Dickey Betts, a renowned guitarist and co-founder of Allman Brothers Band, passes away at age 80

At the age of 80, Dickey Betts passed away on Thursday. He was really born a rambling guy.

At 16, he ran away from home to join a circus, where he later rose to fame as an Allman Brothers Band guitarist who toured the globe. He was the writer of “Ramblin’ Man,” the group’s greatest song, and he continued touring until he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

 

David Spero, Betts’s 20-year manager, confirmed over the phone that Betts passed away at his Osprey, Florida, home. According to Spero, he had chronic obstructive lung disease and had been fighting cancer for over a year.

“He died away gently, surrounded by his whole family. He said that they didn’t believe he was in any discomfort.

In the original Allman Brothers Band, Betts and Duane Allman split lead guitar responsibilities, which contributed to the band’s distinctive sound and the emergence of Southern rock as a new genre. The group created a unique sound by fusing blues, country, R&B, and jazz with ’60s rock. This style was influential to many well-known performers, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Phish, Jason Isbell, and Chris Stapleton.

In an Instagram post on Thursday, blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa said, “My first concert was Dickey Betts at Coleman’s in Rome, New York in 1983,” acknowledging that Betts was the inspiration behind his preferred electric guitar type. “Made me want a Les Paul and blew my mind.”

Members of the Allman Brothers Band’s extended family also sent tributes.

Derek Trucks, the guitarist, and Susan Tedeschi, his wife and bandmate, said on their Instagram account that Betts was “one of best to ever do it.”

In 1999, Trucks became a member of Allman Brothers Band. One of the two original drummers of the group was his uncle, Butch Trucks.

Berry, the bassist Son of founding bassist Berry Oakley of Allman Brothers, Duane Oakley, paid tribute to his “Uncle Dickey” on Facebook, writing, “I don’t think I would be a touring musician if it weren’t for him.” In addition to being remembered for the amazing life he had, the cat in the hat will always be revered for the amazing music he left behind for us to enjoy and cherish.

The Allmans were a groundbreaking jam band that broke the mold of the three-minute pop song by playing extended pieces live and on record. They were founded in 1969. The band gained notoriety for being a Deep South interracial combo.

Motorcycle crashes claimed the lives of Duane Allman in 1971 and Berry Oakley the following year. As a result, Betts and Gregg, Allman’s younger brother, were left to head the group; nevertheless, their constant disagreements and drug using added to the dysfunction. The band experienced more than a dozen lineup changes and at least two breakups before reuniting.

The Allman Brothers Band won a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2012 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2000, Betts departed the group permanently. In addition, he performed both solo and with his own band, Great Southern, which included guitarist Duane Betts, his son.

Born on December 12, 1943, Forrest Richard Betts grew up in the Bradenton, Florida, vicinity of the route 41 he wrote about in the song “Ramblin’ Man.” The family had been in the region since the middle of the 1800s.

Betts, a Canadian fiddler’s descendent, was exposed to string ensembles even before he entered school. He played the banjo and ukulele before concentrating on the electric guitar since it attracted females. He also acquired a passion for Western swing, bluegrass, and country music. However, he often used an acoustic guitar for songwriting.

Because his father was a construction worker, Betts had to transfer schools often. These experiences served as the basis for his later novel, “Ramblin’ Man.” When he signed on to perform in a band at the circus, it was his first significant road trip.

After returning home, he and Oakley formed a group that later evolved into the band Second Coming, located in Jacksonville, Florida. Betts and Oakley had a jam session one night in 1969 with Duane Allman, who was already well-known as a session player, and his younger brother. The Allman Brothers Band was founded by them both.

The Allman Brothers Band’s official website released a statement on Thursday stating that Betts “excelled at anything that caught his attention.” “He had a strong passion for everything in life, including golf, karate, boxing, fishing, hunting, boating, and songwriting.”

After relocating to Macon, Georgia, the trio put out their self-titled first album in 1969. The album “Idlewild South” was released a year later, with Betts’ instrumental piece “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” serving as its standout track. The song quickly gained popularity at concerts.

Presently regarded as one of the best live albums of the classic rock period, the 1971 double CD “At Fillmore East” marked the Allmans’ commercial breakthrough and solidified their reputation as performers by showing the special guitar interplay between Allman and Betts. Allman’s bluesy slide guitar playing and Betts’s country-tinged solos and vocals created a contrast between their talents. Their musicianship was particularly striking when it was stacked in harmony.

Butch Trucks and John Lee “Jaimoe” Johanson, a Black musician from Mississippi who contributed to the integration of Southern rock, were the other two drummers in the trio.

Four days after “Fillmore” was certified as a gold album, Duane Allman passed away, but the band persisted and the number of fans kept rising. With Betts singing the lead and adding twang to the Top 40, “Ramblin’ Man” from the 1973 album “Brothers and Sisters” reached No. 1 on the charts. The song’s conclusion was influenced by Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla,” an earlier smash song that had featured Duane Allman, while the song’s start suggested a fiddle theme.

“Ramblin’ Man” peaked at number two on the singles charts, but Cher’s “Half Breed,” which she eventually married Gregg Allman, dethroned it from the top. Betts’ piece turned into a classic-rock standard, and for decades thereafter, the sound of his soaring guitar could be heard in local taverns throughout the nation.

The Allmans’ first Top Ten success, “Ramblin’ Man,” was followed by the memorable 7 ½-minute instrumental piece “Jessica,” released in 1972, which further demonstrated Betts’ talent for melodic hooks and became an FM radio mainstay. With a meticulous approach to songwriting, Betts took two months to write “Jessica,” which drew inspiration from the compositions of legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt.

In addition, Betts contributed lyrics to a few of the Allmans’ other well-known hits, such as “Southbound” and “Blue Sky.”

After lying dormant for the most of the 1980s, Betts and Warren Haynes’ guitar trio reunited in 1990 to start the Allman Brothers Band’s resurgence.

Over the next ten years, Betts continued to tour and release three more studio albums, but in 2000, he and the Allman Brothers had a contentious breakup. The guitarist’s comrades put him on leave from their summer tour and blamed “creative differences” in a statement.

Betts said that via a fax, Gregg Allman and the other members conveyed the information, meaning that he need drug usage therapy. Betts filed a lawsuit and reached an arbitration settlement with the band. The split was irreversible. In 2017, Butch Trucks and Gregg Allman passed away.

Betts continued to perform with his own group after permanently splitting from the Allmans, and he and his wife, Donna, resided in the Bradenton region.