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Please Be with Me: A Song for My Father, Duane Allman
A deeply personal, revealing, and lyrical portrait of Duane Allman, founder of the legendary Allman Brothers Band, written by his daughter
Galadrielle Allman went to her first concert as an infant in diapers, held in her teenage mother’s arms. Playing was her father—Duane Allman, who would become one of the most influential and sought-after musicians of his time. Just a few short years into his remarkable career, he was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of twenty-four. His daughter was two years old.
Galadrielle was raised in the shadow of his loss and his fame. Her mother sought solace in a bohemian life. Friends and family found it too painful to talk about Duane. Galadrielle listened intently to his music, read articles about him, steeped herself in the mythic stories, and yet the spotlight rendered him too simple and too perfect to know. She felt a strange kinship to the fans who longed for him, but she needed to know more. It took her many years to accept that his life and his legacy were hers, and when she did, she began to ask for stories—from family, fellow musicians, friends—and they began to flow.
Galadrielle Allman’s memoir is at once a rapturous, riveting, and intimate account of one of the greatest guitar prodigies of all time, the story of the birth of a band that redefined the American musical landscape, and a tender inquiry of a daughter searching for her father in the memories of others.
Praise for Please Be with Me
“Duane Allman was my big brother, my partner, my best friend. I thought I knew everything there was to know about him, but Galadrielle’s deep and insightful book came as a revelation to me, as it will to everyone who reads it.” —Gregg Allman
“ Poignant and illuminating . . . brings Duane Allman to life in a way that no other biography will ever be able to do.” — BookPage
“Galadrielle Allman offers a moving and poetic portrait of her late father.” — Rolling Stone
“[Allman’s] descriptions and scenes are vivid, even cinematic . . . . The pleasure of reading Please Be With Me lies as much in its lyrical prose as in its insider anecdotes.” — Newsweek
“An elegantly written, heartfelt account.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Evokes a wistful, elegiac atmosphere; fans of the ’70s music scene may find it indispensable .” —San Jose Mercury News
“A compelling and intimate portrait of Duane.” — The Hollywood Reporter
“ Illuminating .” — Kirkus Reviews
“Frequently touching . . . Readers will come away feeling more connected to the man and his music.” — Publishers Weekly
“ The most moving music biography I’ve ever read. Better than that, Galadrielle has uncovered the heart and motivations, the desolation and saving graces, of the man, and lays it plain in a born-to-write southern voice. She has looked into absence, and from it she has salvaged two her father’s and her own.” —Mikal Gilmore, author of Shot in the Heart
Galadrielle Allman went to her first concert as an infant in diapers, held in her teenage mother’s arms. Playing was her father—Duane Allman, who would become one of the most influential and sought-after musicians of his time. Just a few short years into his remarkable career, he was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of twenty-four. His daughter was two years old.
Galadrielle was raised in the shadow of his loss and his fame. Her mother sought solace in a bohemian life. Friends and family found it too painful to talk about Duane. Galadrielle listened intently to his music, read articles about him, steeped herself in the mythic stories, and yet the spotlight rendered him too simple and too perfect to know. She felt a strange kinship to the fans who longed for him, but she needed to know more. It took her many years to accept that his life and his legacy were hers, and when she did, she began to ask for stories—from family, fellow musicians, friends—and they began to flow.
Galadrielle Allman’s memoir is at once a rapturous, riveting, and intimate account of one of the greatest guitar prodigies of all time, the story of the birth of a band that redefined the American musical landscape, and a tender inquiry of a daughter searching for her father in the memories of others.
Praise for Please Be with Me
“Duane Allman was my big brother, my partner, my best friend. I thought I knew everything there was to know about him, but Galadrielle’s deep and insightful book came as a revelation to me, as it will to everyone who reads it.” —Gregg Allman
“ Poignant and illuminating . . . brings Duane Allman to life in a way that no other biography will ever be able to do.” — BookPage
“Galadrielle Allman offers a moving and poetic portrait of her late father.” — Rolling Stone
“[Allman’s] descriptions and scenes are vivid, even cinematic . . . . The pleasure of reading Please Be With Me lies as much in its lyrical prose as in its insider anecdotes.” — Newsweek
“An elegantly written, heartfelt account.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Evokes a wistful, elegiac atmosphere; fans of the ’70s music scene may find it indispensable .” —San Jose Mercury News
“A compelling and intimate portrait of Duane.” — The Hollywood Reporter
“ Illuminating .” — Kirkus Reviews
“Frequently touching . . . Readers will come away feeling more connected to the man and his music.” — Publishers Weekly
“ The most moving music biography I’ve ever read. Better than that, Galadrielle has uncovered the heart and motivations, the desolation and saving graces, of the man, and lays it plain in a born-to-write southern voice. She has looked into absence, and from it she has salvaged two her father’s and her own.” —Mikal Gilmore, author of Shot in the Heart
400 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2014
83 people are currently reading
931 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
September 4, 2017
My father is killed in the first paragraph of every article ever written about him. His life story backward, always beginning at the end, in the road, his motorcycle down, his body broken. People linger over the wreckage as if it says something meaningful about his life.
Galadrielle was two years old when her father died and this is her effort to discover the man who was her father. Can you ever really connect with someone you've never met and never will meet? Using research, discussions with family members and those who worked/played with her father she pieces together his early life and career. Not always a "good guy", Allman was relentlessly driven to improve as a musician and in the process improved those who played alongside him. For me, it's hard to top those first 3 or 4 Allman Brothers records- rock, country and jazz fused together for a powerful sound.
Usually I enjoy listening to the audiobook when read by the author and while I enjoyed parts of her narration it was uneven at times. At points in the story it was if she was reciting a list of facts without much emotion and since she wouldn't have remembered those times it is understandable but not all that moving. There are some moments when she really connects to her own emotions and in those moments the book really soars.
