Statesboro Blues

The Allman Brothers Band, 1971, from At Fillmore East. Solo by Duane Allman.

Bottleneck slide at the Fillmore East.

Statesboro Blues opens At Fillmore East with Duane Allman's slide guitar front and center. He plays in open tuning with a glass Coricidin bottle, producing a bright, singing tone that sounds almost like a human voice. His lines are precise and melodic, sliding into notes with perfect intonation and punctuating the vocal with sharp, stinging phrases. Allman's approach, inspired by Taj Mahal's version of Blind Willie McTell's song, became a template for electric slide in rock. The live setting adds energy, with the band pushing hard behind him. Listen for the opening slide riff, where Duane sets the song's tone in just a few bars, and for his fills between vocal lines, which respond like a second singer.

Statesboro Blues by The Allman Brothers Band is ranked #226 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Duane Allman and the song was released in 1971. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #13 (Rolling Stone).

In our lists

• The 25 Greatest Blues Rock Guitar Solos — #7
• The 25 Greatest Southern Rock Guitar Solos — #8
• Greatest Live Solos — #12
• Slide Guitar — #8
• Rolling Stone vs. Everyone — #11
• The Best The Allman Brothers Band Guitar Solos — #4
• The Best Duane Allman Guitar Solos — #4

Sources

• Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #13