Forrest Richard “Dickey” Betts, co-founder, co-guitarist, and songwriter in The Allman Brothers Band, handed away April 18 at his house in Osprey, Florida. He was 80 and within the last years of his life handled most cancers and continual obstructive pulmonary illness (COPD).

Famous for writing a number of the ABB’s most-recognized songs – “Ramblin’ Man,” “Blue Sky,” “Jessica,” and “In Reminiscence of Elizabeth Reed” – generations of guitarists have been impacted by his enjoying alongside Duane Allman. Collectively, their type – formed by blues, rock, and nation with prolonged (typically intricate) solos, concord strains, counterpoints, unison licks performed totally on Les Pauls by Marshall plexi amps – defied categorization whereas turning into the seeds of “southern rock.”

Betts was born in West Palm Seaside, Florida, and raised in Bradenton, the place he grew up listening to string bands. At age 5, he began enjoying ukulele earlier than bodily rising into the mandolin, banjo, and guitar. At 16, he and good friend/guitarist Joe Dan Petty joined a band known as Circus Act earlier than Betts bailed to hitch The Jokers, which performed rock songs in venues all through Florida. Betts quickly moved on to hitch the Sarasota-based Blues Messengers, which included bassist Berry Oakley and keyboardist Reese Wynans. In 1968, that band moved to Jacksonville and altered its title to The Second Coming. After assembly guitarist Duane Allman and his bandmate, drummer Jai Johanny Johanson, in ’69 they shaped a brand new group; Allman satisfied his youthful brother, Gregg, a keyboard participant and vocalist, to maneuver house from California to hitch them. They known as the group The Allman Brothers Band, partially to benefit from a contract Duane had with producer Phil Walden’s newly based Capricorn Data.

That August, they spent 9 days at Atlantic Data’ studio in New York Metropolis, recording their self-titled debut album of 5 songs that originated throughout jams with lyrics by Gregg Allman, together with two covers of blues songs. All mirrored the band’s rock influences, whereas “Goals” launched a jazz bent; within the years that adopted, it and the album nearer, “Whipping Submit,” grew to become live performance staples. The disc was launched in November of ’69 and its solely single, “Black Hearted Lady,” didn’t chart.

For the follow-up, Idlewild South, they employed producer Tom Dowd and songwriting shifted away from strict reliance on Allman, with Betts bringing two songs that deepened their jazz leanings; “Revival” was chosen not solely because the opener, however a shortened radio model was launched as the primary single and have become their first hit, spending three weeks (simply barely) on Billboard’s Scorching 100. Betts’ seven-minute instrumental homage to Miles Davis, “In Reminiscence of Elizabeth Reed” obtained little preliminary discover however grew to become a live performance spotlight because the band constructed a popularity and drew important popularity of its high-energy jams; the 13-minute model that seems on 1971’s At Fillmore East helped make it important to the repertoire, its easy melody permitting Betts and Duane Allman to create refined improvisational solo passages that typically prolonged to a half hour.

Tragedy befell the band with its subsequent album, Eat a Peach. Classes started in September of ’72 with a handful of songs; Betts’ “Blue Sky” marked his first flip as lead vocalist. After ending three tracks, they did a brief tour, then returned to Macon. The next day, October 29, Duane Allman was killed in a collision whereas driving his motorbike. Surprised, the band stepped away from recording.

Alan Paul, a music journalist who started protecting the band within the late ’80s and is the writer of the New York Instances best-sellers One Means Out: The Inside Historical past of the Allman Brothers and Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Album That Outlined the ’70s, remembers conversations in regards to the temper instantly after Allman’s loss of life.

“They have been actually, actually decided to maintain going,” he stated. “Sure, they did take a while off, however they discovered themselves sitting round, utterly depressing and uncomfortable. Inside days, they have been gravitating to their rehearsal house. Butch Vehicles instructed me, ‘We’re musicians. We play music, and that’s how we grieve. That’s how we talk.’ It’s not like all of them have been going into remedy, which in all probability ought to have occurred.”

Recording wrapped in December with six songs augmented by three leftover from Dwell At Fillmore East units, considered one of which – “One Means Out” – grew to become one other fan favourite. The album was launched in February, 1972.

In One Means Out, Paul additional remembers how the band toured behind the album after Betts took it upon himself to be taught Allman’s slide elements. The tour additionally compelled Betts, serving as bandleader each musically and emotionally, to deal with one other problem in Oakley, who grew to become severely depressed whereas dealing with Duane’s loss of life. Oakley’s enjoying was significantly affected by his psychological well being (and alcohol abuse), and Joe Dan Petty, who had at all times been a part of the group’s interior circle, often stuffed in on bass. That November, Oakley was killed in a bike accident just some blocks from the scene of Allman’s crash.

