My first recollection of music burning an imprint into my memory happened when I was 6 years old. My mother had a brown paper bag, a large grocery bag filled with items I don’t recall. It was sitting on a chair in her bedroom next to her dresser. While my mom and siblings would be in the living room watching TV around the corner from her bedroom, I would slip away into my mom’s bedroom, pick up her cigarette lighter, light it, put the flame to the bag, light it, watch a moment then blow it out. Fascinated by the flame, momentarily hypnotized by it I would do this periodically. One morning same scenario, I went through my routine again while the radio was on in my mother’s bedroom. The song on the radio I was listening to was, “Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at super time.” Can’t forget it! On this particular morning I failed to blow the flame out quickly on the bag. When I realized it was getting away from me I tried to blow it out. The flame raced across my mother’s dresser onto the window frame in her bedroom. The song still playing away in the background. Now I had to alert my mother. She was horrified to see what was happening. She called the fire department. I ran across the hall to the neighbor’s apartment slid under a bed in the spare bedroom staying there till the evening. My mother knew I was there under the bed. After the fire department arrived putting out the fire. I was embarrassed. Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at super time. My first music experience. Then came “The Beatles” on Ed Sullivan show in February 1964. I was 11 years old.

April 1979, my wife and I were guests of The Dixie Dregs at a show they were performing at Emory University in Decatur, Georgia. I was friends with Twiggs Lyndon, formerly of the Allman Brothers Band at that time. That’s how I came to be friends with “The Dixie Dregs.” Twiggs was working with them prior to that time. The previous week I had resigned from my job as commissary manager for the Mellow Mushroom” restaurants in Atlanta, Ga. During a Dixie Dregs tour, the equipment truck “Black Hearted Women” was in an accident, splitting open, releasing all the equipment in the truck onto the gully the truck wrecked into. The Dixie Dregs Band Members tried to tour while taking turns as the bus driver. It was too much to ask of themselves to play and drive. The road is a tough place to live. Not all glamour! Exhausted with a tour impending the next day after that show I was attending at Emory University. Jeff Burkhart, the lighting manager for The Dixie Dregs sought me out in the crowd from the Sound-booth made eye contact with me motioning me to come to the sound stage. I went to see what it was Jeff wanted. That’s when he asked me if I was employed. I stated I had just resigned from my job the week before. Jeff asked me to drive The Dixie Dregs on the road. I said, “If Shirley says it’s all good, I’ll do it. My wife Shirley knew what it would mean to me agreeing to see me do it. The next morning at 7 AM I was at the Dregs house, waking up Twiggs Lyndon, letting him know what was happening. Twiggs at that time was helping “The Allman Brothers Band” reform. I would be taking his place as the Dixie Dregs tour driver. That was my first tour on the road that April day of 1979.   

Before I moved to Atlanta, Georgia from Western Pennsylvania, I was well aware of the music of The Allman Brothers Band and their growing legacy. Consequently, I was keenly aware of the legendary Twiggs Lyndon. From a far I admired Twiggs loyalty to The Allman Brothers Band. His devotion and involvement in the Bands success are paramount to the historical accomplishments of The Allman Brothers Band. While the Allman Brothers Band were in hiatus (disbanded), Twiggs was living at the Dixie Dregs house in Decatur, Georgia while working with them on tour. Gregg Allman was in flux with his musical career. Gregg Allman unsure of his future agreed to perform a show at the historical “Great Southeast Music Hall in Broadview plaza, a former movie theater in Buckhead, Atlanta. Many great concerts were performed at this venue. It was a big night and a prelude of things to come for Gregg. Gregg Allman lacking in confidence, yes that sounds odd though it was his state of mind at the time. Many of Gregg’s friends and admirers attended this performance. The Night Hawks didn’t need Gregg Allman to fill this small venue nor did they need his talent on stage to pull of one of their many powerful performances. This was a look see to know if this union would, could work for all involved. The night was filled with drama, and who’s who in attendance. Phil Walden, president of Capricorn records attended this show coming in from Macon, Georgia to help Gregg Allman with his confidence and support. I think Phil was there with business on his mind as well. Also, in attendance was Twiggs Lyndon and me. Twiggs was asked by management of the music hall to stand watch at the entrance leading into the musicians lounge, they were short- handed that night. I had just come from a conversation with Phil Walden in the music hall to the outer chamber or half-moon rotunda towards the doorway into the musician’s lounge when I saw Twiggs sitting by the door on a bar stool, highchair. I walked up to him introducing myself, shook his hand, immediately we were friends. It happened like that. I asked Twiggs countless questions about the Allman Brothers Band all through the evening. When the show was over, and it was time to leave, Twiggs stayed behind to meet and talk with Gregg Allman, Phil Walden, and all the musicians including Muddy Waters who was the opening act. As I was walking out, I said to Twiggs, “I have more questions?” Twiggs said, “call me, I’m in the book.” A coupleweeks later I called him and a reciprocal friendship evolved. You have written a book about Twiggs Lyndon and shared some of his memories of working with Little Richard and The Allman Brother Band. Tell us more about the book. I knew I had relevant information/stories and substance about my friendship with Twiggs Lyndon. Also, the sequence of events in my life that led me to move to Atlanta allowing me to eventually meet Twiggs becoming friends. I decided to tell them all in one story/book. While researching dates and facts to insure this was a legitimate account of music history, I noticed fans of the Dixie Dregs were interested in who Twiggs Lyndon the man was beyond his renowned legacy. I was someone off the radar who became intimate with stories Twiggs would tell me and most importantly who he was; to interact with being a confidant and a close friend. Twiggs Lyndon trusted me! Little Richard gave Twiggs his start and introduction to the music industry as he learned the craft of being a “Road Manager” for an elite act such as the comeback tour of Little Richard in 1964. Some of the personal stories Twiggs told me of ABB Band members and his time in jail/mental institution in New York state for stabbing a promoter in Buffalo, New York in April of 1970. I wrote of how Twiggs acquired Duane Allman’s 1959 Les Paul guitar from Gregg Allman and one of my favorite stories of Dickey Bett’s song “Pony Boy.” A true story about an alcoholic uncle of Dickey Betts and his uncle’s horse “Pony Boy.” How to avoid a DUI! Many other profound stories as well including the concert at Watkins Glen in upstate, New York July 28th, 1973. I attended.

