“Jessica” by Allman Brothers Band

"Jessica" is the Allman Brothers Band's great instrumental, the second single from their fourth studio album, Brothers and Sisters, released in December 1973 on Capricorn. Dickey Betts wrote most of it at the band's farm in Juliette, Georgia, as a nod to Django Reinhardt: the tune was built to be playable with just two fingers of the left hand. He named it for his baby daughter Jessica and tried to catch in the melody the way she bounced along to it. Guitarist Les Dudek came over to help and plays the bridge.

The arrangement was worked out before the band ever hit Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon, with Johnny Sandlin co-producing, and it gallops: Chuck Leavell's piano sparkling, Lamar Williams, Jai Johanny Johanson and Butch Trucks rolling underneath. It never matched "Ramblin' Man" on the charts, but album-rock radio played it anyway, and classic rock stations never stopped.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.