Why does everyone always want to count the days we spent together? Haven't you ever been in love? Don't you know how important every moment is? How infinite time feels?
7/10
Galadrielle was two years old when her father died and this is her effort to discover the man who was her father. Can you ever really connect with someone you've never met and never will meet? Using research, discussions with family members and those who worked/played with her father she pieces together his early life and career. Not always a "good guy", Allman was relentlessly driven to improve as a musician and in the process improved those who played alongside him. For me, it's hard to top those first 3 or 4 Allman Brothers records- rock, country and jazz fused together for a powerful sound.
Usually I enjoy listening to the audiobook when read by the author and while I enjoyed parts of her narration it was uneven at times. At points in the story it was if she was reciting a list of facts without much emotion and since she wouldn't have remembered those times it is understandable but not all that moving. There are some moments when she really connects to her own emotions and in those moments the book really soars.
Why does everyone always want to count the days we spent together? Haven't you ever been in love? Don't you know how important every moment is? How infinite time feels?
7/10
July 3, 2015
I've been an Allman Brothers fan since the first time I heard them play live in South Florida, in April of 1970. Music is love, and if you're receptive to it, it'll grab your heart, massage it, tenderize it, and but it back all clean and healed. (It's not all that simple or easy, but the Allman brothers music did change my life, not only as a musician and writer, but as a nineteen year old just home from Vietnam.)
I was in extreme emotional disarray when I first heard the Brothers play and my heart and soul healed as I listened. And every concert I went to that the Brothers played at healed me just a bit more. If I would of know that Duane and Barry would die in less than three years, I would of followed them from concert to concert all over the country, using the cheapest way to travel:Thumb express--hitchhiking.
Darn, Duane and Barry died so young, but they left the world so much.They left their music. Think about it, you can listen to the Fillmore East album today, and it sounds like it was just released. That's because good music is timeless. And great musicians are priceless. And their music will touch the next generation and the next and on and on.
I've read four books about the Allman Brothers this year: Sky Dog, by Randy Poe; One Way Out, by Alan Paul; MY cross to Bear, by Gregory Allman, and last but certainly not least, Galadrielle Allman's A song for my Father, Duane Allman.
I've read, reviewed, and rated Sky Dog, and One Way Out, first; I gave them both five stars.
I down loaded My Cross To Bear first and I started reading it. Then I down loaded A Song For My Father and read the first few pages and kept reading; after I finished her book, I returned to My Cross To Bear and finished it.(I'll review it next.)
I've read a few reviews on her book and most of them seem as if the reader understood what Galadrielle tried to do in her first book, a very personal and heartfelt tribute and journey of discovery. (A search for a father she never knew.) And as she journeys through the book trying to understand her father, she gives us further insight into this very special musician that was able to make people smile and marvel in joy by just putting a coricidin medicine bottle on the third finger of his left hand and making that Les Paul guitar sing and wail like no other slide player has done before or since. (Elmore James, sorry bro, but you're # 2, now.) Duane truly was the king of the slide guitar; a leader, founder, and the heart of the Allman Brothers.
Some people feel that because his daughter followed a bunch of fans, roadies, and members around asking about Duane and then wrote this emotionally contrite book on a father she really never knew; that she was just after a quick buck. I don't see it that way at all.
Magazine writers followed the Allman Brothers around for years and interviewed them, and those interviews became their books. Yeah, they had the advantage of knowing Duane(at least Randy poe did), but she discovered her father through hundreds of hours of listening to his music. (In the book she says sometimes when she listens to the Fillmore East album, she follow just one guitar player, and then the other one through a whole song. Or she'll just listen to the drummers. OR Barry, or Greg.
For years she was afraid her mother didn't want to talk about her father, and her mother didn't think her daughter could miss a father she never knew. It was more about, I think, her mother's pain she retained after loving and losing Duane to Dixie first, and then death. But make no mistake, Duane was in love first and foremost with music, and his guitar. And he loved his baby girl.
Imagine the emotion A woman must feel when her father dies when she's just two, and the whole world knows more about him than she does. Right off the top of my head though, I can think of two advantages Galadrielle had and has over those magazine writers and anyone else for that matter: Her grandmother is Duane's mother, and her uncle, is Duane's brother. And I don't believe anyone of those writers or fans were given Duane's Gold Top Les Paul when they turned eighteen; she received it though.
Her writing style perfectly suites the telling of this inner and outer search for who her father was. Actually, I think she's a fine writer, and since this book is her debut, I look forward to reading more of her work.
In the book she writes that she couldn't take the guitar out of its case when it was given to her for fear that she might break something that really was priceless to her.
She's certainly not a ripoff trying to make a few bucks off a father who she never stopped wondering about, aching for his touch, or for a word of guidance. Or just a simple, "I love you, Galadrielle."
NO. This is a woman who was on a quest to know her father so she could bring him to life for her. . . .
Out of the four books I've read this year on the Brothers and Duane, her book has to have the most heart, insight, and desire to find and understand who her father was, and still is to her. She knew her father's fans loved him, and were also touched and changed by his music, and she wanted to understand why and to understand him the best she could for herself.
Whether you're an Allman Brothers fan or not, I recommend this book because it comes from the honest love of a daughter's heart.
I was in extreme emotional disarray when I first heard the Brothers play and my heart and soul healed as I listened. And every concert I went to that the Brothers played at healed me just a bit more. If I would of know that Duane and Barry would die in less than three years, I would of followed them from concert to concert all over the country, using the cheapest way to travel:Thumb express--hitchhiking.
Darn, Duane and Barry died so young, but they left the world so much.They left their music. Think about it, you can listen to the Fillmore East album today, and it sounds like it was just released. That's because good music is timeless. And great musicians are priceless. And their music will touch the next generation and the next and on and on.
I've read four books about the Allman Brothers this year: Sky Dog, by Randy Poe; One Way Out, by Alan Paul; MY cross to Bear, by Gregory Allman, and last but certainly not least, Galadrielle Allman's A song for my Father, Duane Allman.
