Allman Brothers Band Member Johnny Neel Dies at 70
Sadly, the world has lost another member of the Allman Brothers Band. Johnny Neel, who joined the band on keyboard and harmonica in 1989, has passed away at the age of 70. No cause of death has been shared, but he previously suffered from a stroke five years ago.
Former bandmate Warren Haynes shared the news and wrote, “Aside from being an amazing musician and singer, Johnny was one of the funniest people on the planet — a true character. ‘Johnny Neel stories,’ as we refer to them in our little chunk of the music world, are legendary.”
Not only did Neel perform for the iconic band but he wrote several of their songs as well, including the hit “Good Clean Fun.” Neel was blind, and went to the Maryland School of Blind in Baltimore, where he said that most of the kids played piano. He quickly learned and was influenced by other blind musicians like Stevie Wonder.
Eventually, Neel found a love of rock music and recorded two independent albums. He moved to Nashville in the ’80s and became friends with Dickey Betts, which led to him joining the Allman Brothers Band and the Dickey Betts Band. After leaving the Allman Brothers Band, he collaborated with many other artists and bands including Blue Floyd, Deep Fried, The Grease Factor and The Criminal Element.
MTV/Everett Collection
In the last few decades, he worked with Disney and Pixar to provide vocals for several soundtracks including Finding Nemo, Cars, and Ratatouille. More recently, he formed Rattlebone with Chris Anderson and released an album called World’s Gone Crazy in 2019. He is survived by his wife Christine and his daughter Johnna.
Remind 
’80s Where Are They Now
March 2023
Who can forget all the great TV shows, movies and music of the ‘80s? See what your favs are up to now!
Buy This Issue