Customer Reviews

Southern Rockers: The Roots and Legacy of Southern Rock

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would appreciate the opportunity to thank Marley Brant for allowing me to be a part of her book, Southern Rockers. When she first approached me I was hesitant. In the past I had believed some honestly wanted my input, I was wrong. After stalling for some time, I did contact Marley and I have never regretted it. The book brought back some great memories. Toy made so many friends over the years. Both musicians and fans who were important to him, and who now continue to stay in touch with me. These people are a source of comfort and I thank God for their friendship. Whether a fan of Marshall Tucker Band or not, there is something for everyone who has enjoyed and continue to enjoy all of these wonderful bands. To all of those who expressed their love for Toy in the book, thank you. He truly returned those feelings. Sincerely, Abbie Caldwell(widow of Toy Caldwell)

Being a fan of Marley Brant's books on the Younger and James Gangs, I ordered her new book, SOUTHERN ROCKERS as soon as it was offered. (Even though I fall into the category of Damn Yankee!) Also having been a fan of many of the musicians and groups for years, I was anxious to get some insights into their personalities and their worlds. Fasten your safety belts - it is a wild ride of fame, fortune, interrelationships, vulnerability, love and tragedy - all written in fine style and with Marley Brant's talent for ferreting out the intimate and fascinating details of the world of Southern Rock. Her obvious passion for music translated itself to her subjects and to the people she interviewed - they pour out their hearts to her, entrusting her with information that would never be revealed to us, had it not been for her insightful and penetrating mind. Her research abilities are par excellent - mix all of this together for the ingredients of a book that will take you on roads that are smooth and bumpy and scenery that is sometimes sordid and many times spectacular, but they all lead to a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience. Marley Brant is truly one of our GREATEST authors on Americana! Highly recommend!

I praise Marley Brant on a well written book. I am glad there is finally a book I can find out the history of the Marshall Tucker Band and Toy Caldwell's life story of how he really was and of the many wonderful things he accomplished. I hope she will continue to do a great job!!

This is probably the only comprehensive overview of Southern rock available, however, there are some inaccuracies and some editing would help this book a bit. Brant has a tendency to switch gears suddenly and hasn't learned the art of the segue.
You can't fault her entirely and her writing demonstrates that she is a fan of the genre. Since the volume was written, Allen Woody of Gov't Mule and Leon Wilkeson have passed on (in 2000 and 2001 respectively, Wilkeson from emphysema) Lynyrd Skynyrd soldiers on in its 18th incarnation and will be touring in the spring of 2002. (Gary Rossington remains the only truly original member followed by Powell) A critical eye could have been focused on the interpersonal squabbles of the band (Jeff Carlisi correctly points out that Ed King was an integral part of their sound) and the acrimony and recrimination that surfaced in the post-1977 lineups. Her new volume on Skynyrd should address this and the factors that led up to these situations. The same could be said for the ABB, the sacking of Betts and their longtime roadie and their squabbles are fodder for several books. The exclusion of Molly Hatchett is somewhat questionable as it could be argued that Blackfoot was the "heavier" of the Southern Rockers (witness their popularity in the UK during the heavy metal boom). Overall though, the book provides a service by documenting the heyday of this style of rock which reigned supreme from the early 70's to the early 80's but is now somewhat a regional phenomenon.

Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down, it's that simple... and it's that great! The author, Marley Brant, has interviewed a veritable Who's Who of Southern Rock and asked all the right questions. Their personal recollections and musical opinions are interwoven with a finely tuned chronological flow. The triumphs and pitfalls, the real people and their human experiences are all there for the reader, both fan and serious music student. While I am a fan of all music, especially Southern Rock, without a doubt this is the most important and insightful music book I have read to date!!

Marley Brant's Southern Rockers is a pleasant easy to read bio of some of the great and lesser known bands hailing down below the Mason/Dixon Line. Brant really takes you inside the souls of many of these great recording artists. Much of the information on the Allman Brothers is similar to that of Midnight Riders. However, its refreshing to reading the inside scoop on Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels Band, and so many fo the other Southern Rockers. One can certainly understand the plusses and minuses of being a musician and the common bonds these recording acts faced. The passages on Ronnie Van Zandt and Lynyrd Skynyrd are extremely captivating. Ronnie certainly had a strong will. The descriptions on the playing styles of Toy and Tommy Caldwell are very informative especially to budding musicians.

A few mistakes here and there but the whole package is a good one. Anyone appreciating the great music of this region should give this one a read. You will not be dissappointed.

The author covered just about every area in Southern Rock, both with detail and to the point. Not a paragraph of dull reading at all. I literally could not put it down and came away with a good background of Southern Rocks greatest. It also came across as a tribute to the many southern musicians who have tragically left us too soon.

I found the book very enjoyable and informative. I believe I found a minor mistake though; "Georgia Peaches" is not on the original "Street Survivors" album, unless I am reading it wrong, page 179 indicates it is. Some portions of the book do tend to jump from one area to another without warning. Overall, the book has great stories and ties the various bands together well. This is a must for anyone interested in Southern rockers. Nice job Marley!

Taking a leaf out of the Billy James school of how not to write a biography (have you read the Michael Bruce book or Zoot Horn Rolo's?-i rest my case)I was looking forward to a good read about possibly my favourite genre of music-southern rock. Firstly it's not comprehensive. No point blank,mama's pride or raging slab for starters and i maintain that Black Oak are southern (they released the single 'hey y'all' for goodness sake)but what really irritates me is the way the author WILL NOT slag any band off! He sucks up to them all. No southern band every made a bad album in his opinion. There is good in all of them (no one can convince me that the latter Marshall Tucker without Toy Cadwell are any good or that 38 special issued some radio friendly dross) believe me i brought every southern rock album i could get my hands on (still do) and some went straight to the second hand shop they were so awful. This isn't conscrutive journalism, all this book is is a poorly written, badly edited book with some incredible trivia which i don't care about and frankly a waste of time. Please someone write a decent overview of this great music. Oh some other points the Allman brothers did NOT play the isle of Wight festival in 1970. The first time they played U.K was the 'wipe the windows' line up. Paul Kossoff was the guitarist in Free and Paul Rogers is the singer and thirdly as great as the Allmans 'filmore album' i'm sick of the John Coltrane comparisons in their jamming. even the most ardent Brothers fan must admit that there is absolutely no similarities!

You don't have to be from the south to appreciate this book. The music was loved and is loved world wide. The author took us into the world of those Dixie musicians and let us know what made them tick. Some artists were left out but you can't cover everybody. In all, a good read.Kudos to the author.