I've read, reviewed, and rated Sky Dog, and One Way Out, first; I gave them both five stars.
I down loaded My Cross To Bear first and I started reading it. Then I down loaded A Song For My Father and read the first few pages and kept reading; after I finished her book, I returned to My Cross To Bear and finished it.(I'll review it next.)
I've read a few reviews on her book and most of them seem as if the reader understood what Galadrielle tried to do in her first book, a very personal and heartfelt tribute and journey of discovery. (A search for a father she never knew.) And as she journeys through the book trying to understand her father, she gives us further insight into this very special musician that was able to make people smile and marvel in joy by just putting a coricidin medicine bottle on the third finger of his left hand and making that Les Paul guitar sing and wail like no other slide player has done before or since. (Elmore James, sorry bro, but you're # 2, now.) Duane truly was the king of the slide guitar; a leader, founder, and the heart of the Allman Brothers.
Some people feel that because his daughter followed a bunch of fans, roadies, and members around asking about Duane and then wrote this emotionally contrite book on a father she really never knew; that she was just after a quick buck. I don't see it that way at all.
Magazine writers followed the Allman Brothers around for years and interviewed them, and those interviews became their books. Yeah, they had the advantage of knowing Duane(at least Randy poe did), but she discovered her father through hundreds of hours of listening to his music. (In the book she says sometimes when she listens to the Fillmore East album, she follow just one guitar player, and then the other one through a whole song. Or she'll just listen to the drummers. OR Barry, or Greg.
For years she was afraid her mother didn't want to talk about her father, and her mother didn't think her daughter could miss a father she never knew. It was more about, I think, her mother's pain she retained after loving and losing Duane to Dixie first, and then death. But make no mistake, Duane was in love first and foremost with music, and his guitar. And he loved his baby girl.
Imagine the emotion A woman must feel when her father dies when she's just two, and the whole world knows more about him than she does. Right off the top of my head though, I can think of two advantages Galadrielle had and has over those magazine writers and anyone else for that matter: Her grandmother is Duane's mother, and her uncle, is Duane's brother. And I don't believe anyone of those writers or fans were given Duane's Gold Top Les Paul when they turned eighteen; she received it though.
Her writing style perfectly suites the telling of this inner and outer search for who her father was. Actually, I think she's a fine writer, and since this book is her debut, I look forward to reading more of her work.
In the book she writes that she couldn't take the guitar out of its case when it was given to her for fear that she might break something that really was priceless to her.
She's certainly not a ripoff trying to make a few bucks off a father who she never stopped wondering about, aching for his touch, or for a word of guidance. Or just a simple, "I love you, Galadrielle."
NO. This is a woman who was on a quest to know her father so she could bring him to life for her. . . .
Out of the four books I've read this year on the Brothers and Duane, her book has to have the most heart, insight, and desire to find and understand who her father was, and still is to her. She knew her father's fans loved him, and were also touched and changed by his music, and she wanted to understand why and to understand him the best she could for herself.
Whether you're an Allman Brothers fan or not, I recommend this book because it comes from the honest love of a daughter's heart.
April 25, 2014
I admit, I'm a captive audience because of my affinity for the music, the musicians and the legend of Duane Allman, but i was still blown away by Galadrielle's writing, her approach and the spiritual journey she takes on in this book. I've read Skydog, My Cross To Bear and One Way Out so i expected redundancy, what happened instead is a completely new take on the band in the light reflected by Duane through his daughter. The author presents deep points of view from new characters and the effect is personal, emotional and bittersweet. An ambitious, revealing, loving discovery mission is pulled off beautifully by Galadrielle.
April 17, 2014
Acknowledged by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time (second only to Jimi Hendrix), Duane Allman was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident in 1971 at age 24, just as his star was rising — his daughter, Galadrielle, was only two years old.
Culled from personal interviews with the people who knew Duane Allman best, PLEASE BE WITH ME is one woman's pursuit of closure and connection to the father she never knew. Yet despite the allure of endless salacious behind-the-scenes tales of sex, drugs and rock & roll, the true payoff for readers is Allman's writing skills and her knack for compelling storytelling. Her book is well-written and heartfelt. Even for the casual fan of her father's timeless and much-loved music, PLEASE BE WITH ME is a must-read.
Culled from personal interviews with the people who knew Duane Allman best, PLEASE BE WITH ME is one woman's pursuit of closure and connection to the father she never knew. Yet despite the allure of endless salacious behind-the-scenes tales of sex, drugs and rock & roll, the true payoff for readers is Allman's writing skills and her knack for compelling storytelling. Her book is well-written and heartfelt. Even for the casual fan of her father's timeless and much-loved music, PLEASE BE WITH ME is a must-read.
June 22, 2015
Review also on Books That Rock Us: http://booksthatrockus.blogspot.com/2...
I should know more about The Allman Brothers Band than I do, which (until I read this) isn't much. I've lived my entire life south of Mason Dixon - with half of that spent in areas still affected by Allman influence. Indeed, while reading Ms. Allman's biography it surprised me to find so many coincidences:
The author and I share a birthday, though we're separated by a few years.
Her uncle Gregg received a liver transplant at the Mayo Clinic right around the time my father did.
She lived eleven years in Jacksonville, FL. I lived there for 22.
Duane and Gregg Allman lived very briefly in Virginia Beach as children, not far from where I live now.
In the book's prologue, Ms. Allman talks about finding a Rolling Stone with her father on the cover in an Athens, GA thrift shop. I lived in Athens for a time, and I have a good idea which store she mentions.
Spooky, eh? Maybe the last two tibits are a stretch, but seeing the birthdate was pretty wild. I also share the day with Gene Simmons and Gopher from The Love Boat.
