Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Inside Story of the Album That Defined the ’70s

Journalist Paul (One Way Out) spins a rollicking tale of the Allman Brothers Band’s 1970s ascent to rock stardom and swift decline. Formed in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1969 by brothers Duane and Gregg Allman, the band found its groove in 1971, when they released their now classic live album, At Fillmore East. Just as their star was rising, two band members were killed in separate motorcycle accidents—guitarist Duane Allman in late 1971, bassist Berry Oakley a year later. In 1972, keyboardist Chuck Leavell and bassist Lamar Williams joined, making way for a new dynamic that gelled in 1973’s Brothers and Sisters; the album, which included such hits as “Ramblin’ Man,” heralded the birth of Southern rock and the rise of such bands as Lynyrd Skynyrd and Wet Willie, according to Paul. But by 1976, the group had parted ways without any public announcement—an “odd fate,” writes Paul, for a band that had once “elevated above their rock and roll peers to become an American institution,” though they reformed in 1989. Enriched by a cache of band interviews never heard before, Paul’s entry marshals encyclopedic detail and sterling prose for a vivid glimpse into a classic moment in music history. Rock fans will rejoice. (July)