Pour One Out Tonight For Allman Brothers Band Drummer Butch Trucks, Dead At 69

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some ripshit good nights tearing it up to the Allman Brothers Band in my years on the planet. I’ve been fortunate enough to catch them live a handful of times on a handful of great stages. I think I speak for everyone reading this site when I say that generations of Bros in all corners of America have mellowed their chill to “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” or gotten fired up to a “Whipping Post” on a Saturday night. They’re one of the all-time great American rock bands.

Which is why today’s news about the passing of Butch Trucks sucks so much. Butch has been holding it down on the kit since ’69 for the legendary jam-rockers, comfortably navigating around conventional blues rock rhythms to spacey jazz beats. The addition of his nephew Derek Trucks to the Allman’s line-up with Warren Haynes and Oteil Burbridge made the band more than your traditional aging rock nostalgia act — It made them an electric musical organism that was nothing short of a musical must-see when passing through your town. And one of the driving forces of the band, musically, was the tornado of rhythm swirling over those splintering guitar solos and Hammond B3 grace notes.

All I’m saying is pour one out for Butch Truck tonight, Bros.Maybe throw on some Live From The Fillmore East or “Statesboro Blues” or “Jessica.” Pick your posion. The man dedicated his life to creating badass music that’s brought a lot of joy to a lot of people.

It sucks to not have him on the planet any more. But those rhythms? The feeling they invoke will live forever.

Brandon Wenerd is BroBible's publisher, writing on this site since 2009. He writes about sports, music, men's fashion, outdoor gear, traveling, skiing, and epic adventures. Based in Los Angeles, he also enjoys interviewing athletes and entertainers. Proud Penn State alum, former New Yorker. Email: brandon@brobible.com