Coincidences aside, I still acknowledge I should know more about The Allman Brothers. While not a Jacksonville-based band like Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet, the ties the brothers had to the music scene there shaped the legend. Perhaps for a long time, Ms. Allman knew as much about her father as I do - she was only two when Duane Allman perished in a motorcycle accident in the early 70s, a few years shy of the mystically unlucky 27 that stalks troubled musicians and shortly after the band's grand commercial breakthrough. Please Be With Me is the culmination of her journey to meet a man everybody else (even strangers) knew and loved.
To complete the puzzle, Ms Allman relies on the memories of colleagues, family friends, and relatives to recount Duane's life story in vivid, lyrical prose. You can taste the salty air of Daytona Beach, where Duane picked up chords through his adolescence, and follow the scents of bougainvillea, whiskey, and weed all the way to Macon and back. When you read stories of rock legends, however, you wonder about the accuracy of detail when everything comes to you second and third-hand. One reviewer on Goodreads of this book voiced some skepticism that Ms. Allman's book holds 100% accuracy. I don't know if this opinion is based upon further research on Duane and the Allmans, or just conjecture. I say, sometimes an urban legend holds a kernel of truth. Did a brother really arrange to severely injure himself to get out of the draft? Were there tensions with the Grateful Dead and in Clapton's Layla sessions? Chances are, you'd learn of different opinions as these events happened.
I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Allman's book, which is partly a biography and partly a tribute not only to her father but the family that surrounded them. The strength of the narration carries you deep into the story that, for a moment, you almost forget the tragic outcome and want to remain where the music plays.
I should know more about The Allman Brothers Band than I do, which (until I read this) isn't much. I've lived my entire life south of Mason Dixon - with half of that spent in areas still affected by Allman influence. Indeed, while reading Ms. Allman's biography it surprised me to find so many coincidences:
The author and I share a birthday, though we're separated by a few years.
Her uncle Gregg received a liver transplant at the Mayo Clinic right around the time my father did.
She lived eleven years in Jacksonville, FL. I lived there for 22.
Duane and Gregg Allman lived very briefly in Virginia Beach as children, not far from where I live now.
In the book's prologue, Ms. Allman talks about finding a Rolling Stone with her father on the cover in an Athens, GA thrift shop. I lived in Athens for a time, and I have a good idea which store she mentions.
Spooky, eh? Maybe the last two tibits are a stretch, but seeing the birthdate was pretty wild. I also share the day with Gene Simmons and Gopher from The Love Boat.
Coincidences aside, I still acknowledge I should know more about The Allman Brothers. While not a Jacksonville-based band like Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet, the ties the brothers had to the music scene there shaped the legend. Perhaps for a long time, Ms. Allman knew as much about her father as I do - she was only two when Duane Allman perished in a motorcycle accident in the early 70s, a few years shy of the mystically unlucky 27 that stalks troubled musicians and shortly after the band's grand commercial breakthrough. Please Be With Me is the culmination of her journey to meet a man everybody else (even strangers) knew and loved.
To complete the puzzle, Ms Allman relies on the memories of colleagues, family friends, and relatives to recount Duane's life story in vivid, lyrical prose. You can taste the salty air of Daytona Beach, where Duane picked up chords through his adolescence, and follow the scents of bougainvillea, whiskey, and weed all the way to Macon and back. When you read stories of rock legends, however, you wonder about the accuracy of detail when everything comes to you second and third-hand. One reviewer on Goodreads of this book voiced some skepticism that Ms. Allman's book holds 100% accuracy. I don't know if this opinion is based upon further research on Duane and the Allmans, or just conjecture. I say, sometimes an urban legend holds a kernel of truth. Did a brother really arrange to severely injure himself to get out of the draft? Were there tensions with the Grateful Dead and in Clapton's Layla sessions? Chances are, you'd learn of different opinions as these events happened.
I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Allman's book, which is partly a biography and partly a tribute not only to her father but the family that surrounded them. The strength of the narration carries you deep into the story that, for a moment, you almost forget the tragic outcome and want to remain where the music plays.
July 8, 2014
Please Be With Me: A Song for My Father, Duane Allman by Galadrielle Allman
In the early 70’s, the Allman Brothers was one of the most popular bands in America and Duane, founder and guitarist of the band, was one of the best having played sessions with artists from Aretha Franklin to Wilson Pickett and Eric Clapton. This is his story as well as his daughter’s struggle to know him as he died when she was just two years old.
Even though I have read a lot of books about the Allman Brothers and know the stories, this feels more intimate and somehow makes the stories more interesting than the first time I read them. I also like how this focuses on the not just the famous rock star but on the author’s life, her mother’s role in her growth as well as her trying to get to know her father that she never had a chance to know while he was alive.
In the early 70’s, the Allman Brothers was one of the most popular bands in America and Duane, founder and guitarist of the band, was one of the best having played sessions with artists from Aretha Franklin to Wilson Pickett and Eric Clapton. This is his story as well as his daughter’s struggle to know him as he died when she was just two years old.
Even though I have read a lot of books about the Allman Brothers and know the stories, this feels more intimate and somehow makes the stories more interesting than the first time I read them. I also like how this focuses on the not just the famous rock star but on the author’s life, her mother’s role in her growth as well as her trying to get to know her father that she never had a chance to know while he was alive.
August 28, 2018
Wow. This is departure from the usual music bio in that it's mainly the story of woman trying to find the famous father she was deprived of knowing due to his tragic death. She finds him, warts and all. I really liked how this read almost like a novel and not just a biography author spitting out facts. I'm sure the personal connection Galadrielle has with the subjects is a huge part of that. Having much older cousins and siblings that babysat me as a kid, I was exposed to the Allman Brothers young and always loved them. Some of the stories in this were very familiar to me because I recently read My Cross to Bear by Gregg Allman, another book I highly recommend to music fans.
February 16, 2018
"The sound of your guitar tells me all I will ever know of your love."
