Legendary Guitarist Warren Haynes Speaks About New Gov’t Mule Music, Solo Work, and Allman Brothers

Guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer, Warren Haynes has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry. He rose through the ranks in David Allan Coe’s band, the Dickey Betts Band, and then the Allman Brothers Band before co-founding Gov’t Mule with Allman Brothers bandmate, the late Allen Woody (bass), and Matt Abts (drums). In fact, Gov’t Mule started as a side project for Haynes and Woody from the Allman Brothers work in 1994. Woody died in 2000 and Haynes and Abts have continued Gov’t Mule. The group has released over 25 albums including themed albums like Dark Side of the Mule, Dub Side of the Mule, High & Mighty, Mighty High, and the band’s latest LP, Peace…Like a River which was released in 2023. Gov’t Mule was nominated for two Grammy Awards and Haynes has won one (with the Allman Brothers) after being nominated nine times. The group will be playing April 17 on their new tour at Farmington’s Timber Rock Amphitheater.

Early Influences

In advance of the concert Warren Haynes spoke with Entertainment Central from New York City. The conversation started about how the Asheville, North Carolina, native started playing the guitar. “I actually started singing before I started playing the guitar. I started singing when I was about eight or nine years old and everything I was listening to at that time was soul music: The Four Tops, The Temptations, Sam & Dave, and Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. James Brown was my first hero. Then when I was eleven my oldest brother got an acoustic guitar and I played it more than he did. So, when I was twelve my dad got me an electric guitar. At that point I was starting to listen to rock music. Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and Johnny Winter. Those were my first three guitar heroes. But I loved Jeff Beck and eventually The Allman Brothers. There was just so much great guitar music being made at that time. It was really a fertile time to grow up as a guitar player.”

Joining the Allman Brothers

Haynes said of playing with The Allman Brothers, “Well, I was a huge fan starting in 1969. My oldest brother got the first record and I had not started playing guitar yet, but I loved Gregg’s [Allman] voice and just loved the overall feeling of the music. As I got a little older and started playing guitar, the live At Fillmore East album became a huge influence. They were one of my favorite bands and I would, of course, never dream of being in the band especially for 25 years and I wrote about 25 songs for the band during the years. 

“It was amazing being in that band, so many opportunities, so many doors opened, and we accomplished so much, but the most important thing was how great the music sounded. Even until the final concert in 2014.”

Haynes is so prolific as a songwriter that when asked who his dream collaborators are, he quickly shot back, “Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler, Neil Young, and Tom Waits.”

Haynes said of his songwriting process, “Every situation is different. Sometimes it may start with a lyric. Sometimes it may start with a guitar riff or a chord progression. I think more often than not, the uptempo songs start with the music and the down-tempo songs start with the lyrics, but that’s not always the case either. I think the inspiration is different every time and I try to treat it that way as well. There is no steadfast formula for writing music and that’s one of the beautiful things about songwriting is you can get away with just about anything because it’s wide open territory. When you think of all the great songs that have been written vary from song to song, artist to artist, and writer to writer, that’s a beautiful thing.”

Recording Two Albums at Once

As it did for many artists, the Covid-19 lockdown provided Haynes time for writing. He wrote enough material for a rock album, Peace…Like a River, and a blues album, Heavy Load Blues. Haynes said about writing and recording the albums, “It turned into a wonderful experience. It turned out great. We recorded two records at the same time in two different rooms at the same studio with all different equipment. And so they sound completely different from each other. Literally we would go around noon, we would go into the big room and record songs for Peace…Like a River. Then around nine o’clock we would take a dinner break and then go play blues for the rest of the night in the small room. It was a fantastic way of utilizing the space and the opportunity.” Both albums were recorded at The Power Station in New England. Heavy Load Blues received a Grammy Award nomination in 2023 in the category of Best Traditional Blues Album.

