The Allman Brothers Band was formed in Jacksonville in 1969. Original members included brothers Duane and Gregg Allman along with Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe Johanson. The Allman Brothers pioneered the genre of southern rock along with fellow Floridians Lynyrd Skynyrd by combining the blues roots of rock and roll with country influences.
Originally from Daytona Beach, Duane and Gregg Allman, started playing in bands in the mid-1960s. After forming the Allman Brothers Band, the group moved to Macon, Georgia in summer 1969. While the band's first two albums were not big hits, they gained major notoriety for the energy of their live performances, which was captured on the 1971 album At Fillmore East. Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident later that year, and bassist Berry Oakley died shortly thereafter in 1972. The band has continued on since that time with various lineups and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
While Gregg Allman finds the term "southern rock" redundant, the band's combination of the blues and country into a rock style with extended instrumental jams has become synonymous with southern rock bands.