Customer Reviews

Skydog - The Duane Allman Story

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To the general public, Duane Allman is known either as a long dead guitar player or Gregg Allman's older brother. To his legions of fans, however, Duane is a revered messianic figure who is remembered and thought of on a daily basis despite his death 35 years ago. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to know why. You see Skydog was not just a revolutionary guitarist, though he was. He was the founder, and spiritual force behind the great Allman Brothers Band. The Allmans remain a force to this very day and Duane still remains the guiding spirit.

Poe's book traces Duane's story from his birth through his childhood and into his growth as a musician. There is much that has never been written before, especially about Duane and Gregg's early groups the Escorts, The Allman Joys and the Hour Glass as well as Duane's year as a studio player at Muscle Shoals which led to his meeting Phil Walden which led to history. There is much about the Allman Brothers Band and about Duane's great work with Derek and the Dominos. It is almost unbelievable that Duane died before his 25th birthday and his death seems so foolish and unecessary. Allt his is chronicled in the book. Poe finishes up by tracing the aftermath as the continued without Duane through a rise, a collapse, a comeback, another collapse and finally a triumphant resurgance in 1989 that continues to this day. All this is a trubute to the vision that Duane had back in 1969.

My only complaint is that the book is too short. I read it in one day. Rock fans will love this book and those who are not Allman Afficianados will learn a lot and be surprised by the life and times of Skydog. Don't miss it!

This is one of those rare books that make me wonder what had more impact. Was it the truly worthy subject of Duane "Skydog" Allman or was it the superb writing? Truth is, I read this book in two sittings because the story is so terrific and the way it's told completely spellbinding. It's my favorite rock book of 2006 thus far.

Any genuine rock or blues guitar lover has a giant love affair with Mr. Allman's recorded legacy, which was surpassed only by the live shows. I'm no exception, especially having heard the original band perform about 10 times - each an indelible memory of precise doses of passion and power. Imagine my joy at learning the backstage environments of such classic shows as the 2nd Annual Atlanta Pop Festival (I'm looking at the poster and my "unused" tickets on the wall right now).

Mr. Poe is balanced perfectly on the editorial tightrope. He affords all due respect to the colossal talents of Skydog, whilst never turning a blind eye to his many character faults. Loved as Mr. Allman was, his appetite for drugs of all manner and his relentless professional drive combined to make him all-to-human. We get both perspectives in this book and ultimately come away with an honest representation of Duane the guitar God and Duane the youthful.

In a short time, Skydog became equal to the most prominent musicians of his time. His work with Clapton, Aretha, Wilson Pickett, John Hammond Jr., Herbie Mann, and King Curtis displays Mr. Allman's breadth and scope of ability. Equally vital is the insight of the offstage talents: Tom Dowd, Jerry Wexler, Rick Hall, etc.

Best of all was the book's examination of his relationships with the Brothers, both musicians and road crew, and the extended "family."

What's particularly nice for me is the book's continuation of Mr. Allman's influence. It'd have been easy to fade-to-black after Skydog's death. However, Mr. Poe's book brings us current. And that leaves me feeling warm rather than recalling the hollowness inside that followed Duane Allman's early death.

Finally, Duane Allman gets the biography he deserves, and one his fans have been waiting for. This book is well written, easy to read and hard to put down. Full of facts I've never read anywhere else (including Midnight Riders), the pieces really come together for those of us wanting to know more about the original leader and inspiration of The Allman Brothers Band. The book is also full of ironies, like Duane and Gregg's early band, The Escorts, getting their "big break" opening for The Beach Boys, and then a few short years later when The Beach Boys demanded to close the show on The Fillmore East's final concert, they were told by Bill Graham that The Allman Brothers Band were closing the show, take it or leave it. Also, imagine what Duane felt when he was told the California music executives weren't interested in the band (The Hour Glass), but he was welcome to audition for Gregg's studio band. It was then he stayed in Muscle Shoals to work as a session guitarist, and eventually form the ABB. The book takes us from his birth through childhood, his early struggles as a young musician, the triumphs of the ABB, the "Layla" sessions, his untimely death in a motorcycle accident, and then a concise history of the ABB from there to the present. We also learn where his nickname came from (Wilson Pickett dubbed him "Skyman", later it was changed to "Skydog"). The last paragraph in the book, titled "And a Final Word from Gregg Allman", is a nice touch. I also enjoyed the photos in the book.
Definitely recommended.

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.

First, I'd like to mention the author, Randy Poe, he was raised in the Muscle Shoals area of Alabama. He has quite an amount of experience in the music industry. Then there is a great "forword" to the book, written by ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, where he shares some of his memories & personal experiences with Duane, and the early ABB. This book covers Duane's life from childhood, all the way through his untimely early death in a motorcycle accident, and even beyond his death. It also covers a very good history of the early, Allman Brothers Band, and how Duane put the band together. Each musician was "hand-picked", directly by Duane.

It covers the time spent by Duane, as a session guitarist, at a recording studio, in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He played guitar on many songs recorded there, by Wilson Pickett, to Boz Scaggs and several other artists. There is a great double CD on Duane's session work, it's called Duane's Allman's Anthology, it's carried by Amazon. Also, Duane was a recording, session guitarist on Eric Clapton's "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs". Duane was one of the best guitar players ever. He was especially good playing "slide", electric guitar.

Duane was also a great person. He started a racially intergrated rock band, in the deep south, in the late 1960's, with the selection of Jaimoe as a drummer. Jaimoe certainly turned out to be an outstanding drummer. Duane was an innovator, and a motavator, and basically was the "Father" of Southern Rock".

Overall, this is some great reading on the life & times, of the legendary Duane Allman. You will not be disappointed in this book for sure. Thanks!!!