Galadrielle Allman - daughter of Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers - penned this as a plea to the father that she barely knew. As a band often wrought with tragedy in the deaths of Duane & Berry Oakley (and more recently, Butch Trucks & Gregg Allman), many people forget the combination of hard living and touring took its toll on the relationships between the band and their closest circle - in this case, Galadrielle and her mother.
For me, Duane Allman had always been a mythic figure that I came across when I first heard the Layla album. I'd never heard slide guitar before that - and I still haven't heard anyone who can do it quite like Duane. As a guitar player, I spent countless hours picking apart Duane's solos and fills - I even went so far as to wear a far-too-oversized Coricidan bottle on my ring finger, just like Duane. As a musician, I again studied Duane - differently this time - for his dynamics and phrasing.
At his best, Duane is portrayed as being an intense, humorous, and driven musician. At his worst, he is portrayed as a bully and a junkie who left his wife and daughter after returning from the road.
Galadrielle gained all of this information, of course, from the many survivors from Duane's youth up until his untimely accidental death. In the writing, the amount of pain that she feels as she chases the ghost of someone that she never knew but who has yet ceaselessly defined who she is resonates throughout the pages.
Galadrielle Allman - daughter of Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers - penned this as a plea to the father that she barely knew. As a band often wrought with tragedy in the deaths of Duane & Berry Oakley (and more recently, Butch Trucks & Gregg Allman), many people forget the combination of hard living and touring took its toll on the relationships between the band and their closest circle - in this case, Galadrielle and her mother.
For me, Duane Allman had always been a mythic figure that I came across when I first heard the Layla album. I'd never heard slide guitar before that - and I still haven't heard anyone who can do it quite like Duane. As a guitar player, I spent countless hours picking apart Duane's solos and fills - I even went so far as to wear a far-too-oversized Coricidan bottle on my ring finger, just like Duane. As a musician, I again studied Duane - differently this time - for his dynamics and phrasing.
At his best, Duane is portrayed as being an intense, humorous, and driven musician. At his worst, he is portrayed as a bully and a junkie who left his wife and daughter after returning from the road.
Galadrielle gained all of this information, of course, from the many survivors from Duane's youth up until his untimely accidental death. In the writing, the amount of pain that she feels as she chases the ghost of someone that she never knew but who has yet ceaselessly defined who she is resonates throughout the pages.
February 22, 2014
I'm not a die-hard fan of the Allman Brothers, but I know and enjoy a few of their songs. Still, when I saw this book I couldn't resist my curiosity. I knew Duane was the one that had died. Other than he was in the band and passed on, I knew nothing else about him. I didn't even know he had a daughter.
I'm on the fence about this 'memoir'.
Duane died when Galadrielle was 2. At that age, there is not much you remember about anyone or anything. All of her memories consist of outings taken with her mother to concerts and such, or stories through another's experiences. When I was reading the stories she had heard from other people, I wondered how much of the telephone wire game came into play. Somehow little things always change. Over the years people remember things differently too. For me, it was hard to buy into the stories. Even if they were entertaining.
So that's my advice. If you just want to be entertained, and treat it more like fiction, it could be a great story. If you are a lover of personal memoirs, like me, you might be put off by the second-hand accounts too. Then again, maybe not. To each his own, right?!
2.5/5
I'm on the fence about this 'memoir'.
Duane died when Galadrielle was 2. At that age, there is not much you remember about anyone or anything. All of her memories consist of outings taken with her mother to concerts and such, or stories through another's experiences. When I was reading the stories she had heard from other people, I wondered how much of the telephone wire game came into play. Somehow little things always change. Over the years people remember things differently too. For me, it was hard to buy into the stories. Even if they were entertaining.
So that's my advice. If you just want to be entertained, and treat it more like fiction, it could be a great story. If you are a lover of personal memoirs, like me, you might be put off by the second-hand accounts too. Then again, maybe not. To each his own, right?!
2.5/5
April 18, 2018
This was an absolutely AMAZING book. It led me back to discover some of Duane Allman's earliest guitar work and I did further research while reading the book. Galadrielle is an awesome writer and makes the reader feels they are right there in the story. What an act of courage to research and interview al of her subjects in order to learn more about her father - who died when she was 2 years old. This book is truly an act of love and I am better for reading it. There are no words to describe Duane Allman. He is one of the greatest and probably the best slide guitarist of all time. This is a highly recommend book if you love music, guitars, or the Allman Brothers.
May 25, 2014
I'm an Allman Brothers fan but this book was pretty painful. I'm being generous with my rating only for the Allman Brothers facts and history. I know this was a daughter's quest to connect with her father but the writing style could have used some help. Duane Allman was an incredible artist and it's a real shame he didn't live longer.
March 11, 2015
It was nice to learn about one of the most influential guitar players of my lifetime. If you're interested at all in music...give it a go!
January 14, 2024
I've read quite a few books about 60s and 70s rock and roll, and this is among the best. Ms. Allman is at her best when she attempts to capture the feeling of a perfectly coordinated jam, led by an absolute master. Having been to some of the early Allman Brothers concerts, I understood what she was saying and totally agree with it. This book is full of details about life on the road, as well as life back at home for the wives and girlfriends and children of the band and its crew. It even has reproductions of letters back and forth (remember: no cell phones back then and long distance calls were EXPENSIVE). I'm not sure all that detail from over 50 years ago would be of interest to readers today, other than huge fans of the Brothers, like me. But I ate it up!
April 7, 2020
Nešto sasvim drugačije od Poe-ovog Skydoga. Iz pera Galadrielle Allman - Duaneove kćeri, ovaj put priču o Allman Brotheres Bandu gledamo i otkrivamo iz sasvim drugih kuteva, ne toliko glazbenih, koliko onih privatnih. U nekim trenutcima sam zaista ostala šokirana, jer svi mi glazbenike, glumce, umjetnike ili općenito ljude koje idealiziramo kroz njihov rad uvijek nekako gledamo kao savršena bića, kao naše idole i zapravo mislimo da su najbolji ljudi na svijetu. Kad uđemo malo dublje u njihove živote, shvatimo da to baš i nije tako.
