Eat a Peach is a 1972 double album by American rock band the Allman Brothers Band, containing a mix of live and studio recordings. Following their artistic and commercial breakthrough with the July 1971 release of the live album At Fillmore East, the Allman Brothers Band got to work on their third studio album. Drug use among the band became an increasing problem, and at least one member underwent rehab for heroin addiction. On October 29, 1971, lead and slide guitarist Duane Allman, group leader and founder, was killed in a motorcycle accident in the band's adopted hometown of Macon, Georgia, making it the final album to feature him.
Produced by Tom Dowd, the album was released on February 12, 1972, in the United States by Capricorn Records. It was the band's fourth album since their debut The Allman Brothers Band in 1969; released as a double album, it constitutes both their third studio album and second live album.
Eat a Peach contains studio recordings from September–December 1971 at Criteria Studios, Miami—both with and without Duane Allman—and live recordings from the band's famed 1971 Fillmore East performances. The album contains the extended half-hour-long "Mountain Jam", which was long enough to take up two full sides of the original double-LP. Other highlights include vocalist Gregg Allman's performance of his brother's favorite song, "Melissa", plus Dickey Betts' "Blue Sky", which went on to become a classic rock radio staple. The album artwork was created by W. David Powell and J. F. Holmes at Wonder Graphics, and depicts the band's name on a peach truck, in addition to a large gatefold mural of mushrooms and fairies. The album's title came from a quote by Duane Allman: "You can't help the revolution, because there's just evolution ... Every time I'm in Georgia, I eat a peach for peace".
On release Eat a Peach was an immediate commercial success and peaked at number four on Billboard Top 200 Pop Albums chart. The album was later certified platinum and remains a top seller in the band's discography.
Background
The Allman Brothers Band had struggled to achieve commercial success in their two and a half years on the touring circuit; their first two studio albums, The Allman Brothers Band (1969) and Idlewild South (1970), had debuted to only modest sales. Despite this, they had achieved significant acclaim due to their live performances, which included extended jam renditions of songs. The band's third release was a live album, titled At Fillmore East, and represented their artistic and commercial breakthrough: it immediately received solid sales upon its July 1971 release and went gold some months later. In about a "three-or-four-week period", the band quite literally went from "rags to riches", and were able to pay their debts to manager Phil Walden and record label Capricorn Records.
Although suddenly wealthy and successful, much of the band and its entourage now struggled with substance abuse, which included instances of heroin addiction. Four individuals—group leader Duane Allman, bassist Berry Oakley, and roadies Robert Payne and Joseph "Red Dog" Campbell—checked into the Linwood-Bryant Hospital for rehabilitation in October 1971. Their addictions had begun to affect their performances and matters seemed to only be getting worse, according to many involved. The clinic was deemed a "joke" and a "nuthouse" by Payne and Red Dog, and was later described as more of a psychiatric ward, as true rehabilitation clinics were several years away. All involved (including Duane) struggled to keep off the substance in the ensuing days. Despite his struggles, Duane fueled the band's passion to get better and end their addictions: "Duane was so happy and full of positive energy. He was always like that unless he was just totally wasted. He was the leader, the great soul, and he kept saying, 'We are on a mission and it's time for this thing to happen,'" said Linda Oakley. "He was moving forward, and that energized everyone else. Everyone fed off of that."