- Author: Randy Poe
- Medium: Softcover book
- 6″ W x 9″ L
- 316 pages
Product Description
Now in paperback – revised and expanded, with a new afterword by the author – this is the definitive biography of Duane Allman, one of the most revered guitarists of his generation. Skydog reveals the complete story of the legendary guitarist: his childhood and musical awakening; his struggling first bands; his hard-won mastery of the slide guitar; his emergence as a successful session musician; his creation of the Allman Brothers Band; his tragic death at age 24; a… More >>
Skydog: The Duane Allman Story
Tags: afterword, Allman, allman brothers, allman brothers band, definitive biography, Duane, duane allman, first bands, legendary guitarist, session musician, Skydog, slide guitar, Story
#1 by E. Buckley on May 13, 2010 - 8:21 am
Excellent book on the history and biography of Duane and the Allman Brothers Band and Dickey Betts. Also a good inside look at that time period in music, from the musicians’ point of view – 1965 to 1975-ish – esp. in the South, and in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Good info on Muscle Shoals recording studios in northwest Alabama back in their early years, with Duane laying down guitar tracks for Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, King Curtis, etc. Also the formation of the Macon, Georgia Capricorn records studios…. good stuff.
Above all else you learn what a truly good man Duane Allman was, how much integrity he had, how hard he worked, and how big a heart he had. You also learn the opposite about brother Gregg who showed a pattern of regular betrayal of his brother Duane and the band members while he tried to gain fame and fortune for himself in L.A. And if you did not already suspect Eric Clapton as one of this biggest guitar frauds in Rock n Roll Hall of Fame history, you learn more of his misdeeds in this book – how he stole songs from roadies and small-time musicians. How he tried to have the studio cover up the fact that Duane layed down every guitar track on Layla and wrote most of them, and how Eric took credit for it all. I love the depiction of Eric being so bad on guitar live on stage that the opening act fans of Delaney & Bonnie booed him off the stage. How this guy kept fooling people after the heroin era is beyond me. Exact opposite of everything Duane stood for, but Duane was too cool and forgiving a man to ever turn on Eric. You were too good for this earth, Duane. Long Live the Sky Man.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Gary Covington on May 13, 2010 - 11:01 am
A SUPER OUTSTANDING BOOK!!! THIS IS A VERY COMPREHENSIVE, VERY COMPLETE, VERY DETAILED, VERY WELL ILLUSTRATED, AND VERY WELL PRESENTED BOOK ON THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE LEGENDARY DUANE ALLMAN!!! IT CONTAINS AROUND 300 PAGES. IT COVERS DUANE’S LIFE FROM CHILDHOOD ALL THE WAY THROUGH HIS UNTIMELY EARLY DEATH, AT THE AGE OF 24, BY A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT, ON OCTOBER 29, 1971. HE WAS BORN IN NASHVILLE, AND RAISED IN THE SOUTH, ANYWHERE FROM NASHVILLE TO DAYTONA BEACH & JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA. HE WAS A TRUE SON OF THE SOUTH!!!!
THE FORWARD OF THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN BY BILLY F. GIBBONS OF ZZ TOP. BILLY HAS LOTS OF GOOD THINGS TO SAY ABOUT DUANE. HE TELLS A GREAT STORY ABOUT HOW ZZ TOP & THE ALLMAN BROTHERS WERE IN THE “WAREHOUSE” DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS (this used to be New Orleans main concert venue). HE TELLS ABOUT HOW THEY “JAMED” TOGETHER, AND ABOUT HOW A BIG STORM PASSED OVER. ANYWAY BILLY HAD LOT OF RESPECT FOR DUANE ALLMAN.
THIS BOOK WAS AUTHORED BY RANDY POE, WHO GREW UP IN THE MUSCLE SHOALS, ALABAMA AREA.
HE IS A FORMER DIRECTER OF THE SONG-WRITTERS HALL OF FAME, AND HE IS THE PRESIDENT OF LEIBER & STOLLER MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY. HE HAS WRITTEN OTHER BOOKS, AND MANY MAGAZINE ARTICLES. HE IS A VERY CREDIBLE AUTHOR.
THIS BOOK ALSO COVERS AN EARLY HISTORY OF THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND!!!
DUANE WAS SPECIAL, HE WAS AN A-LIST RECORDING SESSION PLAYER AT MUSCLE SHOALS, ALABAMA. HE PLAYED BACKGROUND GUITAR ON RECORDS FOR ARTISTS SUCH AS ARETHA FRANKLIN, WILSON PICKETT, BOZ SCAGGS, ERIC CLAPTON (HE PLAYED THE DUALING GUITAR ON LAYLA) AND OTHERS. HE WAS VERY INNOVATIVE.
