NFL Quiz: [As the season approaches, time to take care of some
basics.] Name the top ten rushers, all time. [Hints: #10 has
12,243 yards. #11 is Franco Harris.] Answer below.
[An oldie but goodie from five years ago.]
The Allman Brothers Band
As was the case with so many of the great Southern Rock groups,
tragedy is intertwined throughout their stories with the Allman
Brothers certainly having their own share. But with much to tell,
we’re going to break this up into the relatively happy start, and
then the bad stuff.
The Allmans were certainly the founders of classic Southern
Rock as we know it, setting the stage for Marshall Tucker,
Charlie Daniels, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, among others. And of
course the leaders were Gregg and Duane Allman.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Duane (b. 11/20/46) and Gregg (b.
12/8/47) saw their father die early when he was murdered (oops,
early tragedy) while on leave during the Korean War. Their
mother then packed up the family and moved to Daytona Beach.
Duane and Gregg didn’t reveal any great interest for music early
on, though Gregg was the first to get a guitar. Duane was more
interested in motorcycles, until he crashed one, and eventually he
got a guitar of his own. He soon learned he had some real
ability, and thus began a musical odyssey that would see the
brothers together, then apart; together, then apart.
Having formed The Kings in Daytona Beach in 1960, they then
became The Allman Joys in 1965. Thereafter they moved to Los
Angeles where they tried to make it as Hourglass, recording two
nondescript albums, whereupon they moved to Muscle Shoals,
Alabama, and then back to Florida. [You need to get the map out
and use stick pins for these guys.]
In Florida, Duane and Gregg joined the 31st of February (but I
thought February…….), whose drummer was Butch Trucks.
However, Gregg was called back to L.A. to honor a contract for
more material. Duane then stayed in Jacksonville. While in
L.A., Gregg played with The Second Coming, a group that
included guitarists Dickey Betts and Berry Oakley (no relation to
Charles).
But just as he was going to join his brother in L.A., Duane,
whose guitar ability was becoming well known, was called to
Nashville, where he helped out Wilson Pickett on that artist’s
1969 hit, “Hey Jude”. Duane became a leading session guitarist
in Nashville, recording for the likes of Aretha Franklin, King
Curtis, and Percy Sledge. He then signed a solo contract for
Atlantic and eventually recruited Trucks, Oakley, Betts, and
Gregg. Then they all moved to Macon, Georgia, and formed The
Allman Brothers Band. [Against the wishes of the others, Duane
insisted on Gregg being the lead vocalist. Good move.]
And so it came to pass (whenever you are stuck with your next
thought, always use this phrase to jumpstart the old brain) that
the band worked on its own, unique style of blues, R&B,
country, and gospel. Gregg, the main songwriter, began penning
tunes like “Whipping Post”.
Phil Walden, who later formed the Capricorn label, became the
group’s manager. There would be many problems with him
down the road and he always claimed he was responsible for the
band in the form it took shape, not Duane. Whatever.
Nonetheless, Walden got the boys booked up in Boston for their
first gig outside the South, opening for The Velvet Underground.
Some rock agents thought the band’s music was great, but that
they weren’t entertaining enough. The feeling was that Gregg,
with his good looks (chicks digged it back then, I guess) should
be up front instead of hiding behind his keyboard, but the other
members would have none of that.
The Allman Brothers would end up touring about 250 times
those first few years, playing mostly for free, just looking for
exposure and the first big contract. When they were off the road,
Macon remained their home. And they loved to party,
psychedelic mushrooms being their drug of choice. In fact they
loved ‘shrooms so much they all had mushrooms tattooed on
their calves. They also loved to go down to the cemetery, where
they smoked joints and played music. Degenerates! Once,
Dickey Betts was looking for a title to a tune he was penning and
he glanced over at a tombstone, and so it was titled, “In Memory
of Elizabeth Reed”.
The group received a huge break when they met promoter Bill
Graham, proprietor of Fillmore East in New York. Graham
booked them to open for Blood, Sweat and Tears in November of
‘69. While the audience didn’t particularly get into their act
(they were there to see the headliners, after all), Graham did,
and that’s all that really mattered.
