Little Martha
Encyclopedia
"Little Martha" was the only Allman Brothers Band track written solely by group leader and partial namesake Duane Allman
. The tune first appeared on the final studio track on the Allman Brothers Band's fourth album, Eat A Peach
, released in 1972. The track was recorded in October 1971, a few weeks before Duane Allman's death in a motorcycle accident.
Allman's original recording of the song is a bouncy fingerstyle acoustic guitar instrumental
duet with minimal accompaniment. Allman and bandmate Dickey Betts
played the tune on 6-string guitars using open E tuning. The song's simple melody and rhythmic counterpoint quickly made it a favorite among fans; acoustic guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke
, who often covered
the song in performance, once called it "the most perfect guitar song ever written."
showed him the melody of the tune in a Holiday Inn
motel bathroom, using the sink faucet as a guitar
fretboard. Remembering the melody during the October 1971 sessions that produced most of the third side of what would become Eat A Peach, Allman laid down the track, joined only by Dicky Betts and bassist Berry Oakley
, though Oakley's part would be mixed out of the final version, leaving the number as a duet for the two guitarists. (Oakley's part would be restored on the 1989 box set Dreams
.)
The song's namesake was Martha Ellis, a twelve-year-old girl whose grave the Allman Brothers Band had come across during their frequent trips to Rose Hill Cemetery
in their homebase of Macon, Georgia
. (Both Duane Allman himself and Berry Oakley would be buried there by the end of 1972). As with Dicky Betts' 1970 instrumental "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
", the song was named for one person but actually about somebody else. Allman envisioned it as an ode to his then-girlfriend, a groupie
named Dixie Meadows, who later would unsuccessfully sue to control Allman's estate after his death.
and Dicky Betts have included "Little Martha" on live albums. It appears in a wildly different electric version as the opening track to Dicky Betts' 2004 limited-release live album, Instant Live At The Odeon. On Allman's 1974 effort, The Gregg Allman Tour, the studio version can be heard faintly on the PA system after the closing track, "Will The Circle Be Unbroken". It was also interwoven into bassist Oteil Burbridge
's bass solos during certain live shows in the late 1990s by The Allman Brothers Band.
The song has occasionally been recorded by other instrumentalists in the decades since its original release, including notable versions by guitarists Leo Kottke
, Tim Farrell, and dobro
virtuoso Jerry Douglas
.
The song is played over the PA system after every Allman Brothers Band show as a tribute to Duane Allman
.
From roughly 1985-2005, Little Martha, along with Stevie Ray Vaughan's
"Stang's Swang", was played on Kentucky Educational Television
during a scroll of significant sponsors at the end of the broadcast day.
A 2008 commercial for E & J Gallo Winery
features a cover of the song.
Duane Allman
Howard Duane Allman was an American guitarist, session musician and the primary co-founder of the southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band...
. The tune first appeared on the final studio track on the Allman Brothers Band's fourth album, Eat A Peach
Eat a Peach
Eat a Peach is a 1972 double album by the American Southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band; it was the last to include founding member and lead slide-guitar player Duane Allman, who was killed in a motorcycle accident on October 29, 1971 while the album was being recorded.-History:This album...
, released in 1972. The track was recorded in October 1971, a few weeks before Duane Allman's death in a motorcycle accident.
Allman's original recording of the song is a bouncy fingerstyle acoustic guitar instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
duet with minimal accompaniment. Allman and bandmate Dickey Betts
Dickey Betts
Forrest Richard "Dickey" Betts is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and also won with the band a best rock performance Grammy Award for his...
played the tune on 6-string guitars using open E tuning. The song's simple melody and rhythmic counterpoint quickly made it a favorite among fans; acoustic guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
, who often covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
the song in performance, once called it "the most perfect guitar song ever written."
