Hourglass in a three-legged stand

An hourglass (sandglass, sand timer, sand clock, egg timer) measures the passage of a few minutes or an hour of time. It has two connected vertical glass bulbs allowing a regulated trickle of material from the top to the bottom. Once the top bulb is empty, it can be inverted to begin timing again. The name hourglass comes from historically common hour timing. Factors affecting the time measured include the amount of sand, the bulb size, the neck width, and the sand quality. Alternatives to sand are powdered eggshell and powdered marble^[1] (sources disagree on the best material). In modern times, hourglasses are ornamental, or used when an approximate measure suffices, as in egg timers for cooking or for board games.

History[link]

Temperance bearing an hourglass; detail of Lorenzetti's Allegory of Good Government, 1338

The origin of the hourglass is unclear, although it may have been introduced to Europe by an 8th-century monk named Luitprand, who served at the cathedral in Chartres, France.^[2] It was not until the 14th century that the hourglass was seen commonly, the earliest firm evidence being a depiction in the 1338 fresco Allegory of Good Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti.^[3] Unlike its predecessor the clepsydra, or water clock, which may have been invented in ancient Egypt, the hourglass is believed to have originated in medieval Europe.^[4] This theory is based on the fact that the first written records of it were mostly from logbooks of European ships.^[4] Written records from the same period mention the hourglass, and it appears in lists of ships stores. An early record is a sales receipt of Thomas de Stetesham, clerk of the English ship La George, in 1345:

"The same Thomas accounts to have paid at Lescluse, in Flanders, for twelve glass horologes (" pro xii. orlogiis vitreis "), price of each 4½ gross', in sterling 9s. Item, For four horologes of the same sort (" de eadem secta "), bought there, price of each five gross', making in sterling 3s. 4d."^[5]

Hourglasses were very popular on board ships, as they were the most dependable measurement of time while at sea. Unlike the clepsydra, the motion of the ship while sailing did not affect the hourglass. The fact that the hourglass also used granular materials instead of liquids gave it more accurate measurements, as the clepsydra was prone to get condensation inside it during temperature changes.^[6] Seamen found that the hourglass was able to help them determine longitude, distance east or west from a certain point, with reasonable accuracy.^[6]

The hourglass also found popularity on land as well. As the use of mechanical clocks to indicate the times of events like church services became more common, creating a ‘need to keep track of time’, the demand for time-measuring devices increased. Hourglasses were essentially inexpensive, as they required no rare technology to make and their contents were not hard to come by, and as the manufacturing of these instruments became more common, their uses became more practical.^[6]

Hourglasses were commonly seen in use in churches, homes, and work places to measure sermons, cooking time, and time spent on breaks from labor.^[4] Because they were being used for more everyday tasks, the model of the hourglass began to shrink. The smaller models were more practical and very popular as they made timing more discreet.

After 1500 A.D., the hourglass was not as widespread as it had been. This was due to the development of the mechanical clock, which became more accurate, smaller and cheaper, and made keeping time easier.^[2] The hourglass, however, did not disappear entirely. Although they became relatively less useful as clock technology advanced, hourglasses remained desirable in their design. Some of the most famous hourglasses are the twelve-hour hourglass of Charlemagne of France and the hourglasses of Henry the VIII of England, made by the artist Holbein in the 16th century.^[2] The oldest known surviving hourglass resides in the British Museum in London.^[4]

Not until the 18th century did the Harrison brothers, John and James, come up with a marine chronometer that significantly improved on the stability of the hourglass at sea. Taking elements from the design logic behind the hourglass, they were able to invent a marine chronometer that was able to accurately measure the journey from England to Jamaica, with only a miscalculation of five seconds, in 1761.^[2]

Design[link]

The shape behind the hourglass has hardly any written evidence of why its external form is the shape that it is. The glass bulbs used, however, have changed in style and design over time. While the main designs have always been ampoule in shape, the bulbs were not always connected. The first hourglasses were two separate bulbs with a cord wrapped at their union that was then coated in wax to hold the piece together and let sand flow in between.^[2] It was not until 1760 that both bulbs were blown together to keep moisture out of the bulbs and regulate the pressure within the bulb that varied the flow of the granular substance.^[6]

