Douglas Allen Woody (October 3, 1955 – August 26, 2000) was an American

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

ist best known for his eight-year tenure in

the Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guita ...

and as a co-founder of

Gov't Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''Mule''. ...

Biography

After having studied at Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music, Woody joined the Allman Brothers Band along with guitarist

Warren Haynes Warren Haynes (born April 6, 1960) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as longtime guitarist with the Allman Brothers Band and as founding member of the jam band Gov't Mule. Early in his career he was a ...

upon the group's reunion in 1989. Woody and Haynes formed side project Gov't Mule in 1994 with former

Dickey Betts Forrest Richard Betts (born December 12, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. Early in his career, he collaborated with Duane Allman, introducing melodic tw ...

drummer

Matt Abts Matt Abts (born September 30, 1953) is an American drummer, best known as one of the founding members of the rock band Gov't Mule. Biography Abts attended high school in Panama where he started playing music. After moving to Virginia, he played ...

. Haynes and Woody decided to leave the Allman Brothers Band in 1997 to put a full-time effort into Gov't Mule. Prior to that, Woody played in the 1970s jazz fusion rock band Montage, and following that with former

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

drummer

Peter Criss George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss. Criss establi ...

in the Criss Penridge Alliance in the 1980s.

Death and legacy

Woody was found dead the morning of Saturday August 26, 2000 at the

Marriott Courtyard Courtyard by Marriott is a brand of hotels owned by Marriott International. One of Marriott's mid-priced brands, the hotels are primarily targeted to business travelers, but also accommodate traveling families. Rooms have desks, couches, and fre ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York. A preliminary

autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...

performed was inconclusive and showed no immediate cause of death; but he was subsequently determined to have died of a heroin overdose. He was survived by his wife Jenny and daughter Savannah. Woody's death helped Haynes in his decision to return to the Allman Brothers Band. Gov't Mule continued on after Woody's death with

Andy Hess Andy Hess (born December 4, 1966) is an American bassist and former member of Gov't Mule, having joined the band in 2003. Previously, he was The Black Crowes' bassist from February 2001 until their hiatus early the following year. He has also ...

assuming bass duties after a three-year period that saw a rotating group of bass players including

Mike Gordon Michael Eliot Gordon (born June 3, 1965) is an American bass guitarist and vocalist most recognized as a founding member of the band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon is an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano and guitar. He ...

Dave Schools David Allen Schools (born December 11, 1964) is a bass player and founding member of American rock band Widespread Panic. He is also a record producer, songwriter and journalist with articles published in a wide variety of music magazines. Schoo ...

Oteil Burbridge Oteil Burbridge is an American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the resurgence of the Allman Brothers Ban ...

(Woody's replacement in the Allman Brothers Band), George Porter Jr. and

Les Claypool Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and author. He is best known as the founder, lead singer, bassist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the ro ...

. The Canadian band Big Sugar wrote one song "Nashville Grass" about Woody's death and funeral.

Musical equipment

Woody had a large collection of bass guitars (around 450), featured in his own bass instruction video and was held in high esteem for his playing. The Epiphone Rumble Kat signature bass was similar to two specially built double-neck instruments that

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

made for him: a bass/guitar and a bass/mandolin. With the Allman Brothers, although Woody used many different basses,

Gibson Thunderbird The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson and Epiphone. Background and introduction The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introdu ...

s were his preferred instruments, along with Alembic basses. With Gov't Mule, Allen usually played the Gibson EB series, particularly the hollow-bodied EB-2 and the solid-bodied EB-3. At times he played a

Rickenbacker Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. The company is credited as the first known maker of electric guitars – a steel guitar in 1932 – and today produces a range ...

or Gibson Thunderbird.

Ampeg Ampeg is a manufacturer best known for its bass amplifiers. Originally established in 1946 in Linden, New Jersey by Everett Hull and Stanley Michaels as "Michael-Hull Electronic Labs," today Ampeg is part of the Yamaha Guitar Group. Although ...

SVT was his amp of choice most of the time. Epiphone posthumously released an Allen Woody Limited Edition Bass, a semi-hollow arch-top similar to the Rumble Kat. Woody played esthetically customized Musicvox 4 string Spaceranger and Space Cadet Basses with Gov’t Mule. He played a Musicvox Space Cadet 12 String guitar and Yellow Musicvox Space Cadet 12 String Bass on tour with Blue Floyd performing extended 12 string bass solos in his role as second guitarist in the band. The movie ''

Rising Low ''Rising Low'' is Mike Gordon's second feature film – a documentary based on the life and death of Gov't Mule bassist Allen Woody and the making of a double-disc tribute album featuring a host of legendary bass players. Throughout the film, Gor ...

'', directed by fellow bass player

, is a documentary about bass players dedicated to the memory of Allen Woody and features bass players that he respected and knew in his lifetime.

Discography

;With the Allman Brothers Band * ''

Seven Turns ''Seven Turns'' is the ninth studio album by the Allman Brothers Band, released in 1990. Their first studio album since '' Brothers of the Road'' in 1981, it was well-received, and peaked at #53. Hit singles were " Good Clean Fun" (#1 on the Mai ...

'' (1990) * ''

Shades of Two Worlds ''Shades of Two Worlds'' is the tenth studio album by the Allman Brothers Band. Among the tracks are several longer songs of varying genres: the rock song "Nobody Knows"; jazzy instrumental "Kind of Bird"; and the blues-rocker "Get On with Your Lif ...

'' (1991) * '' Live at Great Woods'' (1991 VHS/LaserDisc Release, 2014 DVD Release) * '' An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set'' (1992) * '' Where It All Begins'' (1994) * '' An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set'' (1995) * '' Play All Night: Live at the Beacon Theatre 1992'' (2014) ;With Gov't Mule * ''

'' (1995) * ''

Live at Roseland Ballroom ''Live at Roseland Ballroom'' is the first live album by American jam band Gov't Mule. It was taken from their performance on New Year's Eve 1995, opening for Blues Traveler. It was recorded at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, New York City. ...

'' (1996) * '' Dose'' (1998) * '' Live... With a Little Help from Our Friends'' (1998) * '' Life Before Insanity'' (2000) * '' The Deep End, Volume 1'' (2001) * '' Mulennium'' (2010) * '' Sco-Mule (feat. John Scofield)'' (2015) - recorded live in Atlanta in 1999 * ''The Tel-Star Sessions'' (2016) - remixed/remastered demo recordings made in June 1994

References

External links

Official Allman Brothers Band websiteOfficial Gov't Mule website''Fly Guitar'' website featuring an interview with friend and bandmate Warren Haynes; Allen's bass technique, guitar collection and their original ideas when creating Gov't MuleRising LowAllen Woody tribute siteAllen Woody Find-A-Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woody, Allen 1955 births 2000 deaths The Allman Brothers Band members American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Gov't Mule members American mandolinists Epic Records artists 20th-century American musicians Guitarists from Tennessee American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century bass guitarists Deaths by heroin overdose in New York (state) Drug-related deaths in New York City 20th-century American male musicians