About the Author

Since 1985, Randy Poe has been the President of Leiber and Stoller Music Publishing. Among the company's copyrights are such standards as Jailhouse Rock, Kansas City, Spanish Harlem, Yakety Yak, Charlie Brown,"Love Potion # 9, and Stand By Me. Prior to his position with Leiber and Stoller, Randy Poe was Executive Director of the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in New York. Poe's writing career officially began in Muscle Shoals in 1979 when his article on studio musician and former Hour Glass member Pete Carr was published in Guitar Player magazine. (The band Hour Glass also featured Duane and Gregg Allman.) In December of 1991, Poe received the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for excellence in music journalism for his book, Music Publishing: A Songwriter's Guide. In September of 2002, Randy Poe was a recipient of the music industry's Heroes and Legends Award, along with Motown founder, Berry Gordy.

Reviews

Duane Allman was the force behind the Allman Brothers Band from the group's inception in the late 1960s until Duane's death at 24 in a motorcycle accident in 1971. In this first full-scale biography of Allman and his band, Poe, a music writer and music publishing executive, illuminates why the guitarist and songwriter is regarded as one of the most influential in rock. Poe portrays Allman as a restless explorer who honed his skills in the bars and clubs of the Southeast before founding with brother Gregg the Allman Brothers Band. Special attention is also paid to Allman's music, as Poe details the creation of seminal albums such as The Allman Brothers at Fillmore East (1971) and Allman's stints as backing musician for artists like Aretha Franklin and Eric Clapton. Concluding with an update on the musicians associated with Allman and the continuation of the band, a detailed discography, and a section devoted to the guitars and equipment that he used, Poe's book is recommended for libraries with popular culture and music collections. Jim Collins, Morristown-Morris Twp. P.L., NJ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.