People began to come around with the release of the first album,
“The Allman Brothers Band” (very original), and while it wasn’t
a huge seller nationwide, folks in the South lapped it up and
began to take note of Gregg’s “soulful” voice, as well as the
guitar work of Duane, Betts, and Oakley. Of course the band
also continued to party like there was no tomorrow; lots of drugs
and groupies.
Then one night in Buffalo, road manager Twiggs Lyndon got in a
fight with the owner of Aliotta’s Lounge. Twiggs was trying to
get more money for the band than the man was willing to cough
up, they got in a fight, and Twiggs stabbed the guy 3 times. In
an hour he was dead. Well, that’s not exactly a great way to
wrap up an evening, so the guys made sure Twiggs had legal
representation and proceeded to hop into the Winnebago for their
next gig.
[Lyndon was put in a mental hospital for 6 months and later
emerged as the road manager for The Dixie Dregs, whereupon he
went skydiving one day in 1979 and the parachute failed to open.
Splat!]
The Allman Brothers then released their second album, “Idlewild
South” and this had far more nationwide success. On July 4,
1970, they took part in the 2nd Annual Atlanta Pop Festival,
performing with Jimi Hendrix, Bob Seger, Johnny Winter, Richie
Havens, and Jethro Tull. Not a bad ticket, if you ask me, and
being the local boys the crowd loved their act. Graham then had
them open that December for Canned Heat at Fillmore East and
they were so magical the headliners didn’t hit the stage until
3:30 AM. I think it was a school night, too. What an
irresponsible generation.
Anyway, the Allman Brothers’ career is taking off. But first, a
little tidbit on Duane Allman that you may have forgotten.
In the summer of 1970, Eric Clapton was working on his next
album with his group Derek and The Dominos. The two knew
each other’s work and Clapton invited Duane to participate in
some of his recording sessions. For the album that would later
be titled “Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs”, Clapton had
written the title tune about his despair over his love for George
Harrison’s wife, Patti. Originally, the song was written as a
slow, soft ballad, but when Duane heard Clapton play it, he
convinced Eric that it lacked energy and that it should be
speeded up. Well, you know the rest of the story. That’s Duane,
not Clapton, on the song’s signature riff.
OK, we now progress to March 1971, specifically March 12 and
13, when promoter Bill Graham has invited the Allman Brothers
back to Fillmore East for two dates. The band had felt that the
only way they would be given their due was through a live
album, so on the second night, “Live at Fillmore East” was cut.
The double-LP (opening with “Statesboro Blues”) is considered
to be the “classic” live rock and roll album of all time. Released
in September, it proved to be huge smash.
Of course in between they continued their partying ways,
including a big bust of the band members and roadies on
March 22 down in Jackson, Alabama. They were lucky to get
off paying just $5,000 in fines. Lots of heroin was found on
them, after all. The Allmans would go on to play 275 dates that
year, drinking and snorting, snorting and drinking. Then more
snorting, toking, and drinking. Followed by excess amounts of
toking, drinking and snorting. Actually, Gregg had been
introduced to heroin in ‘71, but Duane wouldn’t allow the band
or the roadies to use it, intravenously, that is. Heroin and
cocaine, inhaled, was alright, however.
On June 26 of ‘71, Bill Graham decided Fillmore East had seen
enough so he had the Allman Brothers play the last night. Once
again, I think there was school the next day and it seems totally
outrageous that the boys played from 2:00-7:00 AM. Those who
were there say it was a religious experience. Had I been in
attendance I would have said, “That’s not Jesus, that’s just
Gregg, you morons!”
But then on October 29, 1971, Duane was returning home on his
motorcycle after extending birthday wishes to Berry Oakley’s
wife when he lost control on a Macon street while trying to avoid
hitting a tractor-trailer. Clearly he was doing more than the 35-
mph speed limit and when he made contact, both he and the bike
soared in the air, the bike then landed on him, and the two
skidded 90 feet. He lost consciousness, briefly, but then got to
his feet with apparently only minor scrapes. But he had massive
internal injuries and he died 3 hours later.
