July 08
Jai Johanny Johanson
July 8, 1944
The driving rhythm section of the Allman Brothers Band gained a powerful, syncopated groove when Jai Johanny Johanson co-founded the group in 1969. He went by the nickname Jaimoe and brought a heavy jazz influence to their signature Southern rock sound. He played drums alongside a second drummer to create a massive wall of rhythm. His intricate patterns energized their legendary live shows and fueled classic studio albums through 1980.
He parted ways with the lineup in 1980 but later returned to anchor their rhythm section for several extended stretches. He continued to tour and record albums with the group from 1989 until they officially retired in 2014. He also focused on his own jazz-rock project, Jaimoe's Jasssz Band, performing live and releasing studio albums well into 2011.
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Roy Babbington
July 8, 1940
The experimental rock scene gained a stellar rhythm anchor when Roy Babbington brought his fluid bass guitar work to the vanguard fusion outfit Soft Machine in 1973. He had already established himself as a versatile session player in the studio, tracking double bass for the group on three of their previous progressive albums. He stepped into the lineup as an official member to deliver an entirely new, electrified edge to their innovative jazz-rock style. He powered the band through classic albums like Seventh and Bundles, defining their low-end groove on both four-string and six-string instruments. His precise playing anchored their intensive global concert tours and drove their complex studio recordings until he decided to depart the group in 1976.
He shifted his focus back to freelancing as a busy studio session player and performing live with various jazz ensembles. He later reunited with his former bandmates in 2008 to join the revamped project Soft Machine Legacy. He recorded new studio albums and toured internationally with the lineup from 2008 to 2021.
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