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Saturday Night Classics — Jessica
The Allman Brothers’ Jessica is from their 1973 album, “Brothers and Sisters.” It’s a Dickey Betts composition, although Les Dudek (not a Brother) later claimed to be a co-writer and played acoustic guitar on the track.
Highlights include Dickey’s lead guitar throughout, Chuck Leavell’s piano solo at 2:30, and the wonderful bridge at about 6:00. The song, named after Betts’ infant daughter, was a tribute to gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, in that it was designed to be played using only two fingers on the left hand. (Yes, I had to look him up: Django Reinhardt – Wikipedia)
Enjoy:
Published in Music
You have me fired up now. I challenge the “OK Boomer” crowd to come up with anything this good from their era.
Great! Thanks.
Great one! I love Dickey Betts’ melodic style.
and Django is great too. (Willie Nelson’s fave geetarist.)
I love this song. If I could only attempt the piano….
AKA the opening theme from the classic period of Top Gear (RIP).
I found this short clip of Django Reinhardt. Amazing.
I haven’t been to many popular music concerts, but in 1974 I attended the first ever rock festival at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire and saw Tim Buckley, Van Morrison, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the Doobie Brothers, and the Allman Brothers. The highlight of the day for me was an extended performance—it must have been close to 15 minutes in length—of the Allman’s “Jessica” which I loved from first hearing and used to play on my radio show at college.
Dickey Betts died last year.
Jaimoe (John Lee Johnson) is the last surviving original member. Chuck Leavell joined in 1972, after the deaths of Duane Allman and Barry Oakley.
Django’s talent is immense. It’d be difficult to find an older rock, jazz, or country guitarist that doesn’t cite him.
Betts’ In Memory of Elizabeth Reed is also a fantastic. The At Fillmore East version is so good.