Not since Charlie Daniels’ 1970s Volunteer Jams was there much of a chance of seeing so many Southern rock legends on the same stage at one time. But in Nashville on Monday night, a panel of Southern rock royalty was on hand at the Gibson Entertainment Showroom in Nashville to dedicate Gibson’s new Southern Rock Tribute 1959 Les Paul solidbody electric guitar.
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Former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts, country/rock icon Charlie Daniels, guitarists Gary Rossington and Rickey Medlocke of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Wet Willie frontman Jimmy Hall spent a considerable amount of time signing the backs of 50 of the new limited edition guitars as they fielded questions from the media. In comments from the musicians and Gibson dignitaries alike, one name kept coming up: Duane Allman. Considered largely responsible for the creation of Southern rock, and for the incorporation of the Les Paul into the genre’s defining guitar sound (perhaps especially on slide, though he also used a Gibson SG for slide), Allman is revered by Southern rock fans and guitarists of all styles alike for his fierce and innovative playing.
“We (young Skynyrd members) used to watch Duane and Dickey play and we’d drool,” Rossington said. “We wanted to play like Duane; he was our idol, especially mine. I finally got my Les Paul, and now they’ve got my guitar hanging in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and next to it is Duane’s.”
Hall recalled his early days as a Southern rocker. “We (Wet Willie) were the second band on Capricorn and we used to open for the Allman Brothers,” Hall said. “I’d see Duane up there with that Les Paul … I think it’s a great thing Gibson has done, making this tribute model. But I’d like to thank Les Paul first,” he said to applause.
“I’ve always played Gibsons,” said Medlocke, a drummer for Skynyrd in their early days before becoming the frontman for Blackfoot, prior to returning to Skynyrd on guitar in 1996. “I always loved Les Pauls, though I also went for the weird guitars, like the Explorer and the Firebird. But for me, there’s nothing like the sound of a Les Paul through a solid amp. That’s just me, and I will never change.”
After the panel discussion and guitar signing, the party moved down the street to Nashville’s 12th and Porter nightclub, where a packed house of young and old rockers, and typically beautiful Southern rock women of all ages, sweated to a high-volume jam session led by singer/guitarist Lee Roy Parnell. All of the aforementioned legends eventually took the stage, playing classic songs with a number of Nashville-based Southern rock friends, including former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Jack Pearson who sat in with Betts on “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” and “Ramblin’ Man,” which Betts said has “helped to pay the grocery bills.”
“I’ve seen people today I haven’t seen in years,” Daniels said before he launched into the blues classic “Further On Up the Road.” And he wasn’t the only one, as obvious music business baby-boomer types throughout the club, some from Daniels’ own tight-knit organization, hugged and chatted like they were at a class reunion. It was a good night for Nashville’s music fans and for Southern rock, and for a family of musicians who need to get together more often.
Gibson’s Southern Rock Tribute 1959 Les Paul features a rounded ’59 neck profile with PAF-style Custom Bucker pickups and a traditional plastics and hardware set. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of this guitar will benefit musicians in need through Music Health Alliance, a Nashville-based non-profit organization that offers healthcare advocacy and resources to the music community.
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