It is much more grounded in country music than other Allman Brothers Band compositions, which made the group reluctant to record it.

[7] Drummer Butch Trucks noted that the band acknowledged it was a good song but were reluctant to record it, as it sounded too country for them.

[8] New member and keyboardist Chuck Leavell enjoyed the song, noting, "It's definitely in the direction of country but that didn't bother me in the least […] I think our attitude was, 'Let's take this thing and make it as great as we can.

[8] Having not considered it an Allman Brothers song before, they felt the solos fitted the band well and decided to put it on the album.

National promotion director, Dick Wooley, sent advance tapes of "Ramblin' Man" to WQXI-AM in Atlanta and WRKO-AM in Boston radio stations and "listener phone-in reaction was near-phenomenal.

"[10] "Ramblin' Man" broke hard rock barriers and became a hit on AM stations nationwide, and it rose to number two on the Billboard Hot 100.