Pushing ahead, in August of ’73 they launched Brothers and Sisters, an album written largely by Betts and planted extra firmly in nation and blues. “Ramblin’ Man,” the final observe recorded with Oakley on bass, grew to become the group’s largest hit (#2 on Billboard’s Scorching 100 that winter) and the album grew to become their largest vendor, reaching #1.

On “Ramblin’ Man,” Betts performed his ’57 Les Paul Customary goldtop that he later painted pink. In 2002, he instructed VG, “It had oxidized so terribly that I needed to do one thing to it; it didn’t look cool and worn, it regarded ugly. I did it myself, and I used to be actual cautious with it – I used nitroce lulose lacquer and alcohol-based stain. It appears to be like nice, and it sounds nice!” In ’73, Betts grew to become one of many first guitarists to get a custom-made instrument from Rick Turner and Ron Wickersham on the fledging Alembic, which was making its mark with lively electronics and ornate designs. Different early adopters have been Stanley Clarke and Jerry Garcia; Betts not often performed his.

For his 1974 solo debut, Freeway Name, Betts delved even deeper into nation, recruiting bluegrass legend Vassar Clements to play fiddle, together with pedal-steeler John Hughey and latter-day ABB pianist Chuck Leavell. The amalgam labored nicely on an upbeat set that melded bluegrass, jazz, and – on the 14-minute “Hand Picked” – a tasty piece of Western swing with Betts and Clements enjoying prolonged harmonies and all 4 gamers taking deft solo turns.

“Freeway Name is, merely put, effervescent,” stated VG contributor Wealthy Kienzle, who noticed the band carry out at Pittsburgh’s Syria Mosque in January, 1971. “It revealed deep passions for nation music by unique songs with detours into bluegrass and Western swing. Replete with fabulous vocal and instrumental work, it additionally proved that Betts possessed the identical musical depth that Duane was identified to have.”

“Freeway Name’s mixture of jazz and nation made excellent sense given Dickey’s bigger imaginative and prescient,” Paul added. “It and Brothers and Sisters are, arguably, the height of his creativity. From songwriting to his singing, enjoying, and arranging, it’s unbelievable stuff – impeccable.”

After the ABB disbanded in 1976, Betts assembled Nice Southern earlier than the ABB re-formed in ’78 with Dan Toler on second guitar. Their 1979 album, Enlightened Rogues, was produced by Tom Dowd and reached Billboard’s high 10, boosted by the Betts-penned single, “Loopy Love,” which reached the Prime 30. The band shuffled by modifications in personnel, producers, and administration earlier than dissolving in ’82.

To mark its twentieth anniversary in ’89, they re-formed for a summer time tour with Johanson on drums together with Betts and guitarist Warren Haynes, recruited from the Dickey Betts Band. It went nicely sufficient that they determined to document what would change into Seven Turns and its hit single, “Good Clear Enjoyable.” Additional excursions adopted, together with the 1991 studio album Shades of Two Worlds.

Betts missed a part of a 1993 tour after he was concerned in a confrontation with two cops, however he returned in ’94 to document what can be his last studio album with ABB, The place It All Begins, and its Prime 10 hit “No One to Run With,” which Betts had written with John Prestia almost a decade earlier. In ’95, Betts and the ABB have been inducted to the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame.

Within the late ’90s/early 2000s, Gibson issued two signature-model Betts Les Pauls, one primarily based on his ’57 goldtop, one other on the identical guitar after its refinish. In ’02, Betts instructed VG he additionally had a ’36 Nationwide Tricone that when belonged to Elvin Bishop, a ’35 Nationwide Model O, Duane Allman’s ’32 Dobro, a ’28 J-50, and a 14-fret ’36 J-50. Within the ’90s, he typically performed a Strat with a Seymour Duncan Scorching Rail stacked humbucker, and likewise obtained into Paul Reed Smith McCarty fashions. His typical stay rig included two 50-watt Marshall heads operating to 4 cabs with 12″ JBL-made Lansing 120 audio system; in golf equipment, he used one stack, outside, he ran each. His slide guitars have been run by a Bogen PA head hooked to 2 off-brand speaker cabs. “It’s the right Elmore James slide sound,” he instructed VG.

In 2000, Betts was dismissed after the ABB “suspended” him previous to a tour that summer time, citing problem working with him due to substance use. Betts sued, and the ensuing litigation made the cut up everlasting. He re-formed what had been the Dickey Betts Band in time for a summer time tour as Dickey Betts & Nice Southern with the addition of his son, Duane (VG, February ’21 and September ’23).

