Unreleased cut from Duane Allman's solo project
FAME Studios, Muscle Shoals
From the Long Live the ABB archives
Duane Allman "Dimples"
Recorded sometime in January/February 1969
Duane Allman - guitar, vocals
Berry Oakley - bass
Paul Hornsby - keys
Johnny Sandlin - drums
*Jaimoe was there, but didn't play on the sessions
This cut is the earliest of Duane singing this John Lee Hooker song, an Eddie Hinton arrangement Duane learned from Paul Hornsby when they were in Hour Glass together.
“Dimples” was Duane's only Allman Brothers Band vocal. A live version from Ludlow Garage was released first on Duane Allman An Anthology II (1974)1 on Dreams (1989) and in 1990 as part of the full show release.2
For whatever reason this one's stayed unreleased. I have no idea where I first tracked down this file. Thought today was a good day to liberate it from the archives.
Random Notes
🍄“Dimples” fell out of the setlist for good in 1970. In 1997, the Allman Brothers Band revived it, with the great Jack Pearson on vocals. It was a fun guitar romp with Dickey and Jackie P. Here’s 10/3/97.3
🍄Duane’s solo sessions. Duane’s heart never really seemed into these solo sessions, though I dig his vocal turn here more than on some of the other tracks.
Said Paul Hornsby, “Duane just wasn’t a singer. He could have been but I think it bored him. He wanted to play guitar.”
Besides, Duane already had a singer in mind. By February, Duane quit FAME and left Muscle Shoals to form a new band. He eventually settled in with a group of musicians in Jacksonville, Florida.
Here’s how that ended up.
My dude TY Yoken produced that set. Here’s us talking about it
I covered that Ludlow show here:
In case you missed that link above
Love this version! Thanks for sharing! Paul Hornsby claims that he and Eddie Hinton used to play this arrangement of "Dimples" with twin guitars. Paul showed it to Duane...and the idea of harmony twin guitars. Obviously, Duane and Dickey took it to the moon!!
“Dimples”: What a great performance, best Hour Glass I’ve heard, though I’m no expert, Bob. Not just the guitar, but the vocals, and it’s not easy for hot shot white guys to sing John Lee Hooker (listen to Thorogood, or not, actually.) Here it’s a layup, assuming that’s Duane on vocals, too.