Material[link]

While some hourglasses actually did use sand as the granular mixture to measure time, many did not use sand at all. The material used in most bulbs was a combination of “powdered marble, tin/lead oxides, and pulverized, burnt eggshell”.^[4] Over time, different textures of granule matter were tested to see which gave the most constant flow within the bulbs. It was later discovered that for the perfect flow to be achieved the ratio of granule bead to the width of the bulb neck needed to be 1/12 or more but not greater than 1/2 the neck of the bulb.^[7]

Practical uses[link]

3-minute egg timer

Hourglasses were an early dependable, reusable and accurate measure of time. The rate of flow of the sand is independent of the depth in the upper reservoir, and the instrument will not freeze in cold weather.^[4]

From the 15th century onwards, they were being used in a range of applications at sea, in the church, in industry and in cookery.

During the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan around the globe, his vessels kept 18 hourglasses per ship. It was the job of a ship's page to turn the hourglasses and thus provide the times for the ship's log. Noon was the reference time for navigation, which did not depend on the glass, as the sun would be at its zenith.^[8] More than one hourglass was sometimes fixed in a frame, each with a different running time, for example 1 hour, 45 minutes, 30 minutes, and 15 minutes.

Modern practical uses[link]

While they are no longer widely used for keeping time, some institutions do maintain them. Both houses of the Australian Parliament use three hourglasses to time certain procedures, such as divisions.^[9]

The sandglass is still widely used as the kitchen egg timer; for cooking eggs, a three minute timer is typical,^[10] hence the name "egg timer" for three minute hourglasses. Egg timers are sold widely as souvenirs.^{[citation needed]}

The Timewheel in Budapest, Hungary.

Sand timers are also sometimes used in games such as Pictionary and Boggle to implement a time constraint on rounds of play, and provide a sense of urgency to the game of Quicksand.

Symbolic uses[link]

Pirate Christopher Moody's "Bloody Red" jack, c. 1714

Unlike most other methods of measuring time, the hourglass concretely represents the present as being between the past and the future, and this has made it an enduring symbol of time itself.

The hourglass, sometimes with the addition of metaphorical wings, is often depicted as a symbol that human existence is fleeting, and that the "sands of time" will run out for every human life.^[11] It was used thus on pirate flags, to strike fear into the hearts of the pirates' victims. In England, hourglasses were sometimes placed in coffins,^[12] and they have graced gravestones for centuries. The hourglass was also used in alchemy as a symbol for hour.

Modern symbolic uses[link]

Recognition of the hourglass as a symbol of time has survived its obsolescence as a timekeeper. For example, the American television soap opera Days of our Lives, since its first broadcast in 1965, has displayed an hourglass in its opening credits, with the narration, "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives," spoken by Macdonald Carey.

Various computer graphical user interfaces may change the pointer to an hourglass during a period when the program is in the middle of a task, and may not accept user input. During that period other programs, for example in different windows, may work normally. When a Windows hourglass does not disappear, it suggests a program is in an infinite loop and needs to be terminated, or is waiting for some external event (such as the user inserting a CD). Unicode has an HOURGLASS symbol at U+231B (⌛).

Hourglass motif[link]

Because of its symmetry, graphic signs resembling an hourglass are seen in the art of cultures which never encountered such objects. Vertical pairs of triangles joined at the apex are common in Native American art; both in North America,^[13] where it can represent, for example, the body of the Thunderbird or (in more elongated form) an enemy scalp,^[14][15] and in South America, where it is believed to represent a Chuncho jungle dweller.^[16] In Zulu textiles they symbolise a married man, as opposed to a pair of triangles joined at the base, which symbolise a married woman.^[17] Neolithic examples can be seen among Spanish cave paintings.^[18][19] Observers have even given the name "hourglass motif" to shapes which have more complex symmetry, such as a repeating circle and cross pattern from the Solomon Islands.^[20]

Hourglass body shape[link]

Hourglass also refers to a body shape of women. In this shape bust and hip are significantly large with narrow waist resembling the shape of an hourglass. A common measurement of shape is 36 24 36 (size in inches). Even clothes to hug body of hourglass shape are available such as an hourglass corset.

