Some might say Warren Haynes has lived the lives of three men given how busy he’s kept the past few decades. That said, he managed to narrow down a few of his career highlights.
1. Being recruited by David Allan Coe and winding up in the Allman Brothers Band
“When I joined David Allen Coe’s band, I had no idea that would lead to me meeting Dickie Betts and Gregg Allman, which turned out to be a milestone for me. Joining Dickie’s band was the same sort of thing because they contended at the time that the Allman Brothers would never play together again and never reform. Three years later when I got the call to join the Allman Brothers, it was a complete surprise because I always took them at their word that they would never reform.”
2. Co-writing a hit country song
“Co-writing ‘Two Of a Kind, Working on a Full House’ for Garth Brooks was a huge shot in the arm for sure. I knew when we wrote it that it was a hit song, but that never happens until it happens. When I heard that Garth Brooks had recorded it, I was very happy to hear that. But then it became a really big hit, which was a big shot in the arm.”
3. Playing Woodstock ‘94
“I played Woodstock ’94, which was the same as playing in 1969 when I was 9 years old but it was a special feeling. The Allman Brothers played at 12:30 in the afternoon because by the time they had offered us the opportunity to play at Woodstock, we had been booked months and months and months to play a show at Great Woods in Boston, which was already sold out. So the only way we could do it was if we played two shows in one day. So we came in, played Woodstock for 90 minutes that afternoon, got on a plane and flew to Boston and played Great Woods that night. It was the only time we ever did two shows in one day. It turned out to be a great show in Boston that night. I can’t explain why. It was one of the better shows of that tour.”
4. Forming Gov’t Mule
“Myself and Allen Woody were full-time members of the Allman Brothers and we were spending a lot of time together and had developed a great musical rapport and friendship together. So we decided to start this side project with no aspirations of it turning into anything major. We were just looking for something fun to do. But it kind of grew wings and started taking off on its own. The next thing you know, it was a bona fide band.”
