The Big House Museum

Two of the reasons that I had for choosing Macon for a little weekend getaway was a chance to visit the Allman Brothers Museum at The Big House, and to hear a favorite band, Delta Moon, who were going to be playing on the lawn of the museum on Saturday night.  I've been a big fan of the Allman Brothers since I first heard them around 1970.  Their sound was very different from anything I'd heard before, very different from the pop and psychedelic songs that had filled the air in the 60s.  It was love at first listen.

The band, roadies and others lived together and created wonderful music, shaping their sound, from 1969 to 1973 in a beautiful Tudor-style mansion on Vineville Avenue in Macon.  Very sadly, Macon is also the city where two members, Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, died in separate motorcycle accidents, three blocks from each other, a year apart.  After the visit to the museum I tried to find their graves at Rose Hill Cemetery, but without a map or inftructions, it wasn't to be found.  The cemetery was a very interesting place to visit anyway, however.

Years later, the house was renovated in order to become a museum to honor the band.  The following are just a few of the many pictures that I took during my visit:

Gregg Allman's organ

Duane Allman's gold guitar and shirt
Duane participated on Eric Clapton's Layla album, pictured

Butch Trucks' drum kit

Dickey Betts' guitar

Current member, Derek Trucks' guitar
Derek, Butch Trucks' nephew, replaced Dickey Betts

I had a chance to try out a guitar in the Museum

Upstairs, Duane Allman's bedroom
His jeans jacket was on a hook and I tried it on!

Standing on the stairs and looking down at the front door.

And The Road Goes On Forever