Macon-based musician Johnny Jenkins passed away on Tuesday following a long illness. Jenkins, who grew up in rural Georgia, began traveling the state while still in his teens performing with his band the Pinetoppers, which featured vocalist Otis Redding. While Redding eventually began a solo career, it took more than decade before Jenkins recorded his debut effort, _ Ton Ton Macoute_. This disc is particularly notable, as Duane Allman took an active role in these sessions which began as his own solo project and features contributions from members of the Allman Brothers Band. While this recording did eventually gain renown, Jenkins remained based in Macon and did not achieve immediate national notoriety (although he did influence the young Jimi Hendrix). In 1996, Capricorn Records founder Phil Walden finally convinced Jenkins to record a follow-up disc and over the next decade Jenkins delivered two others (with collaborators that included Randall Bramblett, Chuck Leavell and Jack Pearson).