by Though neither of us are big Allman Brothers Band fans in particular, we know an iconic band when we see one, so we went to The Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House in Macon, Georgia.
The house served as a base for the band and their friends and families from 1970-1973 (their heyday), and since 2009 has served as a shrine to their memory.
Though called a museum, it was really more of a collection of memorabilia. It did not really tell the history of the band, and I found myself with questions I had to look up online. If you’re a real fan, this would be a fun stop –– and it was hopping the entire time we were there with some obvious big fans! There’s obviously still plenty of fans out there (though I noted everyone was our age or older!).
The 18-room, 4,440-square-foot house was located near their recording studios, Capricorn Records. It was rented by the Oakleys. Berry Oakley was a founding member of the band, and his daughter appears on the back of the band’s Brothers and Sisters album.
The band formed in 1969, and many of the band’s biggest hits were written in the house or while band members were living there. The band’s 1971 live album, At Fillmore East (affiliate link), put them on the map artistically and commercially. It’s still considered one of the best live albums of all time. Unfortunately, after the deaths of Duane Allman (1971) and Berry Oakley (1972) in separate motorcycle accidents just a few blocks apart, the band struggled. By 1976, the band had dissolved due to inner turmoil, though there were reunions/tours and new incarnations over the years.