HE AQUIRED THE NICKNAME OF SKYDOG, BECAUSE HE HAD ALREADY BEEN NICKNAMED “DOG” BEFORE HE SIGNED ON WITH FAME STUDIOS, AND WHILE AT FAME STUDIOS, WHILE HE WAS PLAYING HIS GUITAR IN A RECORDING SESSION WITH WILSON PICKETT, WILSON PICKETT GAVE HIM THE NICK NAME OF SKYMAN. EVENUALLY HIS NICK NAME BECAME “SKYDOG”. THIS IS COVERED IN CHAPTER 10, PAGE 83.
HE WAS ONE OF THE BEST SLIDE GUITAR PLAYERS EVER!!!
HE WAS THE FOUNDER OR THE “FATHER” OF “SOUTHERN ROCK”, PLUS HE WAS THE FOUNDER AND CREATOR OF THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND. HE WAS A BROTHER, A FRIEND, A FATHER (HE HAS A DAUGHTER) AND MANY OTHER THINGS. HE WAS A GREAT PERSON AS WELL AS A LEGENDARY MUSICIAN.
BEFORE DUANE CREATED THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, HE AND HIS BROTHER GREGG WERE IN OTHER BANDS, SUCH AS THE ALLMAN JOYS, & HOUR GLASS. THIS BOOK COVERS THESE PRE-ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND ERA OF DUANE’S LIFE. DUANE & GREG WOUND UP IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA WORKING IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS THERE. DUANE DID NOT LIKE THE L.A. MUSIC BUSINESS AT THE TIME. AT THE BEGINNING OF CHAPTER 5 THERE IS A QUOTE FROM DUANE,AS FOLLOWS: “I WAS LIVING IN L.A. AND SAID, ‘BOY’, THE BAND BUSINESS STINKS!” ACCORDING TO SOME OF THE DETAILS IN THIS BOOK, & FROM SOME OTHER SOURCES (THE BOOK OF ROCK & THE COUNTRY MUSIC TELEVISION SPECIAL, “AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS – SOUTHERN ROCK”), DUANE DIDN’T LIKE THE L.A.MUSIC BUSINESS, BECAUSE, THEY TOLD HIM HOW TO DRESS, AND TOLD HIM HOW TO PERFORM ON STAGE, AND TOLD HIM WHAT DIRECTION TO GO IN MUSICALLY. WELL, DUANE DESPISED THIS. THAT’S WHEN HE LEFT L.A. AND RODE HIS MOTORCYCLE TO FAME STUDIO’S IN MUSCLE SHOALS, ALABAMA.
HE WAS A “FREE SPIRIT”. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN HE LEFT L.A. HE RODE HIS MOTORCYCLE TO MUSCLE SHOALS, ALABAMA TO FAME STUDIO’S THERE AND ASKED FOR A JOB, BUT THEY SAID THEY DIDN’T HAVE ONE, SO HE ASKED IF HE COULD PUT UP HIS TENT ON THE PARKING LOT AND WORK FOR FREE, AND THEY AGREED. AFTERWARDS, THEY WERE AMAZED BY HIS GUITAR PLAYING GREATNESS,AND HE SIGNED ON AS AN A-LIST RECORDING SESSION PLAYER. THIS IS PRESENTED IN DETAIL IN CHAPTER 10, AND ON PAGE 77.
DUANE RECORDED THE SONG “GOIN’ DOWN SLOW”, WITH HIM SINGING THE VOCALS AND PLAYING HIS GUITAR, AT “FAME”, IN MUSCLE SHOALS, AL. THIS SONG IS INLCUDED IN THE 2 DISC CD THE DUANE ALLMAN “ANTHOLOGY”. IT ALSO, INCLUDES A SONG WRITTEN BY DUANE “LITTLE MARTHA”. THIS IS A GREAT ANTHOLOGY 2 DISC CD. IT ALSO CONTAINS SONGS SUNG BY OTHER ARTISTS, WITH DUANE PLAYING THE GUITAR, AS I PRESENTED EARLIER IN MY REVIEW.
