Allman Brothers – Blue Sky

This has one of my favorite solos ever. It was written and sung by guitarist Dickey Betts, and it sounds like a warm spring day that never ends. The story goes that Betts wrote it about his Native American wife, Sandy. The real romance here is between the guitars. His and Duane’s twin leads don’t duel, they dance. And it’s beautiful. Just my opinion here, but Ramblin’ Man may be Bett’s biggest hit, but this was his masterpiece. 

There’s a myth that Southern Rock had to be gruff and bombastic. But Blue Sky throws all that out the window. It’s melodic and pastoral. It’s as much Big Star as it is Muddy Waters. That’s the beauty; it blurs the lines. This could’ve easily been a power pop hit in another era if you just swapped the guitars for chiming Rickenbackers, but I’m glad they didn’t. 

This song was on the great album Eat a Peach that arrived in the shadow of tragedy. Duane Allman had died in a motorcycle crash just months before it was finished, but somehow, Blue Sky sounds like pure serenity. The song really showed what we lost with Duane. He picked Dickie Betts to be in the band and those two formed a bond personally and musically that never was replicated. They pushed each other to new heights. 

Betts wanted the lead singer, Gregg Allman, to sing it. Duane stepped in and told Dickey no, he should sing it because it was his song, so Betts did. I have heard a recording of Gregg singing this one in a rehearsal, but as great as Gregg’s voice was, it just didn’t fit this one as well. I think Duane saw this. 

The album was released on February 12, 1972, and it peaked at #4 on the Billboard 100 and #12 in Canada. The original name was going to be Eat A Peach for Peace.

This is The Allman Brothers live with Betts AND Duane on Guitar in Stony Brook 1971.

Blue Sky

Walk along the river, sweet lullaby
They just keep on flowin’, they don’t worry ’bout where it’s goin’, no, no
Don’t fly, mister blue bird, I’m just walkin’ down the road
Early morning sunshine, tell me all I need to know

You’re my blue sky, you’re my sunny day
Lord, you know it makes me high
When you turn your love my way
Turn your love my way, yeah

Good old Sunday mornin’, bells are ringin’ everywhere
Goin’ to Carolina, it won’t be long and I’ll be there

You’re my blue sky, you’re my sunny day
Lord, you know it makes me high
When you turn your love my way
Turn your love my way, yeah, yeah

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

32 thoughts on “Allman Brothers – Blue Sky”

  4. Blue Sky was played at every Allman Brothers concert that I went to. Sandy’s middle name was “Bluesky” and their daughter was the inspiration for the song Jessica. Great post, Max as you have to love those guitars.

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    1. Thanks Jim. There is video of them…bad but video none the less of them playing it with Duane…I’ve seen it a few times but they took it down.
      That is right about her middle name.

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  6. that’s pretty nice! First time hearing it and it’s likable. Probably could have been a mid-sized hit if edited down by about a minute somehow for radio. You’re still never gonna convince me anything they did touched ‘Ramblin Man’, but this one is definitely good. One more point for them as they widen the gap between themselves and Lynyrd Skynyrd for the Southern Rock trophy.

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    1. Oh you never heard this one before? It’s quite popular down here.
      For hits yea…Rambling Man was edited to be a hit…this one was pure Allmans…yea it could have been a power pop song in the hands of someone else…but Dave…those guitars are so beautiful…and they are not tedious. It’s like the solo to Sultans of Swing…I know this one just like that one in my head…I could hum it.

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      1. Oh ya, don’t misunderstand me. It’s good as is, I just don’t think it has top 20 single potential at full, meandering length . A bit of an edit and maybe an AM hit then. Very few songs that long rocked the hit charts back then…yes, ‘American Pie’ yes ‘papa was a rolling Stone’ but not many. I remember how surprised I was when I heard the full-length ‘Fooled around & fell in Love’ maybe 15 years ago. Now it sounds weird to hear the 1:45 (well maybe more) K-tel single with the missing verse and only 1/3 of the Bishop guitar solo . But it made it a smash hit

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      2. Oh I know you weren’t knocking it dude…I’m sorry…I didn’t mean it that way Dave…After I wrote it I thought…I hope he doesn’t take it that way.
        You are correct though…with a lot of editing and taking out the long solos…then yea it had potential…it didn. I guess they could ahve done that with the single and left the song on the album…but this was the Allmans…I doubt if they would have done that…Ramblin’ Man was a total one off song…they weren’t going to cut it because it didn’t sound like the Allman Brothers lol.

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    1. Thats me though…I didn’t know sqat about them until I read Gregg Allman’s bio in 2013 or 14….that is when I became a fan….so I was late. Oh those guitars just chime and are beautiful…

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  10. The dual guitar action on this song is sheer magic. I still can’t believe it took so many years for me to embrace the Allmans. A consolation is I just did it in time to catch them in New Jersey during their final tour, only a few months prior to their final curtain at New York’s Beacon Theatre!

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    1. Me as well Christian…it wasn’t until around 2014….when I read Gregg’s autobiography that I became a serious fan.
      So glad you got to see them…I so wish I would have

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  13. Pretty much what the others above said. Theres’ a sense of being at ease and comfortable with everything that is being played. Everything at peace and together, in the true Hippy meaning of it- if that makes sense?

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  14. oh the Allman’s…..Eat a Peach was a high school soundtrack, and loved it at the time, but as an adult, I was introduced to Brothers and Sisters, named by first kid Jessica……..but, well, Midnight Rider and Trouble No More are both in my ITunes soundtrack….

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    1. Oh that is cool about naming your child! I named mine after George Bailey from It’s A Wonderful Life.
      I didn’t get into them until later…but when I did…I went overboard.

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