I thought this story from Wiki was inspirational: serendipitous event put guitar greats Eric Clapton and Duane Allman in contact shortly after the Dominos had begun to record at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, in August 1970. Veteran producer Tom Dowd was behind the mixing board for the Allman Brothers second album, Idlewild South, when the studio received a phone call that Clapton was bringing the Dominos to Miami to record. Upon hearing this, Allman indicated that he would love to drop by and watch if Clapton approved.A week or so after the Dominos arrived, Allman called Dowd to let him know his band was in town to perform a benefit concert on August 26. When Clapton learned of this from Dowd he insisted on going to see their show, saying, "You mean that guy who plays on the back of (Wilson Pickett's) 'Hey Jude'?...I want to see him play... let's go." Clapton and company managed to sit in front of the barricade separating the audience from the stage. When they sat down, Allman was playing a solo. When he turned around and opened his eyes and saw Clapton, he froze. Dickey Betts, the Allmans' other lead guitarist, took up where Duane left off, but when he followed Allman's eyes to Clapton, he had to turn his back to keep from freezing, himself.[3]
After the show, Allman asked if he could come by the studio to watch some recording sessions, but Clapton invited him there directly: "Bring your guitar; you got to play!" Overnight, the two bonded; Dowd reported that they "were trading licks, they were swapping guitars, they were talking shop and information and having a ball — no holds barred, just admiration for each other's technique and facility."[4] Clapton wrote later in his autobiography that he and Allman were inseparable during the sessions in Florida; he talked about Allman as the "musical brother I'd never had but wished I did."[5]
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