Dickey Betts, the legendary Allman Brothers Band singer-guitarist, passes away at the age of 80 from cancer

Dickey Betts, a guitarist and Allman Brothers Band co-founder, passed away, his longtime manager told CNN in a family statement on Thursday. Betts was eighty years old.

The statement said, “The Betts family announces the peaceful passing of Forrest Richard ‘Dickey’ Betts with profound sadness and heavy hearts.” Surrounded by his family, the iconic singer, composer, bandleader, and patriarch of the family died away early today at his Osprey, Florida, home. Dickey was a man who lived big, and the world will miss him. The family requests prayers at this trying time and that you respect their privacy in the days to come. We will provide further details when it is suitable.

Manager David Spero revealed to Rolling Stone that Dickey Betts suffered from both cancer and chronic obstructive lung disease.

West Palm Beach, Florida, native Betts was influenced by bluegrass, country, and eventually rock & roll in her early years of listening to music. Together with brothers Gregg and Duane Allman, Betts, bassist Berry Oakley, drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe, and other musicians helped shape the sound and style of Southern rock in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1969, the group formed the Allman Brothers Band.

“Ramblin’ Man,” the group’s greatest success, was written and sung by Betts. When he first created the song, he had another singer in mind for the vocals.

In 2020, Betts said, “I was going to send ‘Ramblin’ Man’ to Johnny Cash,” later adding that he “thought it was a great song for him.”

However, everyone enjoyed that song. Before we recorded it or anything, even my dad thought the song was good. And I’m thinking that I should give this to Johnny Cash to see if he’d be interested in doing it,” he said. “We needed another song for the record, said producer Johnny Sandlin, and he asked if I had any.” “I got one, but I was going to send it to Nashville so Cash could record it,” I said. Let’s hear it, he said. Then, “No, that’s what we have to do.”

Betts also wrote the popular Allman Brothers songs “Blue Sky” and “Jessica.”

The group suffered tragedy when Oakley was murdered in a motorbike collision one year later, and Duane Allman perished in a motorcycle accident in 1971. The band split up and reformed many times due to creative disagreements and drug usage within the group, but Betts and Gregg Allman eventually emerged as its leaders.

Recording Artist Dickey Betts at the Gibson Guitar Factory’s May 19, 2014, press conference honoring the 1959 Les Paul Gibson Custom Southern Rock homage. Nashville, TN. – Rick Diamond || Pexels

Recording Artist Dickey Betts at the Gibson Guitar Factory’s May 19, 2014, press conference honoring the 1959 Les Paul Gibson Custom Southern Rock homage. Nashville, TN. – Rick Diamond from Getty Pictures

The Allman Brothers Band was on tour in 1973, and 16-year-old Cameron Crowe accompanied them for a Rolling Stone cover story. This experience served as the basis for Crowe’s Oscar-winning 2000 film, “Almost Famous.” Crowe said in 2017 that Billy Crudup’s main rock star persona is “a tribute” to Betts.

In 2000, Betts announced his departure from the Allman Brothers Band in a well reported breakup. While the band performed for over 15 more years and put out one more studio album, Betts went on the road with his Great Southern group, which included his son Duane, and put out another studio album of original songs. 2014 saw Betts’ retirement.

Betts’ “extraordinary guitar playing alongside guitarist Duane Allman created a unique dual guitar signature sound that became the signature sound of the genre known as Southern Rock,” according to an official statement made by the Allman Brothers Band later on Friday.

The statement went on, “He was passionate about everything in life, whether it was music, songwriting, fishing, hunting, boating, golf, karate, or boxing.” “Dickey was completely focused on and very good at anything that piqued his interest.”

In 2020, Betts responded to a question about his favorite thing about music in the Sarasota Herald Tribune, saying it was mostly the impact it made on his audience.

“What the music did for the crowds is what I like most about it,” he said. “They found more meaning in the music than I did. I find it fascinating how the crowd at concerts can almost completely lose themselves in another planet.