new book: Play All Night! Duane Allman and the Journey to Fillmore East

I asked Steve Hoffman himself and he said it was okay to start at thread rather than crosspost throughout the forum to let y’all know that I’ve got a book coming out on the founding era of the Allman Brothers Band.

Play All Night! Duane Allman and the Journey to Fillmore East publishes 10/18 on University Press of Florida.

Details www.atfillmoreeastbook.com and a way to preorder for a 20% discount.

Here is the genesis of this book project:

I *discovered* the Allman Brothers in 1993 when I got Decade of Hits from BMG (whose deals were much better than Columbia House).

The band just knocked me out then and have continued to do so for the last 29 years (and counting). They were the first band I fell for that I couldn’t turn my buddies on to. Which had honestly never happened with a band I was THAT committed to. There was some *magic* I was hearing that others close to me weren’t.

As I got into the music I got really intrigued by the story of the band. Their long, slow climb to success: southern hippies conquering the world with their music. The mystique surrounding it: the source of the title for “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” the early photos of the band taken in/around Macon. Duane and Berry’s back-to-back deaths in motorcycle accidents 2/10 mile apart?

That they played an amalgam of all of the music I loved, elements of blues, rock, country, bluegrass. They were psychedelic as **** and had a punk rock attitude. I didn’t know jazz then, but they had that going for them too. I had to learn more about what was going on.

I came up with the idea to do this book before the turn of the century, and have been slowly chipping away at it for yours. An early draft was my dissertation when I got my PhD in history a few years back.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, I took that “draft” and crafted it into a book that discusses Duane Allman’s musical vision in terms of what he achieved with At Fillmore East and what the album represented. It’s not a biography of Duane or the Allman Brothers Band, but it is the biography of their music and how it developed.

I stopped the book at Berry Oakley’s death for a number of reasons, the main one being that his death, and Linda Oakley moving out the Big House in January 1973, are the true end of the original Allman Brothers Band era.

I wrote this bad boy with my fellow fans in mind. I’ve combed the threads around here—and had HOURS of discussions with fellow music nerds—to see the kinds of things folks like (and don’t like) about music books.

I left out a few very prominent tales and added a few that I found others hadn’t used, most notably reviews from college newspapers, many of which are now digitized and available to search online. I found so much good stuff to verify one of the questions I was seeking to answer: “This music is so mind-blowing to me, what was it like to hear it for the first time in real-time?”

I did my best to focus on the music and how it developed and in what environment. It also helped me grow in appreciation for the album form. Streaming has really spoiled me and the plethora of full shows I have at my fingertips at ALL times made me miss the carefully curated choices Duane and his mates made on Fillmore. Having heard the complete sessions, every choice they made was the right one. And not a single “fix”—only the patch in “YDLM” and removing the harmonica in “Stormy Monday.”

I can’t promise I’ll please everyone or that you’re gonna like it, but I did my damndest for sure to put Duane and the ABB in some sort of historical context beyond “Weren’t they great?”

Finally, if you do social media, I’m at @longlivetheabb on FB, TW, IG talking all kinds of Allman Brother stuff, but with pictures

Thanks, Steve, for giving us a home to talk music.

Bob

 

Best of luck! Looking forward to its release.

 

Very high praise from my favorite ABB author, Alan Paul :

" Beatty writes with the heart, emotion, and passion of a fan; the authority of an expert; and the deep analysis and factual grounding of a historian. This book is a valuable addition to the Allman Brothers canon.”—Alan Paul, author of One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band "

Ordered !

P.S. In 1976, the ABB was the subject for my term paper in HS ! A+ was my grade. A fan since 1972, and sadly, Berry's accident was on my 14th birthday.

 

Alan has been very generous to me over the years in many ways. His book was invaluable to me, as was his work all over the place.

Funny you mention your term paper (and please tell me you still have it), my first ever research paper was on the Hippies in 7th grade, 1984. I also got an A and an eternal curiosity about the culture. It was the music that drew me to it in the first place.

 

Im all in brother.....Kudos for a late start but passion and dedication to something you love....I remember their first stuff when it came out....I remember getting a pink Capricorn label Fillmore East at Grants Dept Store....I remember finding a quad Fillmore East.....I will certainly want the book. Thanks for being passionate about a great band and player!

