While working as an auditor and fraud investigator for a large Atlanta bank, Willie Perkins was introduced to a fledgling Allman Brothers Band by a mutual friend. A year later the band hired him as their tour manager. Diary of a Rock and Roll Tour Manager chronicles the triumphs and tragedies of the day-to-day touring of The Allman Brothers Band from 1970 to 1976, detailing their rise from obscurity to the absolute pinnacle of rock super stardom. Perkins shepherded the band from their lowly beginnings in smoke-filled bars to six figure payoffs before hundreds of thousands of fans in outdoor venues. He was there for the tragic, untimely accidental deaths of both Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, the ugliness of drug and alcohol abuse, and the love for the music and true brother and sisterhood among band, crew, management, and family members. Part logistical coordinator, diplomat, babysitter, psychologist, accountant, and task master, the work of a tour manager is never done. Without the skills and perseverance of a competent tour manager, even the most talented of bands cannot ever be truly successful on the road. Here, Perkins writes in detail about the efforts involved in the touring and recording career of The Allman Brothers Band in their early and most productive years. He introduces the reader to some of the colorful promoters who produced the concerts and the interesting historical venues where they performed, many of which no longer exist.
