was from Dublin, GA. At the time, I didn’t know anything about the Allman Brothers or Macon or anything like that. Mitch and I became friends, and during that summer, I learned of free concerts at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Of course, anything that is free to a 17-year-old kid – I mean, why not? So we would go over to the park and listen to whoever was playing, and that was the first time I ever heard the Allman Brothers Band. I saw them twice that summer. I had no idea who Duane or Gregg or Dickey were, but I really liked listening to them. Mitch had told me that they were a really cool band, and after we saw them in Piedmont Park, we ended up going to the Atlanta Pop Festival, which was held in Byron that July. I managed to wrangle some press passes and Mitch and I went, because we were able to stay at his parents‟ house in Dublin, which wasn‟t too far from Byron. Like Woodstock, Atlanta Pop was massive. It was hot – really hot – and I‟ll never forget how people were having sex everywhere, and they were doing drugs everywhere! It was a hippie fest – truly. It was pretty amazing, and, of course, the Allmans were there as well. “When I returned home at the end of the summer, I was an absolute fan of the Allman Brothers Band. Shortly thereafter, I go back to working in radio again in Baltimore. Lo and behold, in October, here comes the Allman Brothers Band, playing at Painters Mill. In addition, I was given access to interview Gregg after the show, which was incredibly cool. I obtained great seats, maybe 10 or 12 rows from the stage, left-center. I had a cassette recorder with me for the interview with Gregg, and 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 a show. After the show, I was granted an interview with Gregg Allman. All these years later, I still remember being a little bit intimidated, but I must tell you, Gregg was amazingly open and honest and friendly with me; he went out of his way to make me feel comfortable, and we ended up talking for about 40 minutes. Some celebrities make you feel like crap, but Gregg was congenial and genuine. We spoke about a lot of things, including the time they got busted in Alabama, life in Macon, and their upcoming album, which turned out to be Eat a Peach – it was an amazing conversation. Gregg even went on to invite me to visit him in Macon, the next time I was traveling through. He then wrote down his home phone number for me. Who would have thought that in a few weeks Duane would be gone forever. That December, 1971, I did make a visit to Gregg at his home. My buddy Michael Richards (aka Robinson) and I made the drive to winter break in Florida that year, and after picking up Mitch Faulk in Dublin (Georgia), we drove the 40 minutes to visit Gregg Allman, at his home in Macon. Gregg received us like good friends offering us wine, food and great conversation. We talked of the band‟s last concert at Painters Mill and he let me know, that the band members had all agreed after the concert, that it was the best they had done to date.”
In the CD‟s booklet, I then relate the journey the tape took over the ensuing decades. “I stayed in the radio business as a DJ, and eventually drifted towards the business side of the profession. I ended up being in sales, and I actually owned a few radio stations for a while. I‟m also a historical guy and a collector of things. Then in 2014 Mark Gunderson, who I used to hang around with in high school, reached out to me over Facebook. Mark is now a professor of English at Citrus College out in Glendora, California, and he‟s all about music – it‟s his passion. He reminded me of all the concerts we went to, and then asked if I still had the tape I made of the Allman Brothers. I couldn‟t believe he remembered that. I told him that I‟d have to take a look, so I rummaged through where I thought it might be, and I found it. I sent it to Mark, and to a few other friends, and they thought it was cool. Then I sent it to my cousin, Simon Ritt, who is a professional musician in Boston, who responds as I wrote earlier. Simon then gets me in contact with a former ABB family “ insider” named Richard Price, who goes on to put me in contact with Richard Brent, who runs the Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House in Macon. Brent, in turn, got me in touch with Bert Holman, the manager of the ABB and that brings us to its official release this week. As John Lynskey so appropriately ends his manuscript – “savor every note. Wail on, Skydog!”
Sam Idas WISZ Radio, Glen Burnie, MD 1971
André Demers

September 30, 2021 at 1:42 pm

God bless you my friend !
I can’t wait to hear this latest show from our brother Duane.
I went to Macon a few years ago. I stayed a full day to Big House, discussing with the representatives on site. The were very generous. The next day I went to the cemetery to pay a last tribute to our brother Duane.
André Demers (French Canadian) from Quebec City,

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2 thoughts on “Duane Allman’s final show with Allman Brothers to be released on CD”

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