Alan Paul
Alan Paul is the author of three books, Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan, One Way Way Out: The Inside Story of the Allman Brothers Band – which were both New York Times bestsellers – and Big in China: My Unlikely Adventures Raising a Family, Playing the Blues and Becoming a Star in Beijing, a memoir about raising a family in Beijing and forming a Chinese blues band that toured the nation. He’s been associated with Guitar World for 30 years, serving as Managing Editor from 1991-96. He plays in two bands: Big in China and Friends of the Brothers, with Guitar World’s Andy Aledort.
Latest articles by Alan Paul
![Derek Trucks (left) and Warren Haynes perform with the Tedeschi Trucks Band as part of the "Garden Party" series at TD Garden on September 27, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EnYUC9xF6tZQPVowbfQTXU-320-80.jpg)
Warren Haynes talks recording with Derek Trucks for the first time in over 20 years on Gregg Allman's forgotten gem
By Alan Paul published
The two former ABB guitarists reunited to bring Gregg's unheard song to life for Haynes' new album
![English singer, songwriter and guitarist Dave Mason of the rock group Traffic poses for a portrait in 1968 in London.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gkFornCH3oK9byKErStEPh-320-80.jpg)
Dave Mason on meeting Jimi Hendrix in 1966 and making “All Along the Watchtower” with him
By Alan Paul published
The former Traffic guitarist also tells us about his time with Eric Clapton as a founding member of Derek & the Dominos
![Quinn Sullivan](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kBapBWNVqfEUva8sMG7F2V-320-80.jpg)
Buddy Guy-backed Quinn Sullivan is spreading his wings on his fifth album – at the age of 25
By Alan Paul published
Once a preternatural phenomenon, the precocious blues guitarist charts a broader musical path on Salvation, an album born out of loss and self-discovery
![Dickey Betts (left) and Duane Allman play acoustic guitars in a hotel room before the Allman Brothers' performance at the Sitar in Spartanburg, South Carolina on October 17, 1970](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LbanE33XnYL2JizEQkbEt4-320-80.jpg)
Dickey Betts initially “hated” having to play Duane Allman's slide parts
By Jackson Maxwell published
Though he did so with incredible creative and commercial success, leading the Allman Brothers Band in the wake of Duane Allman's untimely passing took a heavy toll on Betts, emotionally and musically
![Quinn Sullivan (left) and Buddy Guy perform onstage in Scranton, Pennslyvania on February 21, 2013](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jHkPjPqJnqtmSNrwZwGEDB-320-80.jpg)
How an 8-year-old Quinn Sullivan became Buddy Guy's protégé, and friend
By Jackson Maxwell published
After a chance backstage meeting, Sullivan quickly fell under Guy's wing, forming a close bond with the blues legend that holds to this day
![Duane Allman’s funeral, Snow’s Memorial Chapel, Macon, Georgia, November 1, 1971.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fi9WkTCkwtJWep6vgauawe-320-80.jpg)
“We all knew it was really good… The guitar playing is just amazing”: How Dickey Betts made “Ramblin’ Man”, triumphed over tragedy and led the Allman Brothers to their greatest success
By Alan Paul published
Duane Allman’s death might have been the end of the Allman Brothers Band. Instead, led by Dickey Betts, it marked the start of a remarkable era in the group’s life – and rock history
![Steve Miller performs at Lincoln Center in New York City on January 10, 2019](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pahoKMqrfBjhUag3v7o6Kb-320-80.jpg)
“I got John Lennon’s Epiphone Casino and played through his amp, Paul got on the drums. It was like we’d been playing together forever”: Steve Miller on jamming with the Beatles, his pre-show warmups, and 50 years of the Joker
By Alan Paul published
In a candid interview, the classic rock hero discusses the strange journeys of some of his biggest hits, opening for Pink Floyd, and injecting blues into the San Francisco scene in the midst of the Summer of Love
![Blackberry Smoke in flares](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4hNaZuyidsKCu4KgovXxxf-320-80.jpg)
“He said, ‘I want to make a little-amp record.’ Apparently on Layla, Eric Clapton and Duane Allman were playing through Champs and facing each other, and that’s what we did”: Charlie Starr on how Blackberry Smoke evolved by slimming down in the studio
By Alan Paul published
Blackberry Smoke's frontman and guitarist dishes on making a “little-amp record,” and how playing guitar in another famous band helped strengthen his connection to his own group
![Daniel Donato on a wooded track](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/a36Zjq496yU9pR3xEN2pLG-320-80.jpg)
"Jimmy Herring peeked behind my amp and asked, 'What speakers are you using?'": Why the old hands are asking Daniel Donato for gear advice
By Alan Paul published
Roots player Daniel Donato is celebrating the drop of new cross-genre album Reflector by hitting the road with his heroes
![Gov’t Mule](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3Hg7FLW78L3PTWHUWzsMtd-320-80.jpg)
Recorded During the Pandemic Simultaneously With 2021’s ‘Heavy Load Blues’, Gov’t Mule’s Ambitious New Album, ‘Peace…Like a River,’ Is an Exercise in Taking Risks
By Alan Paul published
It was also “a way of not going crazy,” says Warren Haynes
![Duane Betts](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rfMA7jhYX2PHyvEtFK2Q7d-320-80.jpg)
“We Tracked Everything Live and Kept Whichever Takes Had the Magic”: Duane Betts Steps out Solo With ‘Wild & Precious Life’
By Alan Paul published
The guitarist makes his full-length debut album, featuring guests Derek Trucks and Marcus King
![Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes performs at Roaring Camp on June 04, 2021 in Felton, California.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TguTLXomEDphfA77TD5pDX-320-80.jpg)
“If I Can Lift Myself With a Solo or Riff, It Can Re-Ignite Me and Save the Show”: Taylor Goldsmith Talks Dawes’ Latest Genre-Extending Effort and the Power of Lead Guitar
By Alan Paul published
Having played alongside the likes of Blake Mills and Duane Betts, the Dawes frontman knows how great lead guitar work can give performances a powerful edge
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