AFTER DUANE BECAME KNOWN IN THE SOUTH, AS AN A-LIST GUITAR SESSION PLAYER & A GREAT MUSICIAN, HE GOT THE ATTENTION OF PHIL WALDEN, THE FOUNDER OF CAPRICORN RECORDS IN MACON, GEORGIA. PHIL WANT DUANE TO PUT TOGETHER A BAND. SO DUANE AUDITIONED MUSICIANS, UNTIL, HE GOT THE LINE-UP HE WANTED, AND THIS LINE-UP WAS THE 1ST ORIGINAL LINE-UP OF THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND. IT INCLUDED DUANE, DICKEY BETTS, BERRY OAKLEY, JAIMOE, AND BUTCH TRUCKS. WHEN DUANE DECIDED THIS WAS THE LINE-UP HE WANTED, ACCORDING TO PAGE 105, DUANE STOOD IN THE DOORWAY AND SAID “ANYBODY IN THIS ROOM NOT GONNA PLAY IN MY BAND, YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGHT YOUR WAY OUTTA HERE!” HE THEN SAID THE ONLY THING ELSE WE NEED IS A LEAD SINGER, AND THAT WOULD BE HIS LITTLE BROTHER GREGG. SO HE CONTACTED GREGG, WHO WAS STILL IN L.A. AND GREGG LEFT L.A. AND JOINED HIS BROTHER’ BAND, WHICH BECAME KNOWN AS THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND.
SOME OF THE “HIGHLIGHTS” OF HIS CAREER AS AN ALLMAN BROTHER BAND LEADER, INCLUDE: THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND PERFORMING AT ATLANTA’S INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL, PERFORMING A CONCERT IN NEW YORK’S CENTRAL PARK, & BEING RECORDED LIVE FOR THE “FILMORE EAST” CONCERT, (WHICH IS STILL CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE GREATEST LIVE RECORDINGS OF ALL TIME.) ALSO, AS A GUITARIST, HE PLAYED GUITAR ON ERIC CLAPTON’S “LAYLA & OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS”. PLUS, THERE ARE MANY,MANY MORE ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY DUANE.
SOME OF DUANE’S QUOTES I LIKE INCLUDE:
“IF YOU’RE COMING TO PLAY IN MY BAND, YOU BETTER COME A PICKIN’ MAN, AN NOT TO SHOW OFF YOUR CLOTHES” – D.A. (I KNOW THIS IS IN “THE BOOK OF ROCK”.)
WHEN ASKED WHAT HE WAS DOING FOR PEACE, HE’D OFTEN REPLY “I’M HITTING A LICK FOR PEACE, AND EVERY TIME I’M IN GEORGIA, I EAT A PEACH FOR PEACE”, AND THAT QUOTE COMES RIGHT OUT OF THIS BOOK. ACCORDING TO THE LATE PHIL WALDEN, ON THE COUNTRY MUSIC TV SHOW “AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS – SOUTHERN ROCK”, PHIL SAID THE KINDA PEACH DUANE WAS REFERRING TO WAS THE “TWO LEGGED”, “GEORGIA PEACH” KIND.
DUANE WAS A PHILOSOPHER ALSO. THERE IS A QUOTE BY HIM AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH CHAPTER. PLUS, ON HIS GRAVE, THERE IS AN EPITAPH WRITTEN BY DUANE, IN HIS OWN WORDS.
IT IS AS FOLLOWS:
“I LOVE BEING ALIVE AND I WILL BE THE BEST MAN
I POSSIBLY CAN. I WILL TAKE LOVE WHEREVER
I FIND IT AND OFFER IT TO EVERYONE WHO WILL
TAKE IT…SEEK KNOWLEDGE FROM THOSE WISER
AND TEACH THOSE WHO WISH TO LEARN FROM ME.”
HE IS BURIED NEXT TO BERRY OAKLEY (THE ORIGINAL BASS PLAYER, IN THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, & HE WAS KILLED IN A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT ALSO, LIKE DUANE). THEY ARE BURIED IN ROSE HILL CEMETERY IN MACON, GEORGIA.
THE LATE RONNIE VAN ZANT OFTEN DEDICATED THE SONG “FREEBIRD” TO DUANE ALLMAN!!!
THIS IS A GREAT BOOK, AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Tripbag on May 13, 2010 - 12:32 pm
As a long time Derek and the Dominos and Allman Brother fan-all I knew about Duane Allman is he greatly missed and he could settle into any genre with ease. If you are like yours truely-buy this book for when you take a vacation day from “the salt mine” put on some Allman Brothers,Derek and the Dominos or some sweet Southern soul music and read this book. While a bit slight you will find yourself wishing Greg was still with us and pushing Clapton,his brother Greg and maybe even Derek Trucks into new heights.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by P. Coughlin on May 13, 2010 - 2:38 pm
I bought this book as a Christmas gift for my 30yo son, an Allman Brothers fan, so I am just passing on his comments to me. He loved the book; he said it’s not a superficial account, but a thoughtful and detailed portrayal of Duane Allman’s life by someone who was there. He’s not easy to please, but this book really impressed him.
Rating: 5 / 5