Galadrielle Allman

Please Be With Me: A Song for My Father Duane Allman authored by his daughter Galadrielle is a daughter’s homage to the father she never really knew. Duane died when Galadrielle was one year old.

Unlike the illiterate and inane My Cross to Bear, Gregg Allman’s autobiography, this book is well written. Rather than concentrating on the drugs and women that Gregg chose to dwell on, Galadrielle chose to honor her father by talking about his devotion to music, his growth as a musician and both those musicians who influenced him as well as those he influenced. The list of musicians that he played with daunting: Aretha Franklin, Boz Scaggs, Eric Clapton, King Curtis and more. And any Allman Brothers/Duane fan will readily extol the virtues of his music, from the amazing Layla to the extraordinary Loan Me a Dime (one of my personal favorites) with Boz Scaggs. It would have been nice to see how he would have developed musically if he had lived.

Galadrielle does not gloss over the drugs and women because they had major impacts on the band and their families. But on the other hand, it was not her focus.

While you can see that Galadrielle idolized her dad, Please Be With Me is a pretty even-handed biography and one worth reading.

Next on the list, I guess, is One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band by Alan Paul. That should complete my Allman Brothers Band reading list.… (mais)

Enjoyed this! Duane's daughter pulled together an interesting tale of life in once- upon-a-time rock and roll. Been a fan of the Allman Brothers for years, but knew very little of their early beginnings. From the days of the boys growing up until the untimely death of Duane, enjoyed getting to know those who touched their lives. One thing "sort of" bothered me during the read. With the passage of time and the usage of drugs and alcohol, it seems that some of the stories would be a little hazy. All in all a very good book. Off to listen to Duane play with the likes of Boz Scaggs, Eric Clapton and Aretha Franklin… (mais)

Subtitled A Song for My Father, Duane Allman, this book does a decent job of following his life. The author was only two when her father was killed, and I imagine that writing this biography was cathartic for her. And I know now a great deal more about Duane Allman and the band than I did before reading the book.

The problem is that I don't really care. I don't think I would have especially liked Duane Allman. Yes, he was very young, and youth is sometimes an excuse for a certain amount of bad behavior, but Allman seemed so incredibly self-centered. Most of the men in this book treated them women around them very badly. And the women allowed them to do that. Back in those days when more women were gaining their voices and standing up for themselves, these women were throw-backs to worse times. Of course, drugs and alcohol were mainstays of the lives of both the men and women, and that never helps people avoid stupid decisions.

I had hoped that this biography would include more flavor of the times, more outside the realm of just the music makers, the various bands, and the concerts, but the view of the world outside their tiny part of it was pretty limited.

Speaking of concerts, I heard the Allman Brothers the first time they played at Fillmore East, teamed with Blood, Sweat, and Tears. I had forgotten until reminded by the book that the audience booed them, but I do remember quite clearly that the Allman Brothers' performance was pretty awful. It seemed like they were too stoned to care about the concert. So it surprised me that they thought they had played well, even though they were booed. (I didn't boo – was raised better than that – but was so disappointed in their music.)

The author used too much slang of the time, and some slang that seemed too early for the times, but perhaps that's because they were Southern boys and hadn't yet picked up the newer west coast idioms. At any rate, the writing occasionally seemed stilted, but for the most part it was straightforward and clear, even lyrical at times. The end though, seemed to just romanticize the drugged-out musicians.

Even in my advance uncorrected proof, not as finished as the published version, the included photographers were wonderful.

For fans, this is a biography worth reading. For those who want a more encompassing feel for the times and are not huge Allman fans, this is a sad look at lives gone awry.

I was given an advance copy of this book for review.… (mais)