The Big House Foundation

The Big House is located at 2321 Vineville Avenue, Macon, GA. In 1969 it was for rent, and by January 1970, it became the house where members of the band, their roadies, friends, and families lived until 1973. It was the focal point of gathering in those early years when the magic that is the Allman Brothers Band was just taking shape and radiating from this historic Southern town. In January of 1970, Linda Oakley rented the house for Berry and her to live in while the band worked and recorded at Capricorn Records. The first to live there were Berry, Linda, and their daughter Brittany, Duane Allman, his lady Donna and their daughter Galadrielle, Berry’s sister Candy Oakley and Gregg Allman. Others came and went, but eventually the “Big House” was a place that was touched by all who were part of the extended family of the Allman Brothers Band.

Linda, Candy, and Donna saw the ad for the house on Vineville Avenue and went over there to check it out. They were dazzled and enchanted by this large, three-story Grand Tudor house with its double lot surrounded by gardens filled with blooming wisteria, and fountains and a fishpond in the backyard. It was an elegant, majestic home with big sunny rooms filled with light, high ceilings, stained glass windows, fireplaces galore, a crystal chandelier and French doors. It captured their imagination; the three women saw their future in this place and plotted to make it theirs. Candy was seeing Gregg Allman at the time, so with three couples chipping in on the rent they figured they could afford the $225 a month that Day Realty was asking for this glorious estate.

On the first floor, past the parlor, through the French doors, what was originally the sunroom suited the band’s purpose perfectly. This area was transformed into the music room – Duane put batting on the walls to muffle the sound, and they set up their instruments and equipment and practiced and jammed into the night.

The kitchen was large enough so the Brothers could gather there to write, share dreams and talk about their future. Dickey Betts remembered the kitchen and the quiet backyard as places where he would work on his songs. Dickey wrote “Blue Sky” in the living room and “Ramblin’ Man” in the kitchen. The guys bought a pool table with a red felt top and put it on the third floor where they would play and talk for hours. This idyllic time, however, came to an end much too soon.

The third floor of the house is a large wide-open space with dormers and window benches and a vaulted ceiling. This was originally used as a ballroom when the house was constructed in 1900. Off of this big room are several small rooms that were locked when everyone first moved in. Shortly after arriving some of the roadies broke into these rooms and found them filled with wonderful antique treasures collected by the owners of the house. Linda mentioned a vintage upright piano and a big claw-foot table as well as many items from the Orient and the Middle East.

On October 29, 1971, a birthday party was planned for Linda. Duane came over to the house (he was now living elsewhere with his new lady Dixie) with a big bouquet of flowers for the party. Linda said everyone was busy fixing Jack O’ Lanterns for Halloween and Duane said, “Let me do the eyes, the nose, and the mouth.” He left the house on his motorcycle and never returned.

Berry tried to keep the vibe going, but something died in him with Duane’s death. He told Linda that the hellhounds were on his trail. He began having nightmares and was drawn more and more to the dark blues of Robert Johnson and Elmore James. Then sadly, Berry followed Duane to the grave a little over a year later on a motorcycle on the streets of Macon.

Willie Perkins recalled that his strongest memories of the Big House were his first few moments there and then the last moments; the funerals. He said that years later when the band had broken up, the Big House was empty, Capricorn Records was defunct and Great Southern, the T-shirt company, had folded, you could drive around Macon and never know the Allman Brothers Band had ever been there.

Well, all that has certainly changed. The Allman Brothers Band reformed as a group in 1989 and it has been a great ride for the band and their fans ever since. Then in June of 1994, Warren Haynes, Matt Abts, and Allen Woody took up residence at the Big House. They took over the Archive rooms and set up their instruments and equipment and rehearsed for eight days before they headed out to do their first shows as Gov’t Mule.

The Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House guarantees that the dreams, music, and legacy created so long ago by the band will live on; your support of the Big House Foundation makes this possible, and we thank you for your contributions.