The band all played at Duane’s funeral and vowed to continue
on. Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts took over (while Oakley
was really the ‘manager’ of the band) and the album “Eat a
Peach” was released with 3 songs that had been recorded before
Duane’s death. It rapidly rose to #4 on the album charts. “Eat a
Peach” was followed by “Brothers and Sisters”, which went to
#1.
In early November 1972, the band flew up to Hofstra University
to appear on Don Kirschner’s “Rock Concert”. It was then that
they debuted Dickey Betts’s “Ramblin’ Man”, (which he wrote
and sang on). Just a few days later, though, tragedy struck again.
On November 11, bassist Berry Oakley was riding his
motorcycle in Macon, with roadie Kim Payne on a separate bike
up ahead. Oakley was known to be a lousy rider and sure
enough he crashed into a Macon city bus, went flying in the air,
and bike and rider landed about 58-feet away. Just like Duane,
Oakley stood up, apparently just bleeding from his nose and lip.
The police urged him to go to the hospital, but Berry insisted on
going home, whereupon he lied down and began to hallucinate,
not realizing he had severed an artery in his brain. He died an
hour later.
Well, once again, the boys faced tragedy but soldiered on. In
July of ‘73, the Allman Brothers joined the Grateful Dead and
The Band at Watkins Glen, New York, for the largest rock event
ever, 600,000 drugged up, sloppy hippies. A good time was had
by all.
But by 1974, Betts and Gregg were fighting and the two cut their
own solo albums. Back to the drug theme, however, as on
September 23 of that year Average White Band drummer
Robbie McIntosh was at a party thrown for Gregg when he died
from a strychnine-based heroin overdose. And, of course,
Gregg continued to have his own problems. Earlier that year,
during the band’s performance at the Georgia Jam, Gregg was so
wasted after playing just a few songs that he had to be led off the
stage. As one fan recalls, “Two stage hands, supporting him
from both sides, tried to sober him up by walking him around
backstage, right in front of us. At times it looked like they were
dragging him around, as his feet refused to keep up with them.”
According to author Marley Brant, the truth was that Allman had
apparently overdosed on a strong hallucinogen.
In November 1975, the band (still basically together after Betts
and Allman had their solo flings), played a benefit for
presidential candidate Jimmy Carter. Carter was so smashed.
Sorry, he wasn’t. When you write about the Allman Brothers you
just assume everyone in the story is wasted all the time. But
drugs become part of the story again in January 1976 when
Gregg is subpoenaed for a big Macon drug investigation.
Scooter Herring, one of the group’s road crew, was implicated in
a narcotics ring. Allman had been threatened with a grand jury
indictment of his own unless he testified against Scooter. Herring
received 75 years (later reduced to just 30 months) and the rest of
the band felt that Gregg had betrayed them by breaking their
fraternal bond. He was ostracized and it took them about two
years to get back together, though Allman and Betts did mend
the rift for a spell in time to play at President Carter’s
Inauguration.
Well, that’s about it as far as the good stuff. Gregg had his fling
with Cher, marrying the world’s dumbest Democrat just 4 days
after her divorce to Sonny Bono. They would then separate 10
days (yes, days) later and eventually divorce.
In January 1993, continuing the tradition of Southern Rockers
playing at Democratic Inaugurations, the Allman Brothers played
at Bill Clinton’s big day. Then in 1995, the group was inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Willie Nelson, who
knows a thing or two about drugs, making him a great choice to
do the honors. Gregg, incidentally, has now been sober for years.
And on that uplifting note, we end our tale of The Allman
Brothers Band.
[Sources: “The VH-1 Rock Stars Encyclopedia”; “The Rolling
Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll”; “Southern Rockers” by
Marley Brant.]
Ryder Cup
OK, golf junkies…following is everything you need going into
this week’s PGA Championship and the race for the final berths
on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, this being the last event where you
can earn points. Captain Tom Lehman then gets to pick two to
round out the squad of 12.
First, current points standings….it’s necessary to go deep on the
list as you’ll see later. [Not to insult anyone’s intelligence, but
I’m including full names for the casual fan of the sport, except
for one particular guy at the top.]