See also[link]

• Water clock
• Marine sandglass

References[link]

Antique sandglasses

Further reading[link]

Books

• Branley, Franklyn M. (1993). Keeping time: From the beginning and into the twenty-first century. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company 
• Cowan, Harrison J. (1958). "Time and its measurement: From the stone age to the nuclear age". Cleveland (New York: The World Publishing Company) 65. Bibcode 1958QB209.C65...... 
• Guye, Samuel; Henri, Michel; Dolan, D.; Mitchell, S. W. (1970). "Time and space: Measuring instruments from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century". Time and space. Measuring instruments from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. (New York: Praeger Publishers). Bibcode 1971tsmi.book.....G 
• Smith, Alan (1975). Clocks and watches: American, European and Japanese timepieces. New York: Crescent Books 

Periodicals

• Morris, Scot (September 1992). "The floating hourglass". Omni: p. 86 
• Peterson, Ivars (September 11, 1993). "Trickling sand: how an hourglass ticks". Science News 

Look up hourglass in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hourglasses

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Dave Gahan
Background information
Born	(1962-05-09) 9 May 1962 (age 50)
Origin	North Weald, Essex, United Kingdom
Genres	Alternative dance, synthpop, New Wave
Instruments	Vocals, harmonica, guitar, keyboards, sampler, piano, glockenspiel, percussion
Labels	Mute
Associated acts	Depeche Mode Das Shadow Compact Space Soulsavers
Website	www.davegahan.com

Dave Gahan ( /ˈɡɑːn/; born 9 May 1962) is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the baritone lead singer for the British electronic music band Depeche Mode since their debut in 1980. He is also an accomplished solo artist, releasing albums in 2003 (Paper Monsters) and 2007 (Hourglass). Despite his bandmate Martin Gore continuing to be the main Depeche Mode songwriter, Gahan has contributed a number of songs to the band's most recent albums, Playing the Angel (2005) and Sounds of the Universe (2009). Two of these songs were released as singles, including "Suffer Well" in 2006 and "Hole to Feed" in 2009. Q magazine ranked Gahan no. 73 on the list of the "100 Greatest Singers"^[1] and no. 27 on "The 100 Greatest Frontmen".^[2]

Childhood and early years[link]

David Gahan was born into a working class family, to parents Len Callcott^{[citation needed]} (a bus driver) and his wife Sylvia (a conductress or "clippy" on London's buses), Dave was six months old when his father left the family. Sylvia and Len divorced two years later and his mother moved Dave and sister Sue (born 1960) to Basildon, Essex, after Sylvia met and married her second husband Jack Gahan (an administrator with Shell Oil). The Gahan family continued to grow with the birth of two more brothers Peter (born 1966) and Phil (born 1968). Dave and Sue were raised under the impression that their mother's second husband, Jack, was their natural father.

In 1972, when Dave Gahan was 10 years old, his stepfather died. David recalls how he "came home one day and found this bloke [his biological father] at home". Of the incident, he has said: "I'll never forget that day. When I came home from school, there was this stranger in my mum's house. My mother introduced him to me as my real dad. I remember I said, that was impossible because my father was dead. How was I supposed to know who that man was? From that day on, Len often visited the house, until one year later he disappeared again. Forever this time. Since then he had no contact with us. By growing older, I thought about him more and more. The only thing my mother would say, was that he moved out to Jersey to open a hotel".^[3] "Mum had kept it back from me 'til there was a need to tell me about my birth father, it's a different generation and you can understand I guess she thought she was doing the right thing".

