RIP Dickey Betts Of The Allman Brothers, The Ramblin’ Man’s Journey Has Come To An End

*Photo of guitar legend Dickey Betts shamelessly taken from the internet and likely copyrighted

I had no sooner hit the “send” button on yesterday’s post containing our playlist compiled from rock songs from 1984 when I saw the news that former Allman Brothers Band lead guitar legend Dickey Betts had passed away at the ripe old age of 80. I’m not gonna lie, this one is gonna leave a mark. I had intended to listen to the new Pearl Jam today, but we’re in full Allman mode as a tribute to the man who wrote “Ramblin’ Man.” I’ve gotten through the Allman’s first two studio records, with Live At The Fillmore East – one of, if not the greatest live album ever – teed up next. In unrelated news the Rock Chick is gritting her teeth and rushing to get out of the house. I guess the Allman Brothers are more of a “guy” thing, like Pink Floyd but I digress…

Of the original lineup of the Allman Brothers, with Dickey now gone, there’s only one surviving member, drummer Jaimoe aka John Lee Johnson or Jai Johanny Johanson. Jaimoe has more nicknames than Deion Sanders. It was guitar legend Duane Allman who, with his brother Gregg (vocals/organ) who formed the Allman Brothers. Duane and Gregg had been knocking around in different bands for a while. If you’ve never heard the Hourglass song (Duane & Gregg’s early band) “Power Of Your Love,” you need to. The brothers ended up in California. Duane finally had enough and left. Gregg had to hang for a year…where he befriended singer/songwriter Jackson Browne. Duane ended up pulling a band together down in Florida. He recruited drummer Jaimoe first. Then came Barry Oakley on bass, Butch Trucks on drums as well. Duane wanted a different kind of band, he had a clear vision and he knew he needed a second lead guitar to fulfill his vision and eventually through Trucks he found Dickey Betts. And make no mistake this wasn’t a lead/rhythm guitar situation, both Duane and Dickey played dual leads. Duane’s legend is a bit bigger than Dickey’s but perhaps that’s because he died so young.

Eventually freed from the Hourglass contractual obligation Gregg joined his brother and the rest of the band in Florida. He was a little intimidated by the musicians in the band at first, but his brother told him to “sing his ass off” on a version of Muddy Waters’ “Trouble No More,” and uh, Gregg complied. This was in ’69 and by the end of the year they’d put out their first album, The Allman Brothers, followed in 1970 by one of my all time favorites, Idlewild South. Oddly enough, it wasn’t until I had graduated from college and moved down south to Ft. Smith, Arkansas that I purchased those two records. It’s hard to believe that it took me until my early 20s to find the Allman Brothers… although when I started listening to rock music in say, 1978, the Allmans were broken up.

While the Allman’s debut album consisted of songs written by Gregg Allman and a few covers, Idlewild South saw the debut of Dickey Betts as a songwriter. He contributed the epic instrumental “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed.” In their early days the Allmans used to practice in a cemetery and Dickey pulled the name off a tombstone, which is just damn cool. Dickey also contributed another song on the album, “Revival,” sung by Gregg that’s another all time fav. Although those first two albums are fabulous it wasn’t until their landmark live album, the aforementioned Live At the Fillmore East, that the Allmans became famous. By the time they recorded that live album their reputation as a live band was already immense.

Duane and Dickey – and the rest of the band – played the blues with a jazz ethos. There were long, extended guitar duels between Duane and Dickey that were borderline Miles Davis vibing off of John Coltrane. They’ve been described as “southern rock,” but they were so much more than that…although admittedly it took me briefly moving to the south to get into the Allmans. They’ve been described as a “jam band” but again, they were so much more than that. Many bands struggle to find one competent lead guitar player whereas the Allmans had two (and actually quite a few more if you look at their entire history). The live album was the only way to capture their magic conjured on stage vs a studio. For some bands it takes the live LP to break them.

Alas, tragedy was to hit the Allmans when in late ’71 Duane was killed in a motorcycle crash. Bassist Barry Oakley would suffer the same fate a year later. The Allmans soldiered through but Betts took more of a leadership role in the band and especially on stage. He was largely seen as the front man in the band, likely because Gregg was stuck sitting behind an organ. I think Gregg resented Betts assuming the leadership role in the band – a band with his name on it – and the rest of the Allman’s history was to be a tumultuous one.

Betts continued to develop as a songwriter. Many of his tunes have a country music vibe. But his songwriting credits are quite impressive from instrumentals “Les Brers In A Minor” and “Jessica” to “Ramblin’ Man” (the Allman Brothers biggest “hit”), “Blue Sky” and “Southbound.” After Brothers And Sisters in 1972, whose songs were predominantly written by Betts, Gregg dropped his solo-debut album Laid Back and the band began to splinter. Betts dropped his solo debut in 1974, Highway Call, but neither solo or with Great Southern, his side band, he never achieved the acclaim that Gregg’s solo stuff did.

The Allmans broke up in ’76, and reunited in the late 70s/early 80s, but finally called it quits again in 1982. I remember Allmans playing benefit shows for Jimmy Carter’s campaign. Jimmy Carter at a podium flanked by Dickey Betts and Gregg Allman was quite a sight. The Allman Brothers band lay dormant for a decade, until 1990. Dickey had started to put together a band that included Butch Trucks and Jaimoe and a newcomers Johnny Neal (keyboards), Warren Haynes (guitar) and Allen Woody (bass). I remember reading the band was going to be the Dickey Betts Band but Dickey realized they needed to get Gregg back in the fold and come back out as the Allman Brothers Band, a wise decision. The comeback album Seven Turns was an unexpected hit. Dickey wrote and sang the title track (with a haunting second vocal by Gregg) and co-wrote the hit “Good Clean Fun” with Gregg and Johnny Neal.

Under Dickey’s helm the Allmans began touring successfully and put out a string of great late career LPs: Seven Turns (1990), Shades Of Two Worlds (1991), and finally Where It All Begins (1994). That ’94 record was the biggest the Allmans had put out in a long time. That was the first tour I was able to see them live and watching Dickey and Warren Haynes (who was playing the Duane parts) spark off each other was nothing short of breathtaking. Many an air guitar was played that night.

Alas, the old tensions between Betts and Allman began to drag the band down. Betts was drinking pretty heavily (and perhaps was doing drugs as well) and Gregg had finally gotten sober. Betts kept getting into altercations. Eventually the band sent him a fax – demanding that he sober up/get clean and basically fired him. A band who he’d help found went on without him. Betts went on to record and tour solo but never found that solo fame he so richly deserved.

In 2017 we lost both Butch Trucks (alas, to suicide) and Gregg Allman from cancer. And now Dickey Betts has gone to that great concert hall in the sky. The Allman Brothers were a lot like brothers. They made fabulous, epic music but man, they also had a sibling like conflict underlying it all, especially Gregg and Dickey. Maybe if Duane had taken the bus that day in 1971 instead of riding his motorcycle, he could have kept more control over the band. They all worshiped him… Dickey named his kid Duane… but that’s consigned to the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” file.

While Dickey may have had demons – and who amongst the rock stars doesn’t? – his sublime guitar playing and great songwriting make him a legend in the rock n roll world. I was a fan of his and the Allman Brothers for a long time… still am. It’s a sad day here at the B&V labs. There will be many an Allman Brothers’ jam played in this house today…with perhaps a few sips of a sour mash along with the guitar solos… I might need to go buy some Southern Comfort today…

RIP Dickey Betts, guitar legend.

It’s a long, dark ride, take care of each other out there. Cheers.