One story stands out. How Twiggs was given his freedom being released from the mental institution in the state of New York a result of Twiggs stabbing a corrupt promotor in Buffalo, New York. After a retrial, it was determined Twiggs was temporarily insane at the time of the stabbing of this promoter in New York. Twiggs was moved from a jail cell to the confines of a mental institution. During Twiggs incarceration at the mental institute he met a man who had been in this institution for 30 years for the crime of not speaking. Don’t know what it was that caused this trauma in this man’s life causing him to clam up. I don’t think knew how it was either. Day after day the patients would gather in a social area very much like they did in the movie “One flew over the Coocoos nest.” Twiggs would engage the mute in conversation though Twiggs was the only one doing the talking. This went on day after day for a period of time. Knowing Twiggs, the way I did, it wasn’t improbable to me that Twiggs of all people would get this muted guy out of his shell. The man began to talk again. The staff and those in charge was impressed Twiggs could do what no other professional could accomplish in 30 years. Get this man to talk! They proclaimed Twiggs was not insane and neither was the other guy. Releasing them both back into society. Twiggs had the ability to reach inside someone, touching their soul, the muted man talked. By Christmas of 1972 Twiggs was back in Macon, Ga. Resuming his roll with The Allman Brothers Band, cementing his place in Rock and Roll history. 

 Well I wasn’t exactly playing it as much as I was posing with it strapped on me. This was Twiggs Lyndon’s idea, he wanted me for posterity to have a photo of myself holding this precious instrument. It was August 1979 at the Dixie Dregs house were Twiggs resided with all their equipment and Jeff Burkhart his roommate. My sister Lillian and I came over to have a meal with Twiggs and for Lil to meet Twiggs for the first time. Jeff was out on tour with the Dixie Dregs, it was just the three of us. To coincide with Lillian meeting Twiggs. He wanted to make this awesome barbecue Sauce for us. A recipe he and Charlie Daniels had persuaded a barbecue master in Alabama to give them. Twiggs wanted to show it off for me and Lil. During that visit, Lil wanted to take pictures of me and Twiggs in his office. Twiggs decided to take a couple of photos of me with Duane Allman’s 1959 Les Paul. After Lil took the picture of me and Twiggs, he took the two photos of me with the Guitar strapped on. Instructing me what chord he wanted my fingers on. I took one of a promo plaque of The Grateful Dead & The Allman Brothers Band from the two-day concert in Washington, D.C. June of 1973 with my sister Lillian next to the plaque. Sadly, three months later Twiggs passed away in a parachute accident that was suspicious in Duanesburg, New York while touring with The Dixie Dregs. I expounded on this in my book “Remembering Twiggs Lyndon.” We enjoyed the barbeque that August day in 1979. Honored to have had my friendship with the Legendary Twiggs Miller Lyndon, Jr. Forever Young!