The arms race for the life stories of geriatric rockers continues today as the William Morrow publishing company announced they've acquired the autobiography of Allman Brothers Band founder Gregg Allman. This comes just days after HarperCollins snagged Pete Townshend's memoir and the same week Steven Tyler, Keith Richards, Patti Smith, and Sammy Hagar all have their own books on the New York Times Bestsellers list. We guess the only thing better than reading about their music is actually listening to their music.
The Allman Brothers founder might not seem as debauched as many of his peers, but he's still surived five decades of backstage excess. He'll be able to detail drug addictions, health problems (his bout with Hepatitis C required a liver transplant last year), headline-making relationships (he was married to Cher!), and most importantly, how he and his band managed to rebound after his brother Duane Allman died in a 1971 motorcycle crash.
"When I got out of high school, I thought, I'll take a year or two off and play the clubs, get this out of my system and then go to med school," Allman said in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter). "More than 40 years later, I figure it's finally time to write about this crazy journey that's taken me around the world and back." If the memoir is anything like the Allmans' lengthy jams, expect languidly written, perfectly orchestrated chapters that span 300 pages and never seem to end.
[Photo: Larry Marano/WireImage.com]