Southbound Star: Leavell Legend Rolls
Driving southbound on a hot Georgia summer day, past Macon, heading toward Bonaire and Warner Robbins.
Inside my aging SUV, the Allman Brothers’ immortal, 52-year-old marvel, “Jessica,” is joyously booming, filling my cabin with driving music as Southern as Coca Cola, pine trees, gnats (at least in this part of the state), and Bulldog football.
Chuck Leavell’s keyboard is forever unforgettable with Dicky Betts’ electric guitar, Les Dudek’s acoustic guitar and Gregg Allman’s searing play on the organ.
“Jessica” was written by Betts watching his little daughter bounce around to the music and was crafted to celebrate jazz guitarist Django Reinhart, who played with two fingers.
I’m on my way, along with our GPB team, to visit the man behind the signature keyboard of the Allman Brothers, and the musical director and keyboardist of The Rolling Stones, the one and only Chuck Leavell.
Sitting inside Macon’s landmark Capricorn Studio where he first played one of rock’s greatest anthems, I asked, “When you were sitting in here playing Jessica, did you know immediately this was musical lightning?”
Chuck paused, reflecting, “When we were working on the arrangement, I thought, ‘OK there is was going to be a breakdown, how do I make my entrance back in after that break? And then how do I introduce my solo?’”
“Jessica” is one of the most recognizable sounds in American music history.
Music writer Mathew Taub compares the tune to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” and notes the joyous sound came soon after the deaths of guitarist Duane Allman (1971) and bassist Berry Oakley (1972). Both men were only 24.
Sitting next to Leavell inside Capricorn as he plays “Jessica” and talks about his role in its conception is unforgettable.
“And so I sat here, while everyone was working and came up with the entrance, noting, ‘let me do this real quick and then took it from there — I improvised,’” Leavell said.
Visiting the mostly unchanged original Capricorn Studio is like visiting Cooperstown, where the vibe of greatness gives pause. Staff members approach the legendary musician with reverence, like Mantle, Aaron and Mays.
Hits here in the studio were often home runs.
“You know for me everything happened so fast here,” Leavell said. “The invitation to work on Gregg’s record, that was the first step, and talking about the Allman Brothers Band, the jam sessions, and all of a sudden, they were asking me to be in the band.”
Leavell’s 1972 musical view in this studio, as vivid today as back then, telling me with a laugh, “Don’t blow it Chuck! Contribute, don’t be a fly on the wall, get involved, try to make suggestions with the arrangements, be yourself with the band, and have a good time.”
In 2006, The Wall Street Journal labeled the composition, “a true national heirloom.”
“Jessica” has had a ubiquitous presence for generations, movies, television, commercials, to the Weather Channel using it as a theme for “Weather on the 8’s.” The BBC even used it as the theme music for its international hit Top Gear.
We are planning to feature Chuck Leavell on our program, Georgia Legends, in the months ahead but on my travels to chat with Chuck, “Jessica” booming in my vehicle illustrating the enduring brilliance of this forever classic rock anthem.