Little Martha – There is a lot of different forms of communication, but music is absolutely the purest one. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #DuaneAllman #LeoKottke #JerryDouglas #BillyStrings #JarrodWalker #DerekTrucks

In keeping with yesterday’s theme of paying homage to great guitarists, today we will feature the legendary Duane Allman. It was on this day in 1971 that ‘Skydog’ as he was known lost control of his motorcycle while swerving to avoid a truck. He suffered massive internal injuries from being thrown from the bike which then landed on him and skidded 90 feet with him underneath. He died in hospital a few hours later. He was only 24 years old.

The body of work Duane Allman left is only rivalled by his massive influence on about four generations of guitarists. Ted Tocks has not featured very many instrumentals over the past 300 days but today is about Duane and this piece of music is relatively brief but it is extraordinary in its magnificence. In short ‘Little Martha’ mirrors Duane Allman and his remarkable career.

The Allman Brothers Band were able to carry on somehow…without Allman. On occasions when I saw them live they played this song over the P.A. system when the concert was over, while people were filing out of the venue. It was a fitting tribute to their brother.

As you may have detected and maybe rejoiced to see I have kept the words to minimum in this post. It will be mostly be about the music today.

I will feature two cover versions by two very accomplished guitarists with vastly different styles.

The first is Leo Kottke; a virtuoso who applies a combination of unique styles and adapts them to jazz, blues and folk. Interestingly Kottke has overcome personal obstacles including a partial hearing loss and tendon damage in his strumming hand. Over his career he has worked with numerous artists and created an incredible array of recordings. His version of ‘Little Martha’ is strong on harmonics and watching him move up and down the fretboard is dazzling.

The second cover of Little Martha is by Jerry Douglas who operates heavily in the bluegrass world but is revered as a top notch player across genres. This guy is a master of the resonator and lap steel guitars. Now get this…He has won 14 Grammys and he has appeared on over 1600 recordings. He can be heard on numerous recordings by many well known acts as a guest player. Names like Dolly Parton to Paul Simon and Phish to Eric Clapton and Garth Brooks to Ricky Skaggs. He has also produced several acts including Del McCoury, Alison Krauss and Steep Canyon Rangers. Check out the magic when you get a chance. If you like guitar you will appreciate both Leo Kottke and Jerry Douglas.

I will close with a few of the finest guitar players of today.

Here is the renowned Billy Strings with Jarrod Walker. Just awesome!

Fittingly, to bring this tribute to a close, here is in my opinion the greatest guitar player alive; Derek Trucks joined by Jerry Douglas. Enjoy the introduction and then notice the audience appreciation when the notes to ‘Little Martha’ emerge. This is the spirit of Duane Allman.

“Develop your talent…and leave the world with something.”

Duane Allman