1. Tiger…4,150.000
2. Phil Mickelson…2,474.375
3. Jim Furyk…2,076.000
4. Chad Campbell…1,129.602
5. David Toms…1,072.250
6. Chris DiMarco…830.000
7. Vaughn Taylor…780.833
8. J.J. Henry…778.350
9. Zach Johnson…756.477
10. Brett Wetterich…746.000
11. John Rollins…685.000
12. Stewart Cink…676.894
13. Jerry Kelly…653.750
14. Lucas Glover…641.376
15. Davis Love III…631.875
16. Fred Couples…627.727
17. Tim Herron…621.667
18. Tom Pernice, Jr. …615.000
19. Tom Lehman…612,917
20. Scott Verplank…595.667
21. Arron Oberholser…557.500
22. Dean Wilson…543.250
23. Brett Quigley…534.000
24. Billy Mayfair…489.166
25. Jeff Sluman…471.250
26. Woody Austin…450.000
27. Ben Curtis…445.000
27. Steve Stricker…445.000
29. Jeff Maggert…439.334
30. Corey Pavin…435.000
31. Kirk Triplett…426.875
32. Heath Slocum…421.250
33. Billy Andrade…417.500
34. Fred Funk…407.333
45. Justin Leonard…287.50
50. Kenny Perry…258.000
So why go so far down the list?
Ryder Cup points have been accumulated since Aug. 22, 2004.
For the balance of 2004 and all of 2005, if you won a regular tour
event you earned 75 points (45 for 2nd, 40 for 3rd, etc….down to
10th).
In 2005, winning a major was worth 450 points (225 for 2nd, 200
for 3rd…..25 for 10th)
In 2006, winning a regular tour event garnered you 375 points
(180 for 2nd, 160 for 3rd…….20 for 10th).
But in ‘06, winning a major, including this week’s PGA, gets
you 675 points for 1st!
So here is the full point rundown for the PGA, assuming
Americans finish in the appropriate slots.
1st…675…2nd…360…3rd…320…4th…280…5th…240…
6th…200…7th…160…8th…120…9th…80…10th…40
Now you see how if a Sluman (a past winner) or an Andrade
came out of nowhere to win they zoom right up onto the squad.
And there will undoubtedly be some real nail-biters on the greens
going into the final holes.
For example, Fred Couples could have a putt at the end to finish
alone in 8th and go from 16th to 10th, assuming Wetterich didn’t
earn any points, nor those 11th-15th or behind Couples (unless 9th
or 10th).
As for the two captain’s picks, I used to think it was a lock
Lehman would choose Love and Couples, but I’d say only one
now goes unless they both light it up this weekend. Regardless,
it makes for great viewing on Sunday.
[And in case you’re wondering how Wetterich and Henry can be
in the top ten, both have a 1st and 2nd this year among their
finishes, or 555 points apiece right there (assuming they didn’t
split second).]
Stuff
–With all the talk of steroids in sports these days it shouldn’t be
a surprise that golf is being whispered about more and more.
Joey Sindelar, a 7-time PGA Tour winner and a man not exactly
in the Mr. Universe category, said recently:
“Up until this point in time, I would have said it is a fairly
laughable question. The guys in my era weren’t workout guys.
It didn’t used to be such a brute strength thing. But we’re getting
some serious 6’1” baseball-player-type guys. There’s probably
going to be a time when you’re going to look at guys and say,
‘Well, sooner or later somebody is going to cross that line.’”
Tom Lehman:
“Maybe I’m naïve, because I have a hard time believing anyone
would cheat….The culture of golf is such that you play by the
rules.
“If you read in the paper that Tom Lehman just won the U.S.
Open and he just took a drug test and he’s been using the ‘clear’
for the last two years, the guys out here would vilify me. It’d be
over. For that reason alone, almost, it would keep guys clean.”
Tour player Bo Van Pelt:
“As far as steroids ever helping out golf or a golf swing, I just
don’t see it. Just because you’re hitting it a little bit farther, your
scores aren’t going to be that much different. In golf there is too
much short game, too much feel, too much carving shots….In
golf, it’s still about controlling the distance.