Completing a Gregg Allman Song

For Million Voices Whisper, a Warren Haynes album, Haynes completed a song Gregg Allman was working on years ago. When Allman died in 2017, the song remained unfinished. Haynes finished the song “Real, Real Love” and recruited former Allman Brothers bandmate Derek Trucks to record it with him. “I called Derek and said,’We need to record this song together’ and he was in full agreement. And then we decided to make more out of it and got together at his farm outside of Macon, Georgia. So we spent three days together making music together. He came to where we were recording the album and we spent a couple days in the studio. That song was kinda like a catalyst for the project. It pushed Derek and I to write a bunch of music together. Some of which wound up on the record and some of which will surface at a later date,” Haynes said.

On most of his projects, Haynes uses his favorite brand of guitars, Gibson. The guitar maker even sells a Warren Haynes model among their Signature Les Paul Collection. He said he uses various other guitars for various situations. Haynes played a lot of acoustic guitar on his recently concluded solo tour. He played half of the time with an acoustic and then switched to electric. He called the concerts, “Challenging and liberating at the same time.”

Good Management

I saw that Haynes’ wife, Stefani Scamardo, is the manager for Gov’t Mule and Haynes’ solo projects. Curious, I asked him what that dynamic was like? “When we met she was just breaking into the music business. She worked for Island Records for a few years doing A&R there. And then she left to start her own management company. At that time I had a manager of my own. In 1995 when Gov’t Mule had just formed we had inherited my manager and as fate would have it Allen Woody and Mike Abts were not happy with the situation and came to me one day and said, ‘What about Stefani for our manager,’ and I said, ‘If you’re asking me I think she would do a great job, I do, but it also puts me in the position of not being able to fire my manager.’ But they convinced me that it was the right thing to do and we’ve been doing it everyday since. Up until that point we had vowed to keep our business separate, but once that happened we’ve been working the entire time.”

Haynes said in closing, “If you haven’t seen the mule in awhile, come check it out. You’ll be glad you did.” Seeing Gov’t Mule at Timber Rock Amphitheater nestled in the mountains would be a beautiful thing. The special guest for the concert is Larkin Poe.

Gov’t Mule is additionally composed of: Danny Louis (keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals) and Kevin Scott (bass). Gov’t Mule will be playing some dates this summer with another legendary guitar player, Joe Bonamassa.

Peace…Like a River Album 

On Peace…Like a River, Haynes and the band continue to demonstrate their musical talent and versatility. Their ability to jam hard and also slow it down for quieter ballads is the sign of a great band. Haynes’ voice has a good dynamic range from soft and soulful to strong and striking. Highlights include “Same as it Ever Was,” an intelligent jam rock song with a soaring guitar run, strong drumming and keyboards. “Shake Our Way Out” is a collaboration with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top fame. It’s fun to hear two great masters sharing vocals and trading guitar riffs.There’s also some great pedal effects on the song. A strong guitar riff kicks off “Made My Peace” and continues throughout. The vocals and vibe is reminiscent of a Pink Floyd Song as the lyrics sing of a prodigal son.

“Your Only Friend” is a beautiful ballad. A funky bassline is prominent in “Dreaming Out Loud” which features Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster. Billy Bob Thornton joins the band on “The River Only Flows One Way” which has a jazz/reggae feel. Haynes shares the vocals with Celisse for the good, slow blues song,”Just across the River.” “Long Time Coming” is a positive song about the world changing for the better with the lyrics: “Riding on the rhythm, rhythm of a thousand dreams / Feels like our souls are flying / Time to wake up and smell the world changing / No question, no denying.” Horns, wah-wah pedal guitar, congas, keyboards, and drums are all prominently featured. “Gone Too Long” is a melancholy song about wanting to go out in the world and achieve one’s dreams while also longing for that special someone at home. Also, Million Voices Whisper, the solo album released by Haynes in 2024, is top notch as well.

Rick Handler is the executive producer of Entertainment Central.

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