 

I've had it pre-ordered since I first read about it.

 

Fillmore East was the first ABB record I owned. Got a beat up but playable copy at a yard sale for 50 cents! It had the pink Capricorn label.

Surprisingly the Allman Brothers Band payed Fillmore East less times than I would have thought. One run in 1969 (December), two runs in 1970 (February and December; plus the one night PBS videotaping in September), and two in 1971 (March and June).

I suppose they would’ve continued to play there if Bill Graham didn’t shut it down in June 1971. Too bad someone didn’t buy the Fillmores from Bill Graham and kept them running.

 

I think I counted the total # of shows and it was several dozen, but the legend I created in my mind was that the band played there monthly from 69-71

 

thank you. I genuinely hope you enjoy the read.

 

right on. To be honest, when I wrote the goal down in 1998/9 to write a book on the ABB, I had no idea I’d ever actually do it. Turns out all my music neediness over the years and gathering sources and reading/thinking about the ABB and their legacy was actually *research* rather than just wasting time.

The challenge was always CARVING the time to write while working full time. My family bore that burden as much as I, if not more. I’m fortunate to have worked in the history museum field for many years so research and writing has been part of my job, though not necessarily doing ABB stuff.

It’s weird to be at this point for sure, but gratifying.

I’m a fanboy, and I say that up front in my preface. But I did my best to scrub as much of that out as I could. I *do* think Duane and ABB are the greatest, but that’s not a thesis that’s provable. What I could do, however, is look at what Duane was trying to achieve with his music in light of At Fillmore East. I argue its success validated his decisions.

 

They did 27 shows including early and late shows

 

Again I like that approach. I remember once Keith was asked are you guys the greatest band of all time...to which he chuckled and said on any given night any band can be the greatest. I think hes about right.

I have thought of a write myself...2 come to mind...Freddie King book about how he ...not BB not Albert influenced the 60s great guitarists ....all 3 did ...but in Freddy you can hear it!
and I would like to write on Mick Taylors presence that took the Stones to the top from 69 - 73....they never accomplish ther highs so majestically without him...perfect fit and low key...they never get there with Brian and Keith.....way inferior as players....and they never got back with Ronnie....still very good with brian and keith....the best with MT....I applaud you on your work!

 

It's been so long ago I forgot about it. It won't be long now. I'm sure that I will enjoy your book. Congratulations on your book.

 

lots of folks are getting theirs now. I still have yet to… but then again, I’ve read it 100x by now

 

Mine arrived today, thought it was supposed to be on into the future...nice surprise ! Nice touch using Fed Ex too.

 

For y’all who are interested, I’m doing a live podcast interview Monday 10/3/22 4pm EDT

Alan Paul and I’ll be talking Play All Night, Allman Brothers, and Tedeschi Trucks Band with Adam Choit on Adam’s *excellent* podcast about the great TTB.

Details here

 

My YT notification is set !

 

This will be great.

 

I can't wait. My book was delivered today that I preordained ages ago when I first heard about your book. I'm starting it tonight.

 

I meant preordered but preordained was preordained to be added instead

 

Went to NYC last week and recorded a discussion with Alan Paul about on Play All Night! and his forthcoming book Brothers and Sisters on the Unofficial Tedeschi Trucks Band Podcast with Adam Choit. Figured some of y'all might be interested. Alan shows up about 21mins into the recording The Unofficial TTB Podcast | Instagram, YouTube, Spotify | Linktree

 

Got notification my book will be here tomorrow.

 

I look forward to hearing your thoughts. No detail is too small for me.

 

Last week at my alma mater, the University of Central Florida, a student named Sebastian Garcia interviewed me for his podcast. He’d read Play All Night! in advance, having never even heard of the Allman Brothers Band.

If I could’ve written up my ideal persona for “What would you want someone to take away who goes into this book knowing NOTHING about this story” it would’ve been him.

It is such a fun conversation I thought I’d share Episode 24: Dr. Bob Beatty and “Play All Night! Duane Allman and the Journey to Fillmore East”

 

About halfway through it.... great job with the history...