When Warren Haynes joined the Allman Brothers Band in 1989 as the southern rock band reunited to celebrate their 20th anniversary, he knew what he was getting into. There were few more venerable pop-cultural institutions in America. This was a band whose history had been writ large in tragedy and triumph.
Haynes would be stepping into a role once occupied by the late Duane Allman, who, in 1971, died in a motorcycle accident, aged just 24. As a lifelong fan of the band, Haynes was more than aware of the history, the weight of it. But as a fan of the band, he knew the material, and he knew the key players, and that helped. So, too, did their attitude to making music.