Within six months of leaving Barstable School in July 1978, Gahan found and lost something in the order of twenty jobs, from selling soft drinks, working in a greengrocers in Basildon Bus Station, working as a cashier in Sainsbury's petrol station in Savacentre, to working on a construction site. Gahan also applied for a job as an apprentice fitter with North Thames Gas. He was told by his probation officer to be honest with the interviewer, and as a result, he admitted his criminal record but claimed he was a "reformed character". As a result, he did not get the job. Eventually, he earned a place at Southend Art College, which he enjoyed immensely. After three years, he gained the British Display Society Award, which allowed him to get jobs doing displays in shop windows and shopping centres.

Career in Depeche Mode (1980 – present)[link]

Dave Gahan with Depeche Mode 2009.

In March 1980, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher formed the band Composition of Sound, with Clarke on vocals/guitar, Gore on keyboards and Fletcher on bass. Clarke and Fletcher soon switched to synthesisers. The same year, Gahan joined the band after Clarke heard him perform David Bowie's "Heroes". The band was soon renamed Depeche Mode, a name suggested by Gahan after he had come across a fashion magazine by the name of Dépêche-mode.^[4]

Originally a new wave/synthpop pioneer of the early eighties, for over 30 years, Depeche Mode has explored new musical directions, and their sound has remained immensely diverse since their inception. They have released twelve studio albums, four greatest hits compilations and a remix album. The band has achieved global sales in excess of 100 million.^[5]

In the past, Gahan had expressed some resentment about never writing songs for Depeche Mode.^{[citation needed]} In a 2003 interview he shared, "During the making of Exciter, sometimes I felt a bit frustrated that there was a lack of experimentation."^[6] This led him, in 2004, to tell his bandmates that he wanted to write half of the songs on the new Depeche Mode album, and there was "no way" he could be involved in the band without contributing.^[7] Eventually there was a compromise, and three of Gahan's songs appeared on 2005's Playing the Angel: "Suffer Well" (nominated for a Grammy award), "I Want It All" and "Nothing's Impossible". "Suffer Well" was released as a single in 2006, reaching No. 12 in the UK.

Three more Gahan-penned songs, co-written with Christian Eigner and Andrew Phillpott, appeared on the band's 12th studio album, Sounds of the Universe, released on 20 April 2009. The songs are "Hole to Feed", "Come Back" and "Miles Away / The Truth Is". Gahan also wrote the lyrics to the B-side "Oh Well" but the music was done by Martin Gore. It is the first and currently only collaboration between the two.^[8][9] "Hole to Feed" was released along with Gore's "Fragile Tension" as a double A-side single in late 2009.

Solo albums (2003–present)[link]

Dave Gahan signing autographs in 2003.

In 1997, Gahan contributed to the tribute album "Dream Home Heartaches: Remaking/Remodeling Roxy Music" with the song "A Song For Europe". In 2003, he released his first solo album, Paper Monsters (which he co-wrote with guitarist and friend Knox Chandler), followed by the Paper Monsters Tour (including a performance at 2003's Glastonbury Festival), singing both his new solo tracks and Depeche Mode fan favourites. His touring band included Knox Chandler on guitar, Martyn LeNoble (Porno for Pyros, Jane's Addiction, The Cult) on bass, Vincent Jones (Sarah McLachlan, The Grapes of Wrath) on keyboards, and Victor Indrizzo (Beck, Macy Gray) on drums.

The album was a moderate success. The first single "Dirty Sticky Floors" hit the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart. The album itself became a Top 10 hit on the European album chart and a Top 40 hit in the UK Albums Chart.^[10] This success was backed by a world tour and a live DVD titled Live Monsters which was released in 2004. A year later, he also appeared as model and spokesperson of the Swedish mid-range fashion retailer J. Lindeberg and its S/S 2006 menswear line. The ads featured both him and seemingly random quotes like "What would happen if we all told the truth", "You can tell he's lying because his lips are moving", etc. These ads appeared prominently in international fashion press.

Gahan did a collaboration in 2003 with Junkie XL and handled the vocals for a song called "Reload" for this Dutch DJ's album Radio JXL: A Broadcast from the Computer Hell Cabin.

