Uploaded December 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Gerry Groom and the Village Idiots. A recording from 1988. Gerry Groom was living in Sarasota, FL at the time &handed me this 2 song cassette tape he had just finished recording. The songs are, Woke Up This Morning & Corrina, Corrina. Gerry was a Child Prodigy and protégé of Duane Allman. Duane had told Gerry that if anything ever happened to him, he wanted Gerry to have his Gibson SG that Duane did most, or all, of his open tuning slide work on. Gerry did have the guitar for many years, and played it out often much to everyone's delight. He eventually sold the guitar to Graham Nash. Gerry had offered to sell me the SG for 5K at a time when he was in a financial bind. I couldn't put my hands on that kind of money, and guitars weren't as insanely collectible as they were soon to become. In hindsight, duh, I should have figured out a way to come up with the cash. Gerry died untimely at a young age, (Feb. 11th 1992) from a Scuba Diving incident. I was fourteen years old and was at the ABB concert in Sarasota when Duane invited Gerry up on stage to sit in with the Brothers.
JERRY ROSS INTERVIEW WITH GERRY GROOM:
JR: Then what happened?
GG: Well, Duane Allman and the Allman Brothers came to town. I was totally captivated by Duane and, like a bunch of other little kids, I hung around the stage and caught every show. I found out where he and the band were staying and I sneaked in and knocked on Duane’s door. Keep in mind that I’m around 16-17 years old at this time. Duane invited me in (I had my guitar in tow) and he asked me to play some with him. 5 minutes of so. He took an instant liking to me and called me “little brother.” He liked my playing so much that he asked me if I would come to their concert in Sarasota at Robert Arena the following week and get up onstage with them for a couple of tunes. I couldn’t believe it. Here I was being asked to play with Duane Allman . . . by Duane himself!
JR: So here you are, 17 years old, playing with the Allmans. Did you play any other dates with them and how were you received by the rest of the band?
GG: Well, I always felt that I didn’t belong with the band, although they all liked and accepted me. I think some of them resented Duane’s liking me so much and consequently I never would travel with them. Instead, I would hitchhike around the country and “just show up” at Kansas City, San Francisco, etc. Duane would know this and he would slip me a $100.00 here and there. I was in an unbelievable position being this close to Duane and I was in heaven. He was a tremendous person.
JR: And then the tragic accident.
GG: Absolutely. Very devastating. I had lost a real friend.
JR: I guess the attitude of the band changed a little toward you after that.
GG: Yes, somewhat. It was interesting because at Duane’s funeral they were going to bury his ’62 SG Les Paul with him. It was the guitar he used on “Statesboro Blues” and all of his great slide work, However Gregg remembered that Duane had told him that he wanted me to have this guitar if anything ever happened to him and I’ve had it ever since.
JR: You are the owner of one of the most classic guitars in rock history?
GG: Yes, and it is very rare because it is made out of one solid piece of wood (the neck and the body are one piece). The tone that this natural wood produces is unmistakable and almost impossible to copy through any amplifier setting. I use it quite a bit.
JR: Can you tell me an interesting story about you and Duane?
GG: Yeah. I was sitting with Duane in his hotel room in Jacksonville and we were joking around one night. The rest of the guys in the band were going out on the town and Duane and I were sitting in his room. This was right around the time when the Layla album was out and The Allman Brothers Band Live at the Fillmore East had just been recorded. Jokingly, I told Duane that he really needed to work on his slide playing. He looked at me straight-faced and said, “You know, little brother, you’re right,” and he got up, unplugged his electric guitar and went into the bathroom. He closed the door and stayed in there playing slide guitar by himself for the next five hours or so.
JR: The burden and the debt to Duane must be tremendous.
GG: It is, especially when I remember Duane introducing me to Eric Clapton as his hope for the future. Duane created in me a feeling of always giving it my best shot.
JR: Any chance you would be a part of any Allman Brothers reunion to form a new band?
GG: Yes, as long as the brotherhood aspect was sincere, as was Duane’s intention. I even remember that their music crates and cases used to have "The All Bros Band” printed on the side of them.
