Between Rock and a Home Place [Hardcover]

Chuck Leavell (Author), J. Marshall Craig (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Mercer University Press (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865549753
• ISBN-13: 978-0865549753
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,024,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read From Rock's Greatest Piano Player, June 4, 2008

By 

Cactus Ed (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Between Rock and a Home Place (Hardcover)

All of us old-school Allman Brother fans are forever saddened by the loss of band founder and leader Duane Allman in 1971. We all remember where we were the day we learned of his death, and we couldn't imagine how the Brothers could carry on without him. Another guitarist to take Duane's place? Impossible! And yet, in a stroke of genius, it was decided that, instead of another guitar player, a young extremely talented piano player named Chuck Leavell would be brought into the band. Chuck brought a whole new sound to the band and gave them a new life and great commercial success. This guy played piano as well as Duane played guitar. I, for one, am forever grateful to Chuck for bringing me and The Allman Brothers back to life in 1973 after the twin devastating losses of Duane and Berry. His playing made Brothers And Sisters one of the most uplifting albums ever, just what we all needed at the time.
His stint with The Allman Brothers proved to be the start of a wildly successful career. Chuck went on to play piano with just about everybody and their uncle, including the Stones for the last twenty years. He's had a great life, and this book does a good job of chronicling it all. I enjoyed reading it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comfortably Between Rock and His Home Place, January 25, 2011

By 

Randy Patterson (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Between Rock and a Home Place (Hardcover)

If you love music; if you love the stories behind some of the greatest artists and their recordings; if you love learning about the personal lives of artists, then Chuck Leavell's Between Rock And A Home Place is a must read for you.

Leavell, keyboardist for The Rolling Stones for twenty-eight years and counting, has performed and recorded with some of the most iconic names in music - especially rock and roll. From his days with The Allman Brothers (that's his ivory work on the classic, Jessica) to some of his more current contributions, this piano prodigy has seen and done it all.

And while all the music history in this tome is fascinating, what I found particularly intriguing is Chuck's extensive knowledge and work in the area of forestry and conservation. It blew my mind and piqued my interest in the subject. What you've got to understand is that I am not what one would commonly think of as one who would normally be interested in those subjects. However, Leavell's telling of his work to build his family home and business, Charlane Plantation (his wife, Rose Lane, being the third generation to own the property), into a thriving tree farm and retreat is just downright fascinating.

While many celebrities merely pay lip service to the idea of the environment and the earth's resources, Chuck Leavell has literally put his money where his mouth is. Not only that, it's obvious that he puts real world intelligence into his philosophy of conservation. Being the realist that he is, Leavell recognizes the economic reality of responsible harvesting of trees and their replenishment. He knows that mankind relies on products that come from trees as well as the jobs directly to the forest and lumber industries.

While the book was published in 2004 and lots has happened in all aspects of Chuck Leavell's life, career and business, Between Rock And A Home Place is still very much of an entertaining and informative read. You'll definitely want this book in your personal library.

Check out my interview with Chuck Leavell at Boomerocity.com!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A happy memoir, September 27, 2010

By 

Bradley F. Smith (Miami Beach, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Between Rock and a Home Place (Hardcover)

Chuck Leavell's early career with the Allman Bros Band is the main attraction here. You will learn all about his feelings about Duane and Berry Oakley, the two lost brothers. Though he's now known mainly as the keyboardist for the Rolling Stones, Leavell had an interesting career before receiving that call. He is a highly respectful musician, so you won't read a single negative comment here about anyone. And forget any gossip about the Stones. There is none. He dwells at length on his band, Sea Level, a 70s fusion outfit that recorded some cool albums for Capricorn, but never took off. It's worth checking out that unusual music because it is quite good, in my opinion. Leavell became a Georgia tree farmer somewhere along the way, and that stuff is all deeply boring. You can skip those pages. For a unique look into a somewhat forgotten era of the beginnings of southern rock, this is an informative read.