Hour Glass was an American soul band based in Los Angeles, California in 1967 and 1968. Among their members were two future members of the Allman Brothers Band (Duane Allman and his brother Gregg) and three future studio musicians at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Pete Carr, Johnny Sandlin and Paul Hornsby). After these tracks were rejected by Liberty, the group returned to the Southeast, did a few more gigs, and called it quits.

Duane and Gregg Allman went to Jacksonville, Florida, where they jammed with folk-rockers The 31st of February, featuring drummer Butch Trucks. The others went back to Alabama and did some session work in Muscle Shoals.

After the 31st of February demos were rejected by that group's label, Gregg Allman decided to return to Los Angeles to pick up the pieces of the Hour Glass' deal with Liberty. He recorded several tracks in Los Angeles with studio musicians. A single, a remake of Tammy Wynette's country hit "D.I.V.O.R.C.E.," was released on Liberty under the name "Gregg Allman and the Hour Glass." However, it too failed to chart, and the remaining tracks for a planned album were scuttled and only issued twenty-five years later as bonus tracks on reissues of the Hour Glass's Liberty recordings.

Duane Allman re-joined his former Hour Glass bandmates in Muscle Shoals, where he met drummer J. Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson. Interested in recruiting bassist Berry Oakley of Jacksonville psychedelic blues band the Second Coming, whom he had met the previous July at an Hour Glass performance at Jacksonville's Comic Book Club, Allman and Johanson left Muscle Shoals for Florida, where Allman began sitting in with Oakley's band. Impressed with Second Coming guitarist Dickey Betts' playing, Allman decided to add him to his fledgling line-up as well. With the addition of a second drummer, former 31 February drummer Butch Trucks, and brother Gregg on vocals and organ, who would at this point abandon his solo career in Los Angeles, the new line-up became the Allman Brothers Band.

Personnel

  • Duane Allman - guitars, electric sitar, vocal
  • Gregg Allman - vocal, organ, piano, guitar
  • Paul Hornsby - piano, organ, guitar, vocal
  • Johnny Sandlin - drums, guitar, gong
  • Mabron McKinney - bass (1967)
  • Bob Keller - bass (1967)
  • Pete Carr - bass, guitar, vocal (1967–1968)

Discography

Albums

  • Hour Glass (Liberty, 1967)
  • Power of Love (Liberty, 1968)
  • The Hour Glass (compilation of the two studio albums) (United Artists, 1973)
  • Southbound (The Rare Liberty Recordings) (compilation) (Acadia, 2004)

Singles

October 1967: "Nothing But Tears" / "Heartbeat" <br> - from Hour Glass (1967) <br>

March 1968: "Power of Love" / "I Still Want Your Love" <br> - from Power of Love (1968) <br>

June 1968: "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" / "Changing of the Guard" (as Gregg Allman and the Hour Glass) <br> - Side "A" new recording by Gregg Allman and session musicians, Side "B" from Power of Love (1968)<br>

September 1968: "She Is My Woman" / "Going Nowhere" (as Gregg Allman and the Hour Glass) <br> - Side "A" new recording by Gregg Allman and session musicians, Side "B" from Power of Love (1968)<br>

October 1968: "Now Is the Time" / "She Is My Woman" (as Gregg Allman and the Hour Glass) <br> - Side "A" from Power of Love (1968), Side "B" previously released on 45 in September 1968 <br>

January 1969: "I've Been Trying" / "Silently" (as Gregg Allman and the Hour Glass) <br> - from Hour Glass (1967)

See also

  • Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section

References

  • http://www.duaneallman.info/chronologypart1.htm Duane Allman chronology
  • http://www.duaneallman.info/duanediscography.htm Duane Allman discography