Jako mi se sviđa autoričin stil pisanja i način na koji ponekad poglavlje završava na tako dramatičan način, da vam jednostavno ne da da knjigu pustite iz ruke.
Jako mi se sviđa autoričin stil pisanja i način na koji ponekad poglavlje završava na tako dramatičan način, da vam jednostavno ne da da knjigu pustite iz ruke.
June 5, 2022
Certainly, one of the better books of its type. A little long on details that I think might be 'semi-imagined' it's quite nicely done with lots of trivia and memorabilia from the life of a quixotic, genius.
I found myself going back to listen to all my old 'Duane' collectables and early ABB stuff just cuz' I loved those guys. (Guess they'll be getting the band back together pretty soon on that Big Stage)
I found myself going back to listen to all my old 'Duane' collectables and early ABB stuff just cuz' I loved those guys. (Guess they'll be getting the band back together pretty soon on that Big Stage)
May 16, 2022
Wow.
October 24, 2023
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
July 11, 2019
"Do muscians know what they give us? Do they know where they take us, only to leave us to find our own way home, back from the depths of their dreams?"
To be clear, this book is not a layed out listing of events and dates and details of The Allman Brothers and the late Duane Allman. Seek that somewhere else. Though a wealth of information is provided about what Duane did and when, this is a tale of a woman searching to discover the father gone from her life before she could even remember. It is in her desperation of unwrapping that mystery that these pages shine.
Galadrielle Allman peels back the folklore of her famous father in an attempt to see who he was, what pushed him through life, how he did what he did and ultimately why he had to leave them. Yes, there's some of the infamous drunken Allman Brothers orgy stories, but a lot more of the quiet times Duane spent creating the music which would come to define him.
Personally, as horrific as it sounds, I feel there are some stars that shine so brightly that they cannot last forever. They are here for us, to shine such a profound light on things that they are never seen the same again. Duane didn't simply add a chapter, he rewrote the book. It's a tragedy he couldn't survive longer, but along with many other influential artists he did a lot with the short time he had.
This book is manditory for every rock n roll library.
To be clear, this book is not a layed out listing of events and dates and details of The Allman Brothers and the late Duane Allman. Seek that somewhere else. Though a wealth of information is provided about what Duane did and when, this is a tale of a woman searching to discover the father gone from her life before she could even remember. It is in her desperation of unwrapping that mystery that these pages shine.
Galadrielle Allman peels back the folklore of her famous father in an attempt to see who he was, what pushed him through life, how he did what he did and ultimately why he had to leave them. Yes, there's some of the infamous drunken Allman Brothers orgy stories, but a lot more of the quiet times Duane spent creating the music which would come to define him.
Personally, as horrific as it sounds, I feel there are some stars that shine so brightly that they cannot last forever. They are here for us, to shine such a profound light on things that they are never seen the same again. Duane didn't simply add a chapter, he rewrote the book. It's a tragedy he couldn't survive longer, but along with many other influential artists he did a lot with the short time he had.
This book is manditory for every rock n roll library.
March 4, 2018
I grew up hearing bits and pieces of The Allman Brothers Band as it was part of my parents music collection. Not enough to claim to be a "fan" but enough to recognize some of their more popular stuff (Midnight Rider). So naturally I didn't know anything about the history of the band. When I saw this memoir by the daughter of one of the band members I thought, this will be good, two of my favorite things: memoirs and music. I had no idea what I was getting into, not to mention that YouTube rabbit hole I was falling down.
This was like a musical tour of history. It was beautiful, and it was sad. It breaks my heart when talented musicians/artists die too young. I looked up a lot of the stuff Galadrielle mentions in the book on YouTube and there is no doubt that Duane was something special. I try to make myself feel better by telling myself that sometimes talent like this just can't be contained. Time will go by and another artist will come along with a sound that can only be described as other worldly and it makes me want to believe in reincarnation (have you seen/heard Derek Trucks?).
The story was sad not only because we lost an extremely talented musician, but because Galadrielle lost her father before she could really get to know him. Galadrielle takes us with her on her journey to get to know her father and she does it so gracefully and without sounding like she wants to tell us all about her famous dad and why he is so great and that she has all the details because she's his kid. This journey was emotional and made me weepy several times, the kind of story telling that can only come from a talented artist.
All that being said, I'll be heading over to my parents house later today to go through my dad's record collection because I'm sure he has to have some ABB in there somewhere.
This was like a musical tour of history. It was beautiful, and it was sad. It breaks my heart when talented musicians/artists die too young. I looked up a lot of the stuff Galadrielle mentions in the book on YouTube and there is no doubt that Duane was something special. I try to make myself feel better by telling myself that sometimes talent like this just can't be contained. Time will go by and another artist will come along with a sound that can only be described as other worldly and it makes me want to believe in reincarnation (have you seen/heard Derek Trucks?).
The story was sad not only because we lost an extremely talented musician, but because Galadrielle lost her father before she could really get to know him. Galadrielle takes us with her on her journey to get to know her father and she does it so gracefully and without sounding like she wants to tell us all about her famous dad and why he is so great and that she has all the details because she's his kid. This journey was emotional and made me weepy several times, the kind of story telling that can only come from a talented artist.
All that being said, I'll be heading over to my parents house later today to go through my dad's record collection because I'm sure he has to have some ABB in there somewhere.
