One of the lesser known traditions of the Allman Brothers Band family is to get the band’s classic mushroom insignia as a tattoo. To date, all of the band’s members, excluding Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes are marked with the ink. That all changed last week, as Derek finally got his tattoo. Why? Because Jaimoe told him to get it.
The tradition dates back to 1971, when the entirety of the band opted to get the same tattoo in San Francisco. Now, as the band’s legacy comes to an end, Derek, who Jaimoe refers to as “Young Blood,” is joining into that tradition.
The whole scene was documented by Alan Paul, a longtime Allman Brothers Band biographer who recently released One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers. (More info). You can read his entire first-hand account via his website.
The band members proudly looked on, as Uncle Butch Trucks encouraged his nephew to uphold this tradition. The tattoo artist simply commented, “easy job, intimidating setting.” It is the Allman Brothers, after all. Will Warren be the final member to undertake the mushroom legacy?
The Allman Brothers Band are in the midst of their closing run at the Beacon Theatre. Check out the setlists from their first two performances, courtes of setlist.fm: