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Dickey Betts

Forrest Richard Betts (December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. He initially shared the band's signature dual lead guitar roles with band founder Duane Allman, and assumed the solo lead after Allman's death in October of 1971. As both a singer and composer as well, he was central to the group's greatest commercial success in the mid-1970s and was the writer and vocalist on the Allmans' hit single "Ramblin' Man".

Dickey Betts
Betts in 1978
Betts in 1978
Background information
Birth nameForrest Richard Betts
Also known as
  • Dickey Betts
  • The Ramblin' Man
Born(1943-12-12)December 12, 1943
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
DiedApril 18, 2024(2024-04-18) (aged 80)
Osprey, Florida, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • composer
  • guitarist
Instruments
Years active1960–2021
Member ofDickey Betts Band
Formerly of
Websitedickeybetts.com

Early in his career Betts was best noted for collaboration with Duane Allman,[1] the twosome introducing melodic twin guitar harmony and counterpoint, which, according to Guitar World "rewrote the rules for how two rock guitarists can work together, completely scrapping the traditional rhythm/lead roles to stand toe to toe".[2] Betts initially gained renown for his epic instrumental, "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", from the Band's second album, Idlewild South, followed by his striking guitar duet-driven "Blue Sky", which not only was his first band vocal but signaled a dramatic new sound and potential direction for it.

In the wake of Duane's death the group indeed followed both Betts' musical direction and band leadership, exploding into commercial success in 1973 upon the introduction of the Country-influenced Brothers and Sisters, and the chart success of its catchy Betts-written hits, exuberant "Ramblin' Man" and the melodic instrumental "Jessica".

The band went through a hiatus in the late 1970s, during which time Betts, like many of the other band members, pursued a solo career and side projects under such names as Great Southern and The Dickey Betts Band. The Allman Brothers reformed in 1979, with Dan Toler taking the second guitar role alongside Betts. In 1982, it broke up a second time, during which break Betts formed the group Betts, Hall, Leavell and Trucks, which lasted until 1984. A third reformation occurred in 1989, with Warren Haynes then joining Betts on guitar.

Betts was ousted from the band in 2000 over a conflict regarding his continued drug and alcohol abuse; he never played with them again, nor would he appear with other former band members for reunions or side projects. With the death of Betts on April 18, 2024, Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson is the last living founding member of the Allman Brothers Band.

He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995[3] and also won a best rock performance Grammy Award with the band for "Jessica" in 1996.[4] Betts was ranked No. 58 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list in 2003, and No. 61 on the list published in 2011.[5][6]

Early life

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Betts was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, on December 12, 1943, and raised in Bradenton.[7][8] He grew up in a musical family listening to traditional bluegrass, country music and Western swing. He started playing ukulele at the age of five and, as his hands got bigger, moved on to mandolin, banjo, and guitar.

Career

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By the age of sixteen Betts was feeling the need for something "a little faster", and played in a series of rock bands on the Florida circuit, up the East Coast and into the Midwest. In 1967 he formed the Second Coming in Florida with Berry Oakley. According to its composer, Rick Derringer, the group called the Jokers referenced in "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" was one of Betts' early groups of that name.[9]

Early Allman Brothers Band years

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In 1969, Duane Allman, a veteran of the South's "Chitlin' Circuit" of roadhouses and small local venues who'd gone on to form several bands with recording contracts, was casting for talent to build another around. A successful session player, he'd gained a deal with Southern soul impresario Phil Walden, who planned to back a power trio featuring Allman. The ensuing Allman Brothers Band eventually grew to six members, including Duane's brother, organist, vocalist, and composer Gregg, Betts, and bassist Berry Oakley.[citation needed] Duane, who later worked with famed British guitar virtuoso Eric Clapton, earning notoriety for his standout playing on "Layla", the collaboration's signature hit, once said with typical modesty, "I'm the famous guitar player, but Dickey is the good one."[10]

After Allman's death in October 1971, Betts became the band's sole lead guitarist (with a pianist bringing the group back up to six members) and took on a greater singing, composing, and leadership role. Rushed into the role, he practiced slide guitar intensively in order to be able to cover the majority of Duane's parts. He wrote "Jessica", inspired by his young daughter Jessica,[11]and the Allmans' biggest commercial hit, "Ramblin' Man",[12] for the Band's breakout commercial success, Brothers and Sisters, in 1974.

Solo career and later work

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Betts in 1974

Betts's first solo album, Highway Call, was released in 1974 and featured fiddle player Vassar Clements.[13] After the Allman Brothers fell apart in 1976, Betts released more albums, starting with Dickey Betts & Great Southern in 1977, which included the song "Bougainvillea", co-written with future Hollywood star and then Florida transplant Don Johnson.[14] In 1978 he released an album, Atlanta's Burning Down.[15]

The Allman Brothers reformed in 1979 for the album Enlightened Rogues, with two members of Great Southern replacing Allman Brothers members who were unwilling to participate in the reunion: guitar player Dan Toler for pianist Chuck Leavell, and bassist David Goldflies for bassist Lamar Williams. Several albums and personnel changes followed, until declining record and concert ticket sales, personnel issues, and management problems led the group to disband again in 1982.[16]

Betts formed his own band, Betts, Hall, Leavell and Trucks, where he was co-frontman along with former Wet Willie singer, saxophone, and harmonica player Jimmy Hall. Despite earning good notices, the group was unable to secure a recording contract and disbanded in 1984.[17] Betts returned to his solo career performing live at smaller venues, and released the album Pattern Disruptive in 1989. When a one-off reunion tour was proposed in support of the Allman Brothers' Dreams box set, released in 1989 to commemorate the band's 20th anniversary, Betts's solo band again supplied the Allman Brothers' other lead guitarist, Warren Haynes. The success of the one-off tour resulted in a permanent reunion, which absorbed Betts's energies for the remainder of the 1990s. This band line-up released three studio albums between 1990 and 1994 and won the praise of the critics.[18]

 
Betts in 2008

Betts was replaced on numerous Allman Brothers tour dates throughout the mid-to-late 1990s, for what were reported in the media as "personal reasons". While remaining active as a touring band, the Allman Brothers did not release another album of studio material after 1994's Where It All Begins for nine years, until Hittin' the Note in 2003. In 1994, Haynes and Allmans bassist Allen Woody formed Gov't Mule with former Dickey Betts Band drummer Matt Abts as a side project, and left the Allman Brothers for Gov't Mule full-time in 1997. Betts' last show with the Allman Brothers was at the Music Midtown Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 7, 2000.[19]

A breaking point was reached after that show and before the launch of the band's Summer Campaign Tour when the remaining original Allman Brothers members – Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe – suspended Betts.[20] According to Betts, the band told him (reportedly via fax) to "get clean" (from alcohol and/or drugs).

He was temporarily replaced for the 2000 tour by Jimmy Herring, formerly of the Aquarium Rescue Unit. When Betts filed suit against the other three original Allmans, the separation turned into a permanent divorce.[21] Betts re-formed the Dickey Betts Band and toured that same summer. The band reassumed the name Dickey Betts & Great Southern and added Betts' son Duane (named after Duane Allman) on lead guitar. In 2005, Betts released the DVD Live from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[22]

Although they had been separated personally and as musical bandmates for over 15 years, Betts and Gregg Allman became reconciled before Allman's death in 2017.[23]

Betts' final album release was Dickey Betts & Great Southern Official Bootleg Vol. 1 (2021), a two-CD live album of performances from the 2000s.[24]

Personal life

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Betts was married five times, last to Donna, in 1989.[25] He had four children: Kimberly, Christy, Jessica, and Duane. Christy is married to Frank Hannon of the band Tesla. Jessica is the namesake of Betts' instrumental. Duane, named for Betts' former bandmate Duane Allman, is also a musician and performed and recorded with his father, and in a band together with Gregg Allman's son Devon.[26]

Betts was a Florida native, born in West Palm Beach; though he resided briefly in Georgia during the formative years of the Allman Brothers Band, he lived in the Sarasota metropolitan area for most of his life.[27]

Death

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In August 2018, the 74-year old Betts suffered a mild stroke and had to cancel tour dates with his Dickey Betts Band. He was taken to the hospital and was in a critical but stable condition at a Florida hospital, following an accident at his home in Osprey, Florida. On September 20, 2018,[28] he successfully underwent surgery to relieve swelling on his brain. In a statement posted on his website, Betts and his family said the "outpouring of support from all over the world has been overwhelming and amazing. We are so appreciative."[29]

Betts died from cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at his home in Osprey, Florida, on April 18, 2024, at the age of 80.[30][31]

Discography

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See also: The Allman Brothers Band discography
  • Highway Call (1974) (as Richard Betts) US 19[32]
  • Dickey Betts & Great Southern (1977) (as Dickey Betts & Great Southern) US 31[32]
  • Atlanta's Burning Down (1978) (as Dickey Betts & Great Southern) US 157[32]
  • Pattern Disruptive (1988) (as Dickey Betts Band) US 187[32]
  • Let's Get Together (2001) (as Dickey Betts Band)
  • The Collectors #1 (2002) (as Dickey Betts & Great Southern)
  • Instant Live: The Odeon – Cleveland, OH 3/09/04[33] (2004) (as Dickey Betts & Great Southern)
  • Bougainvillea's Call: The Very Best of Dickey Betts 1973–1988[34] (2006) (as Dickey Betts)
  • The Official Bootleg[35] (2007) (as Dickey Betts & Great Southern)
  • Rockpalast: 30 Years of Southern Rock (1978–2008)[36] (2010) (as Dickey Betts & Great Southern)
  • Live at the Coffee Pot 1983[37] (2016) (as Betts, Hall, Leavell and Trucks)
  • Live from the Lone Star Roadhouse[38] (2018) (as Dickey Betts)
  • Ramblin' Man: Live at the St. George Theatre[39] (2019) (as Dickey Betts Band)
  • Official Bootleg Vol.1[40] (2021) (as Dickey Betts & Great Southern)

References

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  1. ^ "Come and Go Blues: The Incredible Guitarists of the Allman Brothers". Archived from the original on January 26, 2010.
  2. ^ "The Allman Brothers Band: The Road Goes on Forever". Guitar World. July 20, 2009. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010.
  3. ^ "The Allman Brothers Band: inducted in 1995 | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum". Rockhall.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  4. ^ "1995 Grammy Award Winners". Grammy.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  5. ^ "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. No. 931. September 22, 2003. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  6. ^ "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. No. 1145. November 23, 2011. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  7. ^ Poe, Randy (August 1, 2008). Skydog: The Duane Allman Story. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9781617134876.
  8. ^ Fitzgerald, Michael (August 13, 2008). "Betts, Dickey". North Florida Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  9. ^ Scott Freeman, Midnight Riders, pp. 41–42
  10. ^ Williams, Alex (April 18, 2024). "Dickey Betts, Fiery Guitarist With Allman Brothers Band, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  11. ^ Paul, Alan (2014). One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1250040497.
  12. ^ "Dickey Betts, Allman Brothers Co-Founder Who Wrote "Ramblin' Man," "Jessica" and More, Dies at 80". Rockcellarmagazine.com. April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Highway Call – Dickey Betts, Richard Betts | Album | AllMus". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  14. ^ "Dickey Betts & Great Southern – Dickey Betts & Great Southe". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 9, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  15. ^ "Atlanta's Burning Down – Dickey Betts | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  16. ^ "History of the Allman Brothers Band". Ultimateclassicrock.com. October 27, 2014. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  17. ^ Leavell, Chuck; Craig, J. Marshall (2004). Between Rock And A Home Place. Dry Branch, Georgia: Evergreen Arts. pp. 260–264. ISBN 0-86554-975-3. For the ending year, see Tunis, Walter (April 21, 1991). "David Goldflies' jazz vision". Lexington Herald-Leader. pp. C1, C7. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Elliott, Mike (July 20, 2020). "The Allman Brothers Band's 'Seven Turns' Turns 30 | Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  19. ^ Roger Catlin (May 25, 2000). "BETTS IS ANGRY AS ALLMANS DUMP HIM FROM TOUR". Courant.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  20. ^ Reese, Lori (May 18, 2000). "Brothers in Law". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  21. ^ Allman, Gregg (2012). My Cross To Bear. HarperCollins.p. 340
  22. ^ "Back Where It All Begins: Live at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [Video]". AllMusic. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  23. ^ Ferris, Jedd (December 13, 2018). "ee Dickey Betts Talk Gregg Allman Reconciliation, Return to Touring". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  24. ^ "Dickey Betts Announces 'Dickey Betts & Great Southern Official Bootleg Vol. 1'". Dickey Betts. April 24, 2021. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  25. ^ Browne, David (November 22, 2017). "Dickey Betts Looks Back: The Lost Allman Brother on Regret, Retirement". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  26. ^ Tatangelo, Wade. "Duane Betts talks album with Devon Allman, Dickey Betts Band live CD/DVD and Aug. 15 Sarasota show". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  27. ^ Paul Liberatore (June 29, 2012). "Lib at Large: Duane Betts and the legacy of the Allman Brothers". Marin Independent Journal. Marinij.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  28. ^ "Dickey Betts to Undergo Brain Surgery Following Accident". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  29. ^ Tatangelo, Wade (September 18, 2018). "Dickey Betts' surgery a 'success' in Sarasota". The Daytona Bach News Journal. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  30. ^ Browne, David (April 18, 2024). "Dickey Betts, Allman Brothers Band Singer-Guitarist, Dead at 80". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  31. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  32. ^ a b c d Whitburn, Joel (2018). Top Pop Albums 1955-2016. Prometheus Global Media. ISBN 978-0-89820-226-7.
  33. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Instant Live: The Odeon – Cleveland, OH 3/09/04". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  34. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Bougainvillea's Call: The Very Best of Dickey Betts 1973–1988". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  35. ^ Jurek, Thom. "The Official Bootleg". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  36. ^ Thompson, Dave. "Rockpalast: 30 Years of Southern Rock (1978–2008)". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  37. ^ Wright, Jeb. "Betts, Hall, Leavell And Trucks – Live at the Coffee Pot 1983". Classic Rock Revisited. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  38. ^ "Live from the Lone Star Roadhouse". Record Store Day. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  39. ^ Bernstein, Scott (June 5, 2019). "Dickey Betts Band Announces 'Ramblin' Man Live' Concert Film & Live Album". JamBase. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  40. ^ Tatangelo, Wade (April 23, 2021). "Allman Brothers' Dickey Betts Releasing 'Official Bootleg Vol. 1'". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
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