February 25, 2023
Perhaps the best rock n' roll bio I've yet read. Galadrielle Allman doesn't pull punches, yet she invests this book with incredible heart and compassion, diving beyond the surface events of Duane Allman's life and into his impact on the lives of those around him.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Nine years later, I grabbed a copy of this for my Kindle because I wanted to experience it again, getting to know Duane just as Galadrielle does, the good, bad and ugly, the beauty of the music, the dedication to his craft and brothers, the struggle with drugs and meaningful relationships outside music. Galadrielle Allman's taken us on a magnificent journey, letting us come along as she gets to know her father.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Nine years later, I grabbed a copy of this for my Kindle because I wanted to experience it again, getting to know Duane just as Galadrielle does, the good, bad and ugly, the beauty of the music, the dedication to his craft and brothers, the struggle with drugs and meaningful relationships outside music. Galadrielle Allman's taken us on a magnificent journey, letting us come along as she gets to know her father.
Read
July 10, 2024I categorized this a memoir, but the truth is it is more like a biography written from the point of view of a daughter who does a lot of heavy research but lacks objectivity. As a writer who is currently doing a serious editing job on a memoir, I saw how too much detail, while perhaps part of the writer's process, is not effective for the reader. This book could have used a good editor to make it more palatable to readers. As a collection of historical information about Duane Allman gleaned from interviews (albeit by a biased listener/recorder), I'm sure it is useful. I imagine the research helped Galadrielle know her father who died when she was a toddler. I think the title describes the purpose of the book well.
September 24, 2017
As a musician, I enjoy reading about those whose work I have admired much of my life. Duane Allman has always been my favorite. Lists of "The Greatest" are pointless, but Duane's unique genius is impossible to miss; and like many of his ilk, it burned too brightly to last long. His daughter combines the unvarnished story of his all too brief life with the tale of her struggles to grasp her own experience of living a life as a child of a legend she never knew. The last chapter speaks of the wisdom she gained in her journey, and it alone is worth the price of her book. And Galadrielle Allman is a great writer. Keep writing, Ms Allman, please.
July 10, 2018
Interesting read for any music fan who grew up listening to the Allmans. While I read this, I had my phone nearby with a Spotify account, so any musical references made that were unfamiliar, I could quickly pull up and listen to. This even included the lesser known session tracks that Duane played with some of the great R & B artists of the day. I was fortunate enough to see Duane play with his band and many of the bands surrounding him, including Delaney and Bonnie with Clapton. This book really brought back those great memories.
July 15, 2023
“Please Be with Me, A Song for My Father, Duane Allman” excellent read for all Allman Brothers Band fans. After reading other books on Allman Brothers Band, this was one to gain a perspective from another point of view. Have never experienced Galadrielle’s having to learn of here father and the history for others. Some of this was the child’s view of the father but most of her stories were from all the brothers and sisters that were part of the making of the Allman Brothers Band. To read the stories here gave me a greater appreciation of the genius that Duane, Gregg, Barry, Dickey, Trucks, Jaimoe. The Brotherhood of the band including Red Dog and Twiggs and may others. The Back Cover to Fillmore East showed the Brotherhood and the stories in the book exemplified how this brotherhood came together and created a new level of music and family.
After listening for years and the appreciation of the music I grew up with listening to as a young child it was again amazing to read the stories of how it all came together. The pain the disappointment in the struggle to make The Allman Brothers Band.
The depth in which Duane played with other artist and the brilliance he brought to their recordings were enlightening. The difference the music he helped create on “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” with Derrick and the Domino’s was very noticeable on that 4th song, “Nobody knows when you are down and out”. While reading this book, I listened to the Album and it is amazing what Duane brought out in that music and how he and Clapton brought each other to new levels, as Clapton said, “his musical brother I’d never had but wished I did.”
If you are a fan of the Allman Brothers Band, saw them play in concert, this is a book worth the read, it will take you back to the days when this was the life of the Allman Brothers, the tough, the bad, the ugly and the sad. Make the time, you will be pleased with the read and you will go back and listen to the music as you move through the book.
Thank you Galadrielle, for sharing your stories as you learned of your father and the history of the Allman Brothers Band.
After listening for years and the appreciation of the music I grew up with listening to as a young child it was again amazing to read the stories of how it all came together. The pain the disappointment in the struggle to make The Allman Brothers Band.
The depth in which Duane played with other artist and the brilliance he brought to their recordings were enlightening. The difference the music he helped create on “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” with Derrick and the Domino’s was very noticeable on that 4th song, “Nobody knows when you are down and out”. While reading this book, I listened to the Album and it is amazing what Duane brought out in that music and how he and Clapton brought each other to new levels, as Clapton said, “his musical brother I’d never had but wished I did.”
If you are a fan of the Allman Brothers Band, saw them play in concert, this is a book worth the read, it will take you back to the days when this was the life of the Allman Brothers, the tough, the bad, the ugly and the sad. Make the time, you will be pleased with the read and you will go back and listen to the music as you move through the book.
Thank you Galadrielle, for sharing your stories as you learned of your father and the history of the Allman Brothers Band.
March 21, 2021
I just finished reading this very intimate, interesting, and wonderful book written by Duane Allman’s daughter, Galadrielle. Galadrielle was born August 25, 1969, a little over a year after her mother, Donna Roosman met Duane in St. Louis in July of 1968.
Through interviews with Duane and Greg’s mother, Geraldine, the Allman Brothers band members, the roadies who worked for the Brotherhood, a plethora of musicians who played in studio sessions with her father, club owners, record executives, close friends and numerous others, the reader gleams an understanding to the inner private feelings and thinking of Duane’s mind and the drive behind his guitar genius to not only be the best, but to bring out the best in people playing with him too.
Aficionados like myself know all of the details and events surrounding the Allman Brothers over the years from the birth of these two brothers, their childhood, the musical road they traveled until the birth of the Brotherhood till Duane’s unfortunate premature death. What is wonderful about this book is to learn some unknown facts about him. The book colors in a lot of interesting, sensitive, intangible personal feelings that friends and family bring to light on the thinkings and the driving spirit of what made Duane tick and how the people who loved him reacted to his emotions in and around him...good or bad...warts and all!
