The Allman Brothers Band – Midnight Rider

The Allman Brothers Band – Midnight Rider
Recorded Live: 4/20/1979 – Capitol Theatre – Passaic, NJ
Personnel:
Gregg Allman – vocals, keyboards
Dickey Betts – vocals, guitar
Dan Toler – guitar
David Goldflies – bass
Butch Trucks – drums
Jai Johnny Johansen -drums
Bonnie Bramlett – vocals

“Midnight Rider” – Single by The Allman Brothers Band from the album Idlewild South
B-side: “Whipping Post”
Released: March 26, 1971
Label: Capricorn
Songwriters: Gregg Allman, Robert Kim Payne
Producer: Tom Dowd
Charted No.19 in US

“Midnight Rider” was Gregg Allman’s signature song, describing how he continued on in the face of obstacles. He wrote the song, but shared the songwriting credit with Kim Payne, a roadie for the band who came up with the classic line, “The road goes on forever.”

After he wrote this song, Gregg Allman wanted to start recording it right away, so with the help of Kim Payne, who was guarding their equipment, he broke into the band’s Macon, Georgia recording studio in the middle of the night and went to work, figuring he should get some tracks down before he forgot them.

This first appeared on the second Allman Brothers album, Idlewild South, but it wasn’t released as a single. The song became a live favorite and one very identifiable with Gregg, so when he recorded his first solo album, Laid Back, in 1973, he recorded a new version of this song and released it as a single. It became his biggest hit as a solo artist, charting at #19 US.

Gregg Allman called it “the song I’m most proud of in my career.”