Duane Allman, Fillmore East, June, 1971

This is my iconic image of Duane who sadly died in a motorcycle accident a year later. It was taken at the very last concert at Fillmore East and the show ran until dawn. The patterned shirt is famous in fan circles and while I’m not 100% sure the story is true, I’ve been told that it was auctioned off at some point and cut into pieces and each swatch was then sold as well. The picture has been used on the cover of Hittin’ the Note the Allman Brothers Band fan magazine, and on the cover of several music books published by Hal Leonard like the Duane Allman Anthology and the Duane Allman Play-Along books. The ABB has licensed it to use for posters and T-shirts. Only the bands themselves can authorize merchandising and I’m am very lucky that I’ve maintained friendly relations with the ABB over the years. They’ve been generous in the royalties they offer, and they give me passes and have let me photograph them during their annual NYC appearances at the Beacon. This has been my “return” to the rock photography arena since the “old days,” fittingly in the only venue today that approximates the intimacy and feeling of the Fillmore East.-Amalie R. Rothschild