Reviews
Review by: Tommy Talton, musician, composer, and cofounder of the band, Cowboy - May 18, 2022
"This memoir has at once all the joy and all the fears of discovering teenage freedom while learning about the reality of the world one is living in. Bill Thames’s moving stories of the effect Duane and Gregg Allman had on his life in the 1960s are revealing of himself and the two brothers on many levels. We all owe Thames a warm 'Thank You' for taking the time to share these stories. I will stop here and hope that you enjoy this warmly inspired work as you would an old friend!"
Review by: Joe Bell, Hittin’ the Note Magazine and Merchandise - May 18, 2022
"I am very enthusiastic about this new memoir written by Bill Thames. Here he shares many interesting stories that even I have never heard. Throughout this book, it is evident that Thames knows how to tell a compelling tale—with all of the push and pull tension of a well-crafted song. Enjoy reading, as he takes you on the beginnings of a wild and fertile time in Southern musical history!"
Review by: Anathalee G. Sandlin, author, editor, publisher, music writer, musician, and co-owner at Duck Tape Recording Studio - May 18, 2022
"We all have heard 'the rest of the story' about famous musicians who made their mark in Southern Rock at Capricorn Studio in Macon, Georgia, but no one, to my knowledge has written about the early environment that fostered those musicians. At least not until this book. Bill Thames takes you back to when everything was a youthful adventure and there was music to be made. He knew the people, he played with them, and they were his friends. This is a story only he could tell and I'm very glad he did."
Review by: Randall Bramlett, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist - May 18, 2022
"Bill Thames is a Renaissance man--and he truly loves music. He has a unique perspective on the beginnings of a cosmic shift in Southern American music and was there in Daytona Beach when Gregg and Duane Allman started playing in their early cover bands--and recognized their explosive talent. Thames's passion for their sound and the story of its evolution shines bright in this memoir and reminds us how extraordinary those times were for us all."
Review by: Benjamin Johnson, author and editor - May 18, 2022
"Take a musical trip back in time to the late 1960s, to the old bars of Daytona Beach and the campus of Clemson University, when a young man was finding his footing on the stage and in life, with the help of two young brothers who would go on to become Rock-n-Roll royalty. Bill Thames's warm prose invites you into this world and takes you along on this ride, part Blues Brothers mixed with some American Graffiti, as the times they were a-changin'. With many personal anecdotes and conversations with Duane and Gregg and comprehensive knowledge of their careers as only someone who knew them could have, this is an indispensable book for any fan of the Allmans and American musical history. It is indeed a pleasure to read."