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Midnight Riders: The Story of the Allman Brothers Band

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Scott Freeman gives a in depth portrait of one of most influential bands of the Classic Rock era. Most special is the description of Duane Allman's influence on the band. From reading this book, I realized that Duane was both a talented musician and a leader as he knew how to interact with every one of the band members including his sometimes irresponsible brother Gregg. It seems that after Duane died, the other band members carried on a piece of the legacy Duane created. However, each of these other band members has a special personality as well. There are some great stories interwoved in this book which are funny, sad, and historical in the shape of how blues rock music has evolved. Anyone who appreciates rock n roll music and even casually likes this band will find this book a winner.

"Midnight Riders: The story of the Allman Brothers Band" is a biography of the exciting life of one of America's greatest Rock & Roll bands. Scott Freeman has written a wonderful account of the band's beginnings all the way through their breakups and reunions. This band had some tremendous trials to go through such as two original members deaths as well as problems with drugs and greedy record companies. But it is pretty impressive they managed to not only survive Duane Allman's and Berry Oakley's death but also that they managed to still be a great band without Duane, the elder Allman and founder/leader of the band.

The story starts out with Duane and Greg's childhood in Florida and how they got hooked on "the fever." It follows the two from their attraction to "black music" or the blues all the way through the last incarnations of the band in the early to mid-nineties. This biography is written so well that I thoroughly enjoyed learning about all the amazing things they accomplished up until the time that Duane Allman dies, then I struggled to get through the rest of it just because I was so depressed that such an amazing musicians life was cut so short. Duane Allman actually died at the peak of his musical powers, but who knows, he could have taken the electric slide guitar to even more celestial heights than he already had on the Fillmore East album.

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The author also gives album reviews of each album as they make them. This was helpful because they are done very well and it gives you a chance to picture the music more clearly. Another plus is the album reccomendations in the appendix, which is great because not very ABB album is fantastic so he tells you which ones to avoid and which to add to your collection.

For me, I think this is one of the best stories ever told about a rock band. And the ABB story is an incredible story of love, devastating losses, and redemption. All of it is true. It has increased my love for the ABB, who represent everything good about southern rock and American music in general. It would be a great addition to any person's collection of literature whether you're a ABB fan or not. But after reading this book you may find yourself a fan of the band afterall.

I've had few literary journeys like the one I've just experienced. You are not only reading about places like Macon Ga. or the Fillmore East as examples, but you feel as if you are actually there. The story is well told as you are brought from the joys of success and good times to the tradgedies of death. This book gives new insights to one of the best bands ever in the history of rock and roll, and clears up some rumors that have followed the band for years. No matter how big a fan you think you are of the Allman Brothers, there are numerous things in this book that you didn't know. In addition, you will learn facts about other prominent figures of rock, recording sessions, and unseen members of the Allman Brothers family. We could probably find flaws with most books, I however, just took in what was given to me and enjoyed it completely. Fan or not, this book is a must for anyone into the music scene.

The Allman Brothers Band is a unique entity in the history of rock music. Neither a "southern" group nor a pure blues band, the Allmans used incredible instrumental virtuosity and tremendous inter-band synergy to create a wholly unique sound, a mixture of all indigenous American styles from pure blues to jazz to R & B, hard rock and gospel. Led by founder guitar genius Duane Allman, the band's two guitar attack with a two drummer driving rhythm section and brother Gregg Allman's stupendous blues growl, this band for a period of three years was the greatest and most innovative band in American history. During that period the band and its extended family lived a unique "hippy" lifestyle in a rented house in Macon where many of their greatest songs were written. Just three years after they began, while the band was in the midst of recording its breathrough album "Eat a Peach", founder and spiritual leader Duane Allman was killed at 24 in a senseless motorcycle accident. The band elected to go on, which in and of itself is almost unheard of. Then a year later, bassist Berry Oakley was killed in the same manner. Still the band went on but the magic was lost and soon the music was as well. The band broke up but got back together in the late seventies for a less than steller period. Then they broke up again and seemed to be largely forgotten. The release of a box set in 1989 prompted a reunion tour but the addition of guitarist Warren Haynes led to the complete revival of the band in the 90's as a popular jam band in the mold of the Grateful Dead. The story of this band, its tragedies and its triumphs is told in this very interesting and enjoyable book. It is all here, the music, the drugs the debauchery, the raging temper of Dickey Betts, the well-known descent of Gregg Allman from brilliant rock musician to People Magazine regular husband of Cher, Gregg's testimony at a Macon drug trial that sent friend Scooter Herring to prison. But this book is not an expose. Nothing bad is revealed that was not known already. And Freeman is a real fan and admirer of the band. Many interesting tidbits are here, like Gregg's shooting himself to get out of the draft and Duane's messianic hold over the studio musicians he recorded with.

I am aware that members of the ABB themselves are not fond of this book. They think it does not do justice to the true pathos of the story, reading more like an extended journalism piece than a real biography. And that may be so. There is surely room for a major major biography of this fascinating band but few are out there. There is nothing patently false in Midnight Riders. It simply reveals the warts on these great men. It is no hatchet job. For example, it is commonly believed that Berry Oakley went into a major decline after Duane Allman's death, that he never really got over it. This is reported in the book. Berry's sister, Candace, however, takes issue with this portrayal of her brother's final year and her rebuttal is in the book as well. So while it may be journalism rather than true artistic biography, for now, those who want to know the story of the Allman Brothers Band should read this book.