Betts’ last recorded launch was 2021’s Dickey Betts & Nice Southern Official Bootleg Vol. 1, which compiled stay recordings. He reconciled with Gregg Allman previous to the singer’s loss of life in 2017. In August of ’18, Betts suffered a stroke that compelled cancellation of a deliberate DBB tour, and the next month underwent surgical procedure to alleviate swelling on the mind ensuing from a fall in his house.

In his 2020 interview with VG, Duane Betts remembered how his father instilled in him {that a} guitarist ought to try to serve the band’s efficiency – and the track – over a solo.

“I don’t attempt to be higher than anyone, I simply attempt to inform a narrative – take the listener on a journey that makes them really feel one thing,” he stated.

After his father’s passing, Duane shared extra ideas with VG.

“Dad was in regards to the songs simply as a lot as he liked jamming and pushing the boundaries of improvisation,” he stated. “All of his songs have nice melodies which might be simple to comply with. He was abundantly conscious of easy methods to convey the sentiment of the track to the listener, and was a real stylist. His songs had his character throughout them.”

Requested about songs which have essentially the most which means to him, Betts stated, “‘Blue Sky’ needs to be my favourite. It’s the right track. It has such a pure and harmless feeling and immediately makes you are feeling good; nice phrases and melody, easy and to the purpose.

“‘Jessica’ is clearly an ideal composition. It has such a lyrical high quality with out the presence of a singer. It’s arduous to make instrumentals really feel like they aren’t only a bunch of notes, however with ‘Jessica’ there may be intention, and he nails it.”

Discussing the guitars and amps used to document his 2023 solo album, Wild & Treasured Life, Duane instructed VG that his #1 guitar was given to him by Dickey; “I primarily used my Les Paul – the Dickey Betts signature prototype #1 – by a ’65 Deluxe Reverb I obtained from Derek Vehicles.”

A number of notable guitarists marked Betts’ passing on social media, together with former bandmate Warren Haynes, who wrote, “Except for being an enormous, main affect on my music from earlier than I picked up a guitar, Dickey was the one individual I credit score for all the things wonderful that occurred in my profession.”

Different notable gamers whose musical style and types have been knowledgeable by Betts shared recollections with VG. One was Jack Pearson, who started growing his famend slide method with assist from ABB data, and was a member of the band from 1993 till ’99.

“Once I first joined, Dickey gave me a slide and stated it was considered one of Duane’s. I used to be so shocked you might’ve knocked me over with a feather,” he chuckled. “I actually loved enjoying rhythm on Dickey’s solos; he’d take off and construct a lead… Yeah, it was nice being in the midst of that! Typically, throughout his solos, I’d stand between Gregg’s Leslie cupboard and Jaimoe’s drums and we’d be digging a giant ol’ groove that was very funky and gave Dickey room to fly. He had a really distinctive sound and magnificence that folks acknowledge after only a couple notes.

“There have been instances once I needed to cease myself from enjoying Dickey’s signature licks throughout my solos,” he added. “I’d begin one then shortly swap to one thing else, considering, ‘Don’t play that! That’s a Dickey lick and he’s in all probability gonna play it as quickly as you get by!’ (laughs)

“Dickey had a variety of good guitars, however irrespective of which he performed, he at all times gave the impression of Dickey Betts. Hanging out, we’d speak about guitars and our mutual influences from the early blues, jazz, and nation recordings – all the things from Jimmie Rodgers to Charlie Parker, and naturally we have been each loopy about Django Reinhardt.

“Dickey and I had a pleasant speak on the telephone final 12 months. I’m actually glad we obtained to do this.”
“My introduction to the Allman Brothers Band got here throughout my senior 12 months of highschool in 1971,” recalled Greg Martin, co-founder and lead guitarist in Kentucky Headhunters. “My bandmates, Richard and Fred Younger, had a model new copy of At Fillmore East, and our first pay attention by was a revelation; Dickey and Duane’s twin Les Pauls made one large sound. However it wasn’t till a pair years later that I started to actually admire Dickey’s enjoying. After Duane died, he stepped up in a giant means and refined his writing, enjoying, and vocal talents. It’s been stated that Dickey wasn’t a fan of his personal slide enjoying, however I liked how he took what he discovered from Duane and made it his personal.”

“Dickey had the sweetest tone and phasing,” Martin added. “There was no mistaking it at any time when his guitar got here on the radio.”

Johnny Stachela, guitarist in Duane Betts’ band with Gregg Allman’s son, Devon (VG, December ’20), stated Betts’ attraction is centered in songcraft.

