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 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

Abts attended high school in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

where he started playing music. After moving to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, he played in local bands for eight years and then moved to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. There he played in and recorded an album with Chuck & John and the News, a local bar band from

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

, during the early 1980s. In 1984, he played drums for

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 ...

and Chuck Leavell. Abts recorded '' Pattern Disruptive'' with the Dickey Betts Band in 1988 which also included guitarist/vocalist

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 ...

. Abts joined Haynes and

Allen Woody Douglas Allen Woody (October 3, 1955 – August 26, 2000) was an American bass guitarist best known for his eight-year tenure in the Allman Brothers Band and as a co-founder of Gov't Mule. Biography After having studied at Vanderbilt's Bl ...

, who had both been members of

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 ...

, to form Gov't Mule in 1994. Abts has also played in the

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

tribute band Blue Floyd which was known for its blues versions of Pink Floyd songs, and with bassist Jorgen Carlsson in Planet of the Abts, a 2011 offshoot of Gov't Mule.jambands.com (March 23, 2012)
"Planet of the Abts Adds Southeast Shows"
Retrieved March 28, 2012.

References

External links

* 1953 births American rock drummers Gov't Mule members Living people Blues drummers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 21st-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians {{US-rock-drummer-stub