[Source: Damon Hack / New York Times]
–If you like to dive into ponds and lakes for stray golf balls, and
you’re not receiving 8 cents apiece, you’re probably being taken
to the cleaners. Professional divers that either work for a
retrieval company (they’re out there) or contract out individually
with the clubs, generally earn 8 cents a ball and can recover an
average of 3,000 to 5,000 a day. Hey, that’s premium beer
money!
But then you have to deal with alligators.
[Source: Bloomberg News]
–Some of you undoubtedly heard about a recent Zogby poll on
pop culture, but for those who didn’t…….they polled 1,213
people across the United States (not including NBA ballplayers
which would have totally screwed up the results), and 57% could
identify Harry Potter, but only 50% British Prime Minister Tony
Blair. Actually, I’m shocked that many knew who Blair was.
60% knew what planet Superman was from, while only 37%
knew Mercury was closest to the sun.
74% could identify the Three Stooges – Larry, Curly and Moe –
while only 42% knew the three branches of government –
judicial, executive and legislative. [There’s really a fourth,
‘corruption,’ but it bisects the last two.]
23% could identify Taylor Hicks of “American Idol,” while only
11% got new Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
Speaking of the Supremes, 77% can identify two of the Seven
Dwarfs, but only 24% can name two justices. Justice Clarence
Thomas was cited by the most respondents, 20%, with Justice
Scalia next at 11%. [Sleepy was most frequently cited, followed
by Dopey, Grumpy and Sneezy.]
–Starting pitchers are completing an all-time record low of just
2.8% of their starts this year.
–Mike Connors turned 81 the other day. “Mannix”!
“Oh hi, Joe.”
[In honor of his secretary, Peggy….actress Gail Fisher who died
back in 2000.]
–Can you believe the Los Angeles Dodgers went 1-13 after the
All-Star break, and then promptly won 17 of 18 (thru Tuesday)?!
Goodness gracious. It’s the best streak since the 1986 Mets.
–Freakin’ Barry Bonds….one more ribby and he ties Willie
Mays for 9th on the all-time RBI list. With 1,902, we just don’t
want him sticking around to get to 2,000. Only three players
have attained that level…Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Cap
Anson. Lou Gehrig is 4th at 1,995. We need an indictment, for
crying out loud!
But now a federal judge in San Francisco has subpoenaed “Game
of Shadows” reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada
to give up their sources. As Mike Lupica of the New York Daily
News wrote:
“It is a huge issue. The President said he wanted baseball
cleaned up. Two sports reporters tried to do that. Now they
might go to jail. What a country. You don’t go to war against
people like Fainaru-Wada and Williams, you go to war for
them.”
–The last I saw, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons were 16-point
favorites to defeat Syracuse on Sept. 2. Be still my heart.
Top 3 songs for the week 8/21/71: #1 “How Can You Mend A
Broken Heart” (The Bee Gees) #2 “Mr. Big Stuff” (Jean Knight)
#3 “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (John Denver)…and…#4
“Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” (Marvin Gaye) #5 “You’ve
Got A Friend” (James Taylor) #10 “Liar” (Three Dog Night)
NFL Quiz Answer: Top Ten Rushers
1. Emmitt Smith…18,355 yards…4.2 avg.
2. Walter Payton…16,726…4.4
3. Barry Sanders…15,269…5.0
4. Curtis Martin…14,101…4.0
5. Jerome Bettis…13,662…3.9
6. Eric Dickerson…13,259…4.4
7. Tony Dorsett…12,739…4.3
8. Jim Brown…12,312…5.2
9. Marshall Faulk…12,279…4.3
10. Marcus Allen…12,243…4.1
Among the actives, there is major doubt as to Curtis Martin’s
future status. Marshall Faulk’s role will also be limited. Both
are 33.
Other actives in the top twenty are Corey Dillon, 31, and #17 at
10,429 yards. Edgerrin James, 28, is #20 at 9,226. James is now
on Arizona.
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday.
