Died On This Date (October 29, 1971) Duane Allman / The Allman Brothers
themusicsover Howard Duane Allman
November 26, 1946 – October 29, 1971
Before becoming a household name as founding lead guitarist for the Allman Brothers Band, Duane Allman was an in-demand session guitarist who played on many classic records of the late ’60s. His amazing guitar work was first heard on Wilson Picket’s superb 1968 recording of “Hey Jude.” Eric Clapton was so impressed by Allman’s playing on that record, that he invited him down to the studio for the Derek & the Dominos sessions. The two clicked and Allman joined on to add his signature guitar sound to most of the tracks on Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. It’s Allman’s guitar that is the most recognizable and most celebrated on the album. Allman also played on hit recordings by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, Clarence Carter and Boz Scaggs. In 1969, he and his brother Gregg Allman, formed the Allman Brothers band, which went on to become one of the most influential rock bands America has ever produced. Albums like The Allman Brothers Band, At Fillmore East, and Eat A Peach are considered landmark recordings of the rock era. In Rolling Stone’s 2003 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, Allman came in at #2, just behind Jimi Hendrix. On October 29, 1971, just as the Allman Brothers were reaching new heights in their career, Allman was out riding his motorcycle while the band was taking a break from the road. In what was ruled an accident, Allman lost control of his bike as he tried to avoid a large truck that was turning up ahead of him. Duane Allman died of his injuries at a local hospital. He was just 24.
What You Should Own
Wells Kelly was the founding drummer for Orleans, a soft rock band that formed in 1972. The band is best remembered for their ’70s pop hits, “Still the One” and “Dance With Me.” As early as 1977, “Still the One” has been played on numerous television shows and films. Over the course of their career, Orleans were a popular opening act for the likes of Jackson Browne, Little Feat and Melissa Manchester. After his run with Orleans, Kelly played with Steve Forbert, Clarence Clemons, and Meat Loaf. It was while on tour with Meat Loaf that Kelly, 34, was found dead of asphyxiation.
Frank De Vol was a musician, composer, band leader, arranger, and actor who is perhaps best remembered as the ironically named Happy Kyne, who, with his Myrthmakers, were the house band for fictional talk show parodies Fernwood 2Night and later, America 2-Night. The television shows, which had sizable cult followings during the late’70s, were spin-offs of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and co-starred Martin Mull and Fred Willard as host and co-host. De Vol began playing music as a child, and had performed with a few different travelling orchestras before going off to become a recording artist. He also worked as an arranger during his early career, collaborating on records by the likes of Tony Bennett, 
Ricky Parent is best remembered as a drummer for the pop metal band, Enuff Z’nuff. Born in New Jersey, Parent began playing the drums at the age of five. When he got older, he decided he wanted to pursue a career in music, so he moved to Los Angeles to find a band to work with. He landed a job with War & Peace, the band formed by ex Dokken bassist, Jeff Pilson. The band soon broke up and Parent was picked up by Vince Neil to lay down tracks for his first solo album. In 1992, Parent learned that Enuff Z’nuff was looking for a new drummer, so he moved to Chicago and got hired on as their drummer. He played in the band for the band for the next 13 years. Ricky Parent died of cancer at the age of 44.