In 2007, Dave Gahan announced he was working on a new album via a video greeting for Depeche Mode's official website recorded at the 2007 MusiCares Charity event on 11 May. The album, titled Hourglass, was accompanied working by Andrew Phillpott and Christian Eigner. According to Gahan, they were to be producing it together.^[11][12] The material was recorded at Gahan's 11th Floor Studios in New York City. The material was mixed in July by Tony Hoffer, best known for his work with Beck, The Kooks and Air. According to Gahan, Hourglass is more electronic-sounding than Paper Monsters.^[13] The album made the UK Top 50, the French Top 20 and narrowly missed going to No. 1 in Germany.

The first single to be pulled from Dave Gahan's second solo record Hourglass was "Kingdom".^[14] The single came in the following versions: a download-Single, a CD single, a Maxi-CD single and 12" vinyl besides a 7" picture vinyl.^[15] According to the second press release for the second album, the release day for the single "Kingdom" was 8 October,^[16] but a download was available way before on 27 August. Side-Line Magazine also reported that a first preview for the song had been leaked online.^[15] The second studio clip on Dave Gahan Dot Com had "Kingdom" playing throughout. The single also spent a week at No. 1 on the US Dance Chart.

On 17 December 2007, iTunes released the iTunes exclusive live EP "Live from SoHo" holding the seven tracks played during an instore set at New York's Soho Apple store on 23 October.^[17]

The second single from the Hourglass album was the double A side "Saw Something / Deeper and deeper", released on 14 January 2008. The accompanying video was artistically shot in the Chelsea Hotel, New York, notable for the death of Sid Vicious' partner, Nancy.

In July 2007, Side-Line magazine revealed that Gahan had been working with Thomas Anselmi on a project called called Mirror, which was produced by Vincent Jones. Along with Jones, who played with Gahan's touring band and mixed the live DVD Live Monsters, Mirror featured another Gahan collaborator, Knox Chandler (Siouxsie & the Banshees, the Psychedelic Furs), as well as piano by Bowie favourite Mike Garson, and a monologue by Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro. Gahan sang vocals on the track "Nostalgia".^[18] The song was released in October 2008,^[19] and the album released via download at the start of 2009. He also appeared in the accompanying video for the song.^[20]

Dave Gahan also contributed vocals to a track called "Visitors", after walking in while producer and ex-Clor guitarist Luke Smith was working on the song in his New York studio. The song was released under the artist name of frYars.^[21]

Dave Gahan is the main vocalist and lyricist on Soulsavers' fourth studio album The Light the Dead See. The album was released on 21 May 2012.^[22]

Personal life[link]

Gahan has lived in New York City since 1997.^[23] He currently lives with his third wife, Jennifer, their daughter, Stella Rose (named after Jennifer's mother, Stella), and Jennifer's son, Jimmy, from a previous relationship. He also has a son, Jack, (named after his stepfather) from his first marriage to Joanne. Gahan's marriage to his second wife, Teresa, a former Depeche Mode publicist, lasted four years. Both Joanne (Gahan's teenage sweetheart), and Teresa can be seen in the 101 documentary. Jennifer is featured in the "Suffer Well" music video, once as the angel and once as herself.

Gahan is a recovering heroin addict. He has survived four brushes with death, living up to the nickname, "The Cat", that paramedics gave him during his roughest years in LA.^[24] In 1993, Gahan suffered a small heart-attack during a performance in New Orleans, leaving his bandmates to improvise an encore without him.^[25] His doctors advised him to take a break from the tour, but he refused. The second brush came when he attempted suicide by slashing his wrists in August 1995: “It was definitely a suicide attempt,” says Gahan. “But it was also a cry for help. I made sure there were people who might find me.”.^[26] On 28 May 1996, Gahan overdosed on a speedball at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in Los Angeles, which resulted in his heart stopping for two minutes until he was revived by paramedics.^[24] Gahan said of the experience, "All I saw and all I felt at first was complete darkness. I've never been in a space that was blacker, and I remember feeling that whatever it was I was doing, it was really wrong."^[4] He has also claimed he saw/heard his then-girlfriend, his current wife Jennifer, calling him back. The album Ultra was eventually released once Gahan had completed a spell in rehab.