Gerry Groom and the Village Idiots. A recording from 1988. Gerry Groom was living in Sarasota, FL at the time &handed me this 2 song cassette tape he had just finished recording. The songs are, Woke Up This Morning & Corrina, Corrina. Gerry was a Child Prodigy and protégé of Duane Allman. Duane had told Gerry that if anything ever happened to him, he wanted Gerry to have his Gibson SG that Duane did most, or all, of his open tuning slide work on. Gerry did have the guitar for many years, and played it out often much to everyone's delight. He eventually sold the guitar to Graham Nash. Gerry had offered to sell me the SG for 5K at a time when he was in a financial bind. I couldn't put my hands on that kind of money, and guitars weren't as insanely collectible as they were soon to become. In hindsight, duh, I should have figured out a way to come up with the cash. Gerry died untimely at a young age, (Feb. 11th 1992) from a Scuba Diving incident. I was fourteen years old and was at the ABB concert in Sarasota when Duane invited Gerry up on stage to sit in with the Brothers.
JERRY ROSS INTERVIEW WITH GERRY GROOM:
JR: Then what happened?
GG: Well, Duane Allman and the Allman Brothers came to town. I was totally captivated by Duane and, like a bunch of other little kids, I hung around the stage and caught every show. I found out where he and the band were staying and I sneaked in and knocked on Duane’s door. Keep in mind that I’m around 16-17 years old at this time. Duane invited me in (I had my guitar in tow) and he asked me to play some with him. 5 minutes of so. He took an instant liking to me and called me “little brother.” He liked my playing so much that he asked me if I would come to their concert in Sarasota at Robert Arena the following week and get up onstage with them for a couple of tunes. I couldn’t believe it. Here I was being asked to play with Duane Allman . . . by Duane himself!
JR: So here you are, 17 years old, playing with the Allmans. Did you play any other dates with them and how were you received by the rest of the band?
GG: Well, I always felt that I didn’t belong with the band, although they all liked and accepted me. I think some of them resented Duane’s liking me so much and consequently I never would travel with them. Instead, I would hitchhike around the country and “just show up” at Kansas City, San Francisco, etc. Duane would know this and he would slip me a $100.00 here and there. I was in an unbelievable position being this close to Duane and I was in heaven. He was a tremendous person.
JR: And then the tragic accident.
GG: Absolutely. Very devastating. I had lost a real friend.
JR: I guess the attitude of the band changed a little toward you after that.
GG: Yes, somewhat. It was interesting because at Duane’s funeral they were going to bury his ’62 SG Les Paul with him. It was the guitar he used on “Statesboro Blues” and all of his great slide work, However Gregg remembered that Duane had told him that he wanted me to have this guitar if anything ever happened to him and I’ve had it ever since.
JR: You are the owner of one of the most classic guitars in rock history?
GG: Yes, and it is very rare because it is made out of one solid piece of wood (the neck and the body are one piece). The tone that this natural wood produces is unmistakable and almost impossible to copy through any amplifier setting. I use it quite a bit.
JR: Can you tell me an interesting story about you and Duane?
GG: Yeah. I was sitting with Duane in his hotel room in Jacksonville and we were joking around one night. The rest of the guys in the band were going out on the town and Duane and I were sitting in his room. This was right around the time when the Layla album was out and The Allman Brothers Band Live at the Fillmore East had just been recorded. Jokingly, I told Duane that he really needed to work on his slide playing. He looked at me straight-faced and said, “You know, little brother, you’re right,” and he got up, unplugged his electric guitar and went into the bathroom. He closed the door and stayed in there playing slide guitar by himself for the next five hours or so.
JR: The burden and the debt to Duane must be tremendous.
GG: It is, especially when I remember Duane introducing me to Eric Clapton as his hope for the future. Duane created in me a feeling of always giving it my best shot.
JR: Any chance you would be a part of any Allman Brothers reunion to form a new band?
GG: Yes, as long as the brotherhood aspect was sincere, as was Duane’s intention. I even remember that their music crates and cases used to have "The All Bros Band” printed on the side of them.