“That’s what folks join with, again and again,” he stated. “‘Ramblin’ Man’ and ‘Blue Sky’ exude pure pleasure. They’re perfectly-crafted songs wrapped in transcendent guitar strains. It’s the furthest a guitar participant has gone with that Hank Williams strategy to songwriting. Each notice Dickey performed unfolded as a part of a ravishing melody; ‘Jessica’ and ‘In Reminiscence of Elizabeth Reed’ are the best rock instrumentals of all time. Their composed preparations are so lyrical. For a guitarist, they’re extremely inspiring, and greater than 50 years after he wrote them, they’re nonetheless essentially the most enjoyable to play stay. He set the bar impossibly excessive.”

Stachela can also be among the many throng whose idea of tone is derived partially from the ABB.

“My strategy is just like Dickey’s in that I plug an SG or Les Paul straight right into a cranked classic tube amp – normally a blackface Tremendous Reverb or Live performance from the ’60s. It actually comes right down to the PAF sound – the muscle and the magic within the readability, going from clear to soiled simply by turning the guitar’s knobs. When the tone is sweet, you may play all evening.”
Charlie Starr (VG, June ’24), guitarist within the ABB-adjacent Blackberry Smoke, cited Betts’ solo on “It’s Not My Cross To Bear” as significantly influential to him.

“It’s proper after Duane’s solo, and is available in like a rattling twister!” Starr stated. “It’s so highly effective, excellent… and a primary instance of early Dickey. His soloing was so fierce, however step by step integrated extra of the gorgeous nation vibe that grew to become a trademark, like in ‘Lengthy Time Gone’ and ‘Freeway Name.’”

Different favorites cited by Starr embody “Jessica,” “In Reminiscence Of Elizabeth Reed,” and “Les Brers In A Minor,” which he calls, “…a number of the most necessary rock-and-roll music ever recorded. Guitar gamers will likely be studying these elements till the tip of time. Dickey’s type and enjoying have been simply fantastically musical. His guitar was as lovely a voice as Gregg’s singing – ringing like a bell or trumpet. And he didn’t simply play licks when he soloed – he performed melodies, firstly. You may sing his solos.”

VG music editor/contributor Pete Prown famous that, as in most two-guitar bands, one participant in ABB sometimes obtained extra consideration.

“Duane obtained extra adulation, however Dickey was clearly a monster. He was a deep-pocket rhythm guitarist and his lead work was constructed on rolling constructions of triplets, fats wrist vibrato, and clear bends, typically delivered in a significant and minor blues scale – or the Dorian mode. And like Eric Clapton, Dickey enunciated each notice, so his enjoying was approachable by youthful gamers and college students. One explicit fan was Bob Dylan, who name-checked him within the lyrics to ‘Homicide Most Foul,’ writing, “Play Oscar Peterson, play Stan Getz/Play ‘Blue Sky,’ play Dickey Betts.’”

Kienzle, who caught the ABB at its peak in that 1971 Pittsburgh present, recalled the affect they constituted of the primary notice.

“Opening with an explosive ‘Statesboro Blues,’ the twin-guitar passages have been breathtaking, Duane and Dickey separating to spin incendiary, articulate, and creative solos,” he stated. “They usually completed with a ‘Whipping Submit’ that transported everybody – band and viewers – to a different dimension. These of us lucky sufficient to be there share a particular privilege.”

“Dickey was, by extrapolation, a founding father of the southern-rock style,” famous VG “Fretprints” columnist and have author Wolf Marshall. “He’ll be remembered for growing the harmony-guitar type because the sound grew to become embedded in popular culture. After Duane’s loss of life, he grew to become a commanding, multifaceted guitarist, far past the notion of an Allman sidekick. Duane put a finer level on it when he stated, ‘I’m the well-known guitar participant, however Dickey is the nice one.’

“As composer and singer, Dickey rose to the event by writing the band’s most-beloved instrumentals, ‘Jessica’ and ‘In Reminiscence of Elizabeth Reed,’ and ‘Ramblin’ Man.’ One can’t consider southern rock with out the picture of Dickey coming to thoughts.”

“Dickey’s fluent major-key runs and crystal-clear Les Paul tones broke new floor and impressed generations,” added VG contributor Tom Guerra. “Within the early days of the ABB, his melodic solos have been the right counterpoint to Duane’s bluesy slide barrages. By bringing collectively jazz, blues, swing, and nation stylings, the group outlined a brand new style, and classifying them as southern rock doesn’t inform half the story.

“When Duane and Berry died, Dickey grabbed the reigns and stored the band alive,” he added. “I first noticed him play in ’79, and from the primary notice it was clear Dickey was the bandleader, conducting the group’s tight preparations with stern precision.”

Songwriter/guitarist J.D. Simo added, “Dickey modified all the things. His combination of early rock and roll with Bob Wills’ psychedelic abandon stood out amongst a number of the most-influential guitarists to ever grace the planet. My coronary heart goes out to his household, particularly my soul brother, Duane.”

This text initially appeared in VG’s July 2024 challenge. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.