On 12 May 2009, shortly before the band were due onstage in Athens, Greece for a concert on Depeche Mode's Tour of the Universe, Gahan fell ill in his dressing room. He was rushed to hospital where it was confirmed that he was suffering from a bout of gastroenteritis.^[27] A number of dates were either postponed or cancelled as further tests were conducted, revealing a low grade malignant tumour in his bladder. Gahan underwent an operation to successfully remove the tumour. After doctor-ordered time to fully recover, the tour resumed in Leipzig, Germany, on 8 June. Gahan later suffered a torn calf muscle while performing in Bilbao, Spain, on 9 July 2009, resulting in two further cancellations.^[28] After two-weeks break, he and Depeche Mode returned to the tour for their North American leg. While performing in Seattle on 10 August 2009 Gahan again suffered injury, this time straining his vocal cords. Doctors ordered Gahan on complete vocal rest, resulting in two more cancelled shows.^[29][30] The band returned to the stage in Los Angeles on 16 August. According to press and fan reports, Gahan is performing as well as ever, despite the string of health setbacks. Depeche Mode returned to perform in Latin America in October 2009 with appearances in Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina without Gahan showing any signs of stress.

Discography[link]

Solo

• Paper Monsters (2003)
• Hourglass (2007)

Soulsavers

• The Light the Dead See (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dave Gahan

• The Official Dave Gahan Website

Duane Allman
At Fillmore East, 1971
Background information
Birth name	Howard Duane Allman
Also known as	Skydog
Born	(1946-11-20)November 20, 1946 Nashville, Tennessee
Died	October 29, 1971(1971-10-29) (aged 24) Macon, Georgia
Genres	Southern rock, blues, blues-rock, soul, rock, jazz
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1961–1971
Labels	Mercury, Capricorn
Associated acts	The Hour Glass, Wilson Pickett, The Allman Brothers Band, Derek and the Dominos, Aretha Franklin, Herbie Mann, Gregg Allman, The Allman Joys
Website	AllmanBrothersBand.com
Notable instruments
Gibson Les Paul Gibson SG Fender Stratocaster Gibson ES-345

Duane Allman (born Howard Duane Allman; November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American guitarist, session musician and the primary co-founder and leader of the The Allman Brothers Band, until his early death in a motorcycle accident in 1971 at the age of 24.

ABB was formed in 1969 and, unusually for the time, based in the Southeastern United States. In the early 1970s the band was hugely successful. Duane is best remembered for his brief but influential tenure in that band and in particular for his expressive slide guitar playing and inventive improvisational skills.^[1] In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Allman at #2 in their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, second only to Jimi Hendrix and in 2011 he was ranked #9.^[2] His tone (achieved with a Gibson Les Paul and two 50-watt bass Marshall amplifiers) was named one of the greatest guitar tones of all time by Guitar Player.^[3]

A sought-after session musician both before and during his tenure with the band, Duane Allman performed with such established stars as King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Herbie Mann. He also contributed heavily to the 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos.

Duane Allman’s skills as a guitarist were complemented by personal qualities such as his intensity, drive and ability to draw the best out of others in making music.^[4] He is still referred to by his nickname "Skydog".^[5]

Early years[link]

Duane Allman was born November 20, 1946 in Nashville, Tennessee. He was the eldest son of Willis Allman, a career United States Army sergeant, and Geraldine (née Robbins). His younger brother Gregg Allman was born in late 1947.

While the family were living near Norfolk, Virginia, his father was murdered by a fellow veteran hitchhiker.^[6] In order to retrain as an accountant, Geraldine "Mama A" Allman sent Duane and Gregg to Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, Tennessee, which they both disliked intensely.^[7] In 1957, the family moved to Daytona Beach, Florida where the boys attended Seabreeze High School.

