MACON, Ga. — You can help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Allman Brothers Band by visiting their museum at The Big House for free on Tuesday.
They will have 50th anniversary merchandise for sale and discounts in the gift shop.
The owners of the Big House, Kirk and Kirsten West, worked for years to turn the Allman Brothers' Macon home into a museum honoring the band.
After the death of Gregg Allman in June 2017, West told our Suzanne Lawler the story of how the museum came to be.
"Throughout the 70s and 80s that's what I did to make a living, shooting concerts. That was the time that I got to know the band really well," said Kirk.
He documented them every step of the way and he displays his work at a gallery on Third Street in Macon.
He hung out with the guys so much eventually they offered him another job opportunity in the early 90s. He worked as a tour manager for 20 years.
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Before the Big House became a museum, 2321 Vineville Ave. was Kirsten and Kirk's home address -- the same house where the Allmans lived in back in the 1970s.
They say they had a tough time cutting through red tape to make that happen, so in true Allman form, if folks showed up, chances are they'd open the door and invite them on in.
See our original story about the planning of the Big House in 1995 below:
"We would have nice respectable Japanese tourists standing here at the door at 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning," said Kirk.
Eventually Kirk and Kirsten started a foundation to raise money and turn the home into what it is today.
In many ways it's come full circle, Kirk is now back to shooting photos in his retirement and cranking out books that chronicle a rich music history.
"I spent the better half of my adult life working for or following behind the band. I didn't sign up to work with the Allman Brothers because I wanted to be their friends. I signed up because I was dedicated to the music they created that they made and I was such a fan," he said. "For me to have the opportunity to have the impact to shape this thing that they have...it was one of the joys of my life."
The Big House museum is also preparing to make some major changes, including expanding the stage area and renovating the third floor, which currently houses the offices.
The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.