Renowned studio guitarist Pete Carr was there the night Duane Allman was inspired to learn slide guitar. At the time, Pete was bassist in the Hour Glass, Duane and Gregg's final lineup before the Allman Brothers Band. He and Duane were sharing an apartment in Los Angeles. One evening they chanced to see Taj Mahal perform at a local club. Taj?s guitarist, Jesse Ed Davis, bottlenecked through a rip-roaring band version of Blind Willie McTell?s ?Statesboro Blues.? According to Pete, Duane instantly became obsessed with mastering both the style and the song, which he?d transform into the Allman Brothers? signature tune. In 1981, I interviewed Pete while putting together my Guitar Player magazine cover story on Duane Allman. Bits of the conversation were assembled into a small feature, but interview itself was never published. I've just transcribed it and posted it on my website. Pete has some interesting insights on the Taj Mahal-Jesse Ed Davis-Duane Allman connection. If you're interested in seeing it, it's posted here:
http://jasobrecht.com/duane-allman-1981-pete-carr-interview/