I'll admit that I begin reading popular music nonfiction (especially ones pertaining to rock) with much lower expectations than I would almost any other genre. But Scott Freeman's account is noteworthy as being a book that would stand out as an admirable accomplishment compared with ANY nonfiction endeavor.

As for Freeman's subjects, what separates the Allman Brothers Band from its peers isn't just its unique combination of blues, jazz, and Southern rock. The sheer size of the group (with rotating members) means that there is a rogues' gallery of personalities to enjoy.

The tale's only downfall is that the middle third is vastly less interesting than the band's beginnings. That is, the Allman Brothers story follows the familiar pattern of a VH1 "Behind the Music" episode:

1.) Band forms and struggles
2.) Band achieves fame and fortune.
3.) Band wallows in excesses of drug use, fleshpots, stupidity. Internecine warfare breaks out over petty nonsense. (I had no idea Greg was such a horse's arse or that Dicky Betts was slightly nuts).
4.) Band disintegrates.
5.) (Optional) Band re-forms with a new sense of purpose.

Given this book's density of details, its masterful organization, and its many primary sources, it's incredible that it was apparently written without the cooperation of the ABB. Freeman really outdid himself; I'd love to see him release an updated edition covering recent releases and Betts's firing from ABB in the 21st century.

Scott Freeman has written an insightful and informative book about a legendary band. Being a musician himself, Freeman is able to analyze the band's music with authority, yet he avoids using musical terms that would go above the head of a non-musician. The breadth of information (particularly on the formative and Duane/Berry eras) gives the band's legend a depth that had never been reported before. This book is as enjoyable as a literary read as one of the Allman Brothers' albums is as a musical album. "Midnight Riders" is a fine example of what a music biography should be. I await Mr. Freeman's book on soul great Otis Redding with relish.

I found this book very revealing in that it brought me back to the majic period that the ABB had in the early years. It was very apparent that really, the band had reached an incredible peak in the final year of Duane's life. The truth is, the band itself was already showing signs of wear. After reading the book, I can't see how the band could have gone on at the pace it was into 1972 and 1973 even if Duane and Berry been lived. Something had to give. We are fortunate that the band caught that peak on the Fillmore album. Of course, if Duane had been alive, he might have been able to keep baby brother out of all that trouble he got in. But then again, Duane was no angel either.

As a lifelong ABB addict (no pun intended), this book helped to answer many questions for me. I still love these guys but now I have a better understanding for how rough going it was and that it wouldn't have mattered who they were, no one could have survived that kind of lifestyle without things coming apart. Still, I hope they play forever.

This is another book that I've enjoyed from cover to cover about one of my favorite bands. Once again I came away knowing a ton more about the band, it's members and it's music than I did prior to reading it, which is exactly what I'm looking for. The authors did take it upon themselves to critique each album and songs rather than to just give the details of how they were written and recorded. I think they could have left that for the individual to decide. They also dwelled a little to much on the Gregg Allman late '70s situation, and while they could've expanded in other areas.

I highly recommend this book for those who would like to learn the details of one of histories best rock bands.

They're saints, sinners and geniuses, and, Mr. Scott Freeman has captured all these elements in describing the Allman Brothers Band. Everything/anything you wanted to know about the band when Duane and Berry were alive you'll find out. Where the book falls short is in the Band's continuing trials(sorry Gregg, no pun intended) and tribulations after their reincarnations. Remember, their have been several lineups of the band since 1980. It's as if some "side" members just get a passing mention. However, Mr. Freeman pays the reader a gigantic compliment by capturing the pure essence of all of the elements that created The Allman Brothers Band. What's best of all in Mr. Freeman's narrative is the way their music is described without getting bogged down in borish song anologies like many other music biographies do. Maybe one may not read this book from cover-to-cover in one four hour sitting like I did. But, with that distinct possibility in mind for fans of the band, when you do get to the end of the book you may find yourself saying"no, don't stop, tell me more!"

More than anything else, the Allman Brothers Band was a group that crossed boundries. They easily transcended the dreaded "Southern Rock" categorization because of their devotion to the blues, and beacuse of the emotion behind that devotion. They made so many mistakes along the way, and made so many bad decisions, that one cannot help but root for these loveable Allmans - much the way a Chicago Cubs' fan will hang in there year after year despite disappointment. That's probably not a very good comparison, however, because, unlike the seemingly hopelessly mediocre Cubs of baseball, the Allman Brothers have been "champions"... any band who could create the live masterpiece Live At Fillmore East or comeback from several mediocre efforts to produce the passionate (and STILL highly underrated) Enlightened Rogues some ten years later has most certainly been on top. But this book, this very entertaining redneck Greek tragedy, reveals alot of the truth behind their uneven career. The deaths of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley were enough to stop most bands, but add to that the fact that the Allmans signed probably the worst record deal in the history of rock and roll and it is hard to believe that they carried on. Their manager was also their record company head (which essentially meant that he was negotiating with himself at signing time), and the bands' attorney doubled as the label's counsel as well. They were, in plain English slang, ripped off, and way too little of the substansial fortune they generated found its' way into the group members' pockets (Phil Walden - shame on you, man). Add to the business woes the cerimonial trappings of drugs, liquor and all the other various and sundry complications of a road band of their era, and you've got quite a few mountains to climb. Author Scott Freeman has prepared a book that details these ups and downs in a consise, drama-laden fashion. It's worth a read even if you aren't a huge Allman Brothers fan.