This book is about Galadrielle searching for her father. He had kicked out his common law wife Donna and his baby girl from the Big House at the end of 1970. (One of the reason for him wanting separation was that he almost died of an overdose and didn’t want that darkness to cloud the future for Donna and his child). Galadrielle was about one and a half years old...and within 11 months, her father was dead! Never really knowing her father growing up except through pictures and music, since her mother for most of her daughter’s life remained close lipped and private about her relationship with Duane, this is Galadrielle’s journey. She takes us with her in finding him, searching for his love, and forgiving him for the sadness and anger she felt all of these years trying to understand his abandonment and why!
Duane’s TRUE LOVE was always his guitar (that never left his side), and his driving spirit to play and bring joy to everyone who wanted to listen! This was what he truly lived for...nothing else mattered...not relationships, nor wives, nor daughters! The reader gains a better understanding of this man’s life and experiences...and maybe, just maybe, he can be forgiven for his indiscretions! This book completes the man...his strengths and his frailties!
Through interviews with Duane and Greg’s mother, Geraldine, the Allman Brothers band members, the roadies who worked for the Brotherhood, a plethora of musicians who played in studio sessions with her father, club owners, record executives, close friends and numerous others, the reader gleams an understanding to the inner private feelings and thinking of Duane’s mind and the drive behind his guitar genius to not only be the best, but to bring out the best in people playing with him too.
Aficionados like myself know all of the details and events surrounding the Allman Brothers over the years from the birth of these two brothers, their childhood, the musical road they traveled until the birth of the Brotherhood till Duane’s unfortunate premature death. What is wonderful about this book is to learn some unknown facts about him. The book colors in a lot of interesting, sensitive, intangible personal feelings that friends and family bring to light on the thinkings and the driving spirit of what made Duane tick and how the people who loved him reacted to his emotions in and around him...good or bad...warts and all!
This book is about Galadrielle searching for her father. He had kicked out his common law wife Donna and his baby girl from the Big House at the end of 1970. (One of the reason for him wanting separation was that he almost died of an overdose and didn’t want that darkness to cloud the future for Donna and his child). Galadrielle was about one and a half years old...and within 11 months, her father was dead! Never really knowing her father growing up except through pictures and music, since her mother for most of her daughter’s life remained close lipped and private about her relationship with Duane, this is Galadrielle’s journey. She takes us with her in finding him, searching for his love, and forgiving him for the sadness and anger she felt all of these years trying to understand his abandonment and why!
Duane’s TRUE LOVE was always his guitar (that never left his side), and his driving spirit to play and bring joy to everyone who wanted to listen! This was what he truly lived for...nothing else mattered...not relationships, nor wives, nor daughters! The reader gains a better understanding of this man’s life and experiences...and maybe, just maybe, he can be forgiven for his indiscretions! This book completes the man...his strengths and his frailties!
September 1, 2020
The Allman Brothers Band (ABB)--founded & led by the amazing blues/slide guitarist, Duane Allman--has always been one of my favorite music groups. Steeped in the blues--influenced by the improvisation of jazz--the ABB finally broke out big on a national scale in 1971--following their incredible & intense blues-rock jams recorded live: At Fillmore East. This book by Duane's daughter, Galadrielle, focuses on her father & his role in the founding of the ABB, as well as becoming one of the most highly recognized guitarists of all time (rated second only to Jimi Hendrix in Rolling Stone's list of rock's 100 greatest guitarists). He was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident not long after the ABB's rise to national fame at the tender age of 24 year old; his daughter Galadrielle was just 2 years old. Galadrielle does an excellent job painting a picture of her father's skills & contributions--evoking memorable pictures of family & band life from the many interviews she did over a number of years. Galadrielle is a good writer and paints a moving/touching picture of her father. Borrowed from the library; read on my Kindle.
January 17, 2022
A few summers ago, I visited The Big House in Macon, Georgia, the former home of members of the legendary Allman Brothers Band and their families. It is now a museum which houses thousands of artifacts associated with the band and their music. The gift shop featured several biographies and critiques, but the museum docent recommended this lesser-known memoir written by Galadrielle Allman, the daughter of late guitarist Duane Allman. Galadrielle was three years old when her father was killed in a motorcycle accident, and this book is the result of her desire to connect with the man she never knew. Full of intimate stories told by close family members, including her uncle Gregg Allman, bandmates, road crew, and friends, Galadrielle's lyrical prose evokes an emotional response I was not expecting. No journalist could possibly have written such an intimate account of Duane Allman's life, regardless of how well known and respected the talent and music. This is easily the most poignant memoir/biography of a musical artist I have ever read.
December 19, 2020
I picked this up after being a little disappointed in Gregg Allman's book and it is absolutely beautiful. It had me wondering what kind of professional background she has because not only can the girl write and weave a story but with a therapist's patience for human behavior and historian's eye for detail. She includes a lot of first-person narrative from those who knew her family, whose various perspectives make this so much more interesting, and her ability to characterize them with such genuine love and grace makes it that much more real. And yet, at the same time, it's her own story and journey - somehow she let it all come out through her without letting herself get in the way, which is an incredible power.
March 25, 2017
So much more than the the average biography of a Rock God. It is the desperate search by a daughter for the man, the myth, and the legend who was not only the Rock God but her flesh and blood father with all his amazing talents and soul destroying demons. Chasing glimpses of memories from her young mind when Duane was in and out of her life as well as the ghosts of stories told to her through the years. It is an intimate deeply personal look into the tragic brief life of Duane Allman that shreds the heart strings.
December 16, 2018
What a beautiful way for a child to honor the father she never knew. Perfect construction of memories from a variety of sources. This serves to fill in the ghost of Duane Allman with so much more color than what we all know. While we were robbed of this genius way too early in his life, his spirit lives on in all who kew him and who love his music. Kudos to Galadrielle for pulling all of this together.
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