Song Origin
The story goes that Allman had a dream where Jimi HendrixJimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
showed him the melody of the tune in a Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
motel bathroom, using the sink faucet as a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
fretboard. Remembering the melody during the October 1971 sessions that produced most of the third side of what would become Eat A Peach, Allman laid down the track, joined only by Dicky Betts and bassist Berry Oakley
Berry Oakley
Raymond Berry Oakley III , was an American bassist and one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band.-Biography:...
, though Oakley's part would be mixed out of the final version, leaving the number as a duet for the two guitarists. (Oakley's part would be restored on the 1989 box set Dreams
Dreams (Allman Brothers Band)
Dreams is a 1989 four-disc box set issued by The Allman Brothers Band.Dreams is a compilation of material taken from not only The Allman Brothers Band, but also from throughout musical careers of the Allmans and the band's other members prior to and following its formation...
.)
The song's namesake was Martha Ellis, a twelve-year-old girl whose grave the Allman Brothers Band had come across during their frequent trips to Rose Hill Cemetery
Rose Hill Cemetery (Georgia)
Rose Hill Cemetery is in Macon, Georgia, U.S. The cemetery opened in 1840. It was a hangout and artistic inspiration for the Allman Brothers Band during their early years...
in their homebase of Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
. (Both Duane Allman himself and Berry Oakley would be buried there by the end of 1972). As with Dicky Betts' 1970 instrumental "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
"In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" is a jazz-influenced instrumental composed by Dickey Betts that became one of the best-known works ever recorded by The Allman Brothers Band, especially the version on their 1971 live album At Fillmore East.-Overview:...
", the song was named for one person but actually about somebody else. Allman envisioned it as an ode to his then-girlfriend, a groupie
Groupie
A groupie is a person who seeks emotional and sexual intimacy with a musician or other celebrity. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but the word is also used in a more general sense, especially in casual conversation....
named Dixie Meadows, who later would unsuccessfully sue to control Allman's estate after his death.
Longevity and cover versions
Both Gregg AllmanGregg Allman
Gregory Lenoir Allman , known as Gregg Allman, is a rock and blues singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter, and a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia...
and Dicky Betts have included "Little Martha" on live albums. It appears in a wildly different electric version as the opening track to Dicky Betts' 2004 limited-release live album, Instant Live At The Odeon. On Allman's 1974 effort, The Gregg Allman Tour, the studio version can be heard faintly on the PA system after the closing track, "Will The Circle Be Unbroken". It was also interwoven into bassist Oteil Burbridge
Oteil Burbridge
Oteil Burbridge, in Washington, D.C.), is a Grammy Award-nominated American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the current resurgence of the Allman Brothers Band...
's bass solos during certain live shows in the late 1990s by The Allman Brothers Band.
The song has occasionally been recorded by other instrumentalists in the decades since its original release, including notable versions by guitarists Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
, Tim Farrell, and dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
virtuoso Jerry Douglas
Jerry Douglas
Jerry Douglas may refer to:*Jerry Douglas , actor, who was on The Young and the Restless for 25 years*Jerry Douglas, country/bluegrass musician*Jerry Douglas , director and writer of adult films such as, Score...
.
The song is played over the PA system after every Allman Brothers Band show as a tribute to Duane Allman
Duane Allman
Howard Duane Allman was an American guitarist, session musician and the primary co-founder of the southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band...
.
From roughly 1985-2005, Little Martha, along with Stevie Ray Vaughan's
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...
"Stang's Swang", was played on Kentucky Educational Television
Kentucky Educational Television
Kentucky Educational Television, also known as KET: The Kentucky Network, is Kentucky's non-commercial educational public television state network...
during a scroll of significant sponsors at the end of the broadcast day.
A 2008 commercial for E & J Gallo Winery
E & J Gallo Winery
E & J Gallo Winery was founded in 1933 by Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo in Modesto, California. E & J Gallo Winery is the largest exporter of California wines and is a large promoter of wines from Sonoma County.-History:...
features a cover of the song.