Co-founders of the Dixie Dregs, Andy West and Steve Morse met during tenth grade at the militaristic Richmond Academy in Augusta, Georgia. By then, West, born in 1954 in Newport, Rhode Island, was already a seasoned bass player. They formed the four-piece rock band Dixie Grit, which lasted until Morse left to study classical guitar in the music program at the University of Miami. Andy followed him there a few semesters later, and during senior year they put together the all-instrumental Dixie Dregs and recorded the limited-run The Great Spectacular …

If there had been a  “best band in the land” contest in the late 1970s, the Dixie Dregs would have gotten my vote. With spectacular musicianship, the quintet wove hard rock, chicken-scratch country, freeform jazz, bluegrass, jigs, Baroque/classical, and other styles into a vocal-less musical tapestry that transcended classification. “We rarely think of labels,” explained bandleader Steve Morse, “but if we did, it would be something like ‘electronic chamber music.’” Writing nearly every note for every instrument, Morse orchestrated the lineup into a top-flight band rather than a collection of …

Best known as the Allman Brothers’ road manager, Twiggs Lyndon also worked for Little Richard, Percy Sledge, and the Dixie Dregs. A wizard with mechanics, he described himself as “a hydraulic, mechanical, electrical person” who specialized in fixing problems. Musicians who employed him remember him as tough, resourceful, and loyal to the core. He was especially close to Duane Allman. The band thought so much of him that they included his inset photo on the back cover of the Live at Fillmore East album when he was unable to attend …