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GREGG ALLMAN TO GRACE BEAR'S DEN STAGE
Niagara Falls, NY, January 2005 - The ever-popular Gregg Allman and Friends will take the stage at Seneca Niagara Casino's Bears Den Showroom on Friday, January 28 at 9 p.m. for a single show that sold-out in one day.
Duane Allman, along with his brother Gregg, began the band that carries the family name in March 1969 in Jacksonville, Fla. Gregg, who played the organ and was a singer, first played guitar and taught Duane, who quickly excelled. Bassist Berry Oakley, guitarist Dickey Betts, along with drummers "Jaimoe" Johnson and Butch Trucks, rounded out the original band. The group became noted for their 40-minute instrumental jams and three-hour sets. With their mix of down-home groove and instrumental virtuosity, blues-drenched soul and hard rock, bound together with all-night jamming, the Allman Brothers Band defined southern rock.
Their self-titled debut album was release in 1969. On their first four classic recordings, "The Allman Brothers Band," "Idlewild South," "At the Fillmore East" and "Eat a Peach," the Allman Brothers Band perfected a sound that effortlessly combined rock, blues, country and jazz on such unforgettable original tunes as "Dreams," "Revival," "Midnight Rider," "Melissa" and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed." The "At the Fillmore East" album showcased the group's emotional fire. "Whipping Post," a 22-minute tour de force, remains one of rock music's definitive improvisational performances. By 1971, they were poised for super stardom. Even the tragic deaths of both Duane (October 29, 1971) and Oakley (November 11, 1972), in eerily similar motorcycle accidents, couldn't stop the band.
The success of the number two pop single "Ramblin' Man" was the start of a mid- 1970s run with the four surviving original members joined by bassist Lamar Williams and keyboardist Chuck Leavell. By 1975, however, internal conflicts, along with Gregg's first of two marriages to Cher, led to the group's break-up in 1976. Although the other members vowed never to work with the vocalist again, a reconstituted 1978 line-up included Gregg, Betts and Trucks. "Enlighten Rogues" was a commercial success, but subsequent albums fared less well. In 1982, the Allman Brothers Band split for a second time.
A new incarnation appeared in 1989, with a line-up of Gregg (vocals, organ), Betts (vocals, lead guitar), Warren Hayes (vocals, slide and lead guitar), Allen Woody (bass), Johnny Neal (keyboards), Trucks (drums) and Mark Quinones (percussion). This much-heralded reunion spawned a credible release, "Seven Turns." Neel left the band and the remaining sextet made "Shades of Two Worlds." " An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band" in 1992 was followed by "Where it all Begins" in 1994.
The group made five live network television appearances in 1994, along with 90 live shows. They were voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its first year of eligibility. At the 38th Annual GRAMMY� Awards in 1996, they won their first GRAMMY in their 27-year history, Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Jessica," a track from the acclaimed live album "2nd Set."
The group continues to play at venues across the country still drawing crowds for the Allman sound that has often been imitated but never duplicated.
Seneca Niagara Casino is New York State's first full-service casino featuring reel-spinning and video slot machines. Just a few blocks from world-famous Niagara Falls, the Casino is located at 310 Fourth Street. The 112,590 square feet gaming floor houses more than 3,200 slot machines and 97 table games. A separate smoke-free casino, Turtle Island, is also available to patrons along with the Poker Room and the high-stakes Blue Heron Room.
In addition to gaming, Seneca Niagara Casino offers several restaurants including Thunder Falls Buffet, Morrie's Place and The Western Door: A Seneca Steakhouse. The Bear's Den Showroom, a 443-seat showroom-style theater and Club 101, a unique music venue located in the heart of the gaming floor, provide live entertainment. Free parking is available to patrons through complimentary valet services, self-parking areas and a four-story garage with covered walkway. The Casino is owned and operated by The Seneca Nation of Indians.
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