The boys returned to Nashville to spend summers with their grandmother where Gregg learned guitar basics from a neighbour. In 1960, Gregg had saved enough money to buy his first guitar, a Japanese-made Teisco Silvertone while Duane acquired a Harley 165 motorbike which he soon wrote off. So Duane began to take an interest in the guitar leading to fights over it and eventually their mother bought Duane a Gibson Les Paul Junior.^[8]

It was also in Nashville that the boys became musically inspired by a rhythm and blues concert they attended, at which blues guitar legend B. B. King performed. Apparently, Duane turned to Gregg and said, "We got to get into this." ^[8]

Duane learned to play very quickly and soon became the better guitarist of the two, dropping out of high school to stay home during the day and focus on developing his guitar skills.

Allman Joys and Hour Glass[link]

The two Allman brothers started playing publicly in 1961, joining or forming a number of small, local groups. Shortly thereafter, Duane quit high school to stay home during the day and focus on his guitar playing. Their band the Escorts opened for The Beach Boys in 1965 but disbanded and eventually became the Allman Joys. After Gregg graduated from Seabreeze High School in 1965, the Allman Joys went on the road, performing throughout the Southeast and eventually being based in Nashville and St. Louis, Missouri.

The Allman Joys morphed into another not-completely-successful band, The Hour Glass, which moved to Los Angeles in early 1967. There the Hour Glass produced two albums that left the band unsatisfied. Liberty, their record company, tried to market them as a pop band, completely ignoring the band's desire to play more blues-oriented material.

In 1968, Gregg Allman went to visit Duane on his 22nd birthday. Duane was sick in bed. Gregg brought along a bottle of Coricidin pills for his fever and the debut album by guitarist Taj Mahal as a gift. "About two hours after I left, my phone rang," Gregg states. "Baby brother, baby brother, get over here now!" When Gregg got there, he found that Duane had poured the pills out of the bottle, washed off the label and was using it as a slide to play "Statesboro Blues", an old Blind Willie McTell song that Taj Mahal covered. "Duane had never played slide before," says Gregg, "he just picked it up and started burnin'. He was a natural."^{[citation needed]} The song would go on to become a part of the Allman Brothers Band's repertoire, and Duane's slide guitar became crucial to their sound.

The Hour Glass broke up in early 1968, and Duane and Gregg Allman went back to Florida, where they played on demo sessions with the 31st of February, a folk rock outfit whose drummer was Butch Trucks. Gregg returned to California to fulfill Hour Glass obligations, while Duane jammed around Florida for months but didn't get another band going.

Session musician[link]

Allman's playing on the two Hour Glass albums and an Hour Glass session in early 1968 at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, had caught the ear of Rick Hall, owner of FAME. In November 1968 Hall hired Allman to play on an album with Wilson Pickett. Allman's work on that album, Hey Jude (1968), got him hired as a full-time session musician at Muscle Shoals and brought him to the attention of a number of other musicians, such as Eric Clapton, who later said, "I remember hearing Wilson Pickett's 'Hey Jude' and just being astounded by the lead break at the end. I had to know who that was immediately—right now."

Allman's performance on "Hey Jude" blew away Atlantic Records producer and executive Jerry Wexler when Hall played it over the phone for him. Wexler immediately bought Allman's recording contract from Hall and wanted to use him on sessions with all sorts of Atlantic R&B artists. While at Muscle Shoals, Allman was featured on releases by a number of artists, including Clarence Carter, King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Laura Nyro, Wilson Pickett, Otis Rush, Percy Sledge, Johnny Jenkins, Boz Scaggs, Delaney & Bonnie and jazz flautist Herbie Mann. Shortly after he recorded the lead break in "Hey Jude", he recorded all of the lead guitar in Boz Scaggs' "Loan Me a Dime". For his first sessions with Aretha, Allman traveled to New York, where in January 1969 he went as an audience member to the Fillmore East to see Johnny Winter and told fellow Shoals guitarist Jimmy Johnson that in a year he'd be on that stage. That December, the Allman Brothers Band indeed played the Fillmore.