by Alan Paul
First published 2023
Alan Paul examines the making of the Allman Brothers Band's most commercially successful record and its cultural impact on 1970s America. The book centers on Brothers and Sisters, which sold over seven million copies and became the band's biggest hit. Paul traces how the group rescued Jimmy Carter's struggling presidential bid and helped elect the Georgia governor to the White House. The narrative explores Gregg Allman's high-profile marriage to Cher as an early example of modern celebrity culture. Paul documents the band's relationship with the Grateful Dead and their role in the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, the largest rock festival in history. The book shows how the Allman Brothers influenced groups like Lynyrd Skynyrd and established the Southern rock sound. Paul draws from hundreds of hours of previously unreleased interviews with band members including Dickey Betts and Gregg Allman, conducted by the band's archivist Kirk West. The book presents both the creative heights and internal conflicts that shaped the band's trajectory during this pivotal period.
Genres: 20th-century, non-fiction, biography-memoir, music, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: creative-conflict, rise-to-fame
Setting: America, Georgia, Watkins Glen
Period: 1970s
352 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press