The Allman Bros. were my intro to Southern rock and they remain the quintessential Southern rock band; however, I never got to know Duane's influence because he left us way too soon. Duane WAS the Allman Bros. and this book illustrates how dedicated he was to the band and its members and its growth. The book is well researched and gives the reader an impression that Duane was a brilliant guitarist and a nice guy too. Best of all, Duane had the calling and to learn that his slide playing was some of the best, well, let's just say, I'm indebted to Mr. Poe for such a fine presentation. If you love the Allman Bros., Southern rock or slide playing, you will devour this book. I'm buying 2 copies to give to my favorite guitar players for Christmas.

To anyone with even a passing interest in one of the truly great guitar players of all time "SkyDog" by Randy Poe which was released late last year is a must read. Poe takes you behind the scenes to Tennessee where the young Allman brothers grew up, the tragic murder of their father, Daytona Beach start up bands, and the ultimate result in 1969 of Duane finding the right mix of musicians to fulfill his life dream of expressing a music form that had not yet been heard before. The details in the book are engrossing, interesting (ie: a 21 year old unknown long haired musician convincing Wilson Pickett to cut a version of "Hey Jude" in Muscle Shoals Alabama studio) and informative. Another tidbit is the story of Boz Scaggs' first album in 1969 recorded at another legendary studio in Muscle Shoals and a song called "Loan Me A Dime". Duane's guitar work on that song has become legendary and for good reason.
Summing it all up, "SkyDog" will give the reader a clear idea of just how incredibly talented and ahead of his time Duane truly was. His influence on music will be felt for a very long time and he did it all at such a ridulously tender age. Think about what you were doing at age 22 to get some perspective! Enough said........go right out and get this book.

First, I'd like to mention the author, Randy Poe, he was raised in the Muscle Shoals area of Alabama. He has quite an amount of experience in the music industry. Then, there is a great "forward" to the book, written by ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, where he shares some of his memories & personal experiences with Duane, and the early ABB. This book covers Duane's life, from childhood, all the way through his untimely, early death in a motorcycle accident. It also covers a very good history of the early Allman Brothers Band, and how Duane put together the band. Each of the original members were "hand-picked" by Duane, himself.

It covers the time spent by Duane, as a session guitarist, at a recording studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He played guitar on many songs recorded there, by Wilson Pickett, to Boz Scaggs, and several other artists. There is a great double disc CD on Duane's session work, it's called "Duane Allman An Anthology", it's carried by amazon. Also, Duane was a recording session guitarist on Eric Clapton's "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" album. Duane was one of the greatest guitar players ever. He was especially good playing "slide", electric guitar. He has been listed as the 2nd best guitar player, only behind Jimi Hendrix, in Rolling Stone's list of the greatest guitarist of all time.

Duane was a "free-spirit". The late Ronnie Van Zant, of Lynyrd Skynyrd, often dedicated the song "Freebird" to Duane Allman. Duane was a great person. He started a racially intergrated rock band, in the deep south, in the late 1960's, with the selection of Jaimoe, as a drummer. Jaimoe certainly turned out to be an outstanding drummer, and he is still with the Allman Brothers Band, today. Duane was an innovator, and a motavator, and he was basically the "Father" of Southern Rock.

Overall, this is some great reading on the life & times, of the legendary Duane Allman. You will not be disappointed in this book for sure. Thanks!!!

This book does help clear up a few myths about Duane Allman especially his early bands and music.
The real tragic thing is how such an amazing talented man was taken away from us far too early.
Duane Allman and his brother Gregg are among the most honest and soulful people in the music business.

I highly recommend anyone who is interested in reading about an iconic man who put in more into his 24 years than many people do in a lifetime.

This is just a wonderful book!! Any guitar player worth his salt, musician or fan of roots music should be aware of the relevance of Duane Allman. This book fills in much detail, particularly of the pre-ABB days. Like most guitar players who grew to prominance during the late '60s, Duane began playing in the standard neighbourhood combo, covering songs by the hitmakers of the day. His band, the Escorts, even opened for the Beach Boys (an event which would be played out in reverse upon the closing of the Fillmore East). Where the book takes off, however, is in the telling of Allman's experience as a sideman to the great soul singers/players of the day, playing alongside Eddie Hinton and the Muscle Shoals crew. The story of the recording of Wilson Pickett's take on "Hey Jude" is worth the cost of the book alone. Absolutely great stuff!! I was pleased to learn details about the formation of the ABB and details on the Live at The Fillmore album (which provides a song by song discussion). The chapter on the Derek and the Dominoes album puts to shame another recent book specifically on that title. The tale of Allman and Clapton meeting for the first time still sends chills up my spine. A nice appendix discusses Duane's recordings and his guitars (important info). The author was there at the beginning of Duane's career and it shows!! Duane Allman tragically died far too young. In his short lifespan he gave us a sound which melded the old blues slide players with John Coltrane, Hendrix and British blues rock. To my ears, the ABB was the first and best of what would later be called "Southern Rock". I prefer to think of them as a hybrid of Booker T & the MGs meets the Grateful Dead meets Miles Davis' great quintet of the '60s. The legacy of Duane Allman is heard in every guitar player who has since played slide in standard tuning. If you haven't heard Duane Allman, listen to three recordings: 1. Hey Jude by Wilson Pickett, 2. Layla by D&theD and 3. any cut from Live at the Fillmore. In addition, check out the latest incarnation of the ABB, coming to a stage near you. I recently saw the Allmans and, on the last number (Mountain Jam, I believe)the screens behind the band had shots of Duane (taken from an old PBS film) superimposed with the band. Appropriate, indeed!! Duane Allman REMAINS a spiritual force in that band, and rightly so!!