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VA - In Memory Of Dickey Betts - 2025-02-28 - Macon, GA | Heavybootz

In Memory Of Dickey Betts - 2025-02-28 - Macon, GA

In Memory Of Dickey Betts [Various Artists]
Macon City Auditorium, Macon, GA
2025-02-28

aud (Recorded and Transferred by : Kevin T)
mp3 @ 320 [413 mb]
sq: EX-

__Set 1__

01 Intro

02 Hot ‘Lanta [w/ Oteil Burbridge]

03 Statesboro Blues [w/ Oteil Burbridge & Jimmy Hall]

04 Nothing You Can Do [w/ Jimmy Hall]

05 Long Time Gone [w/ Charlie Starr]

06 Southbound [w/ Chuck Leavell, Charlie Starr & Oteil Burbridge]

07 Melissa [w/ Devon Allman, Chuck Leavell & Oteil Burbridge]

08 Nobody Knows [w/ Devon Allman & Oteil Burbridge]

09 Jessica [w/ Devon Allman & Chuck Leavell] 

__Set 2__

10 Dickey Dedications

11 Pony Boy [w/ Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi & Chuck Leavell]

12 No One Left To Run With [w/ Jimmy Hall & Chuck Leavell]

13 Rain [w/ Chuck Leavell]

14 Seven Turns [w/ Devon Allman]

15 Back Where It All Begins [w/ Warren Haynes & Devon Allman]

16 Soulshine [w/ Warren Haynes & Chuck Leavell]

17 In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed [w/ Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge & Chuck Leavell]

18 Midnight In Harlem [w/ Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Oteil Burbridge & Lamar Williams Jr.]

19 Blue Sky [w/ Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Oteil Burbridge, Chuck Leavell & Charlie Starr] 

20 Revival [w/ Derek Trucks, Lamar Williams Jr., Chuck Leavell, Oteil Burbridge & Jimmy Hall]

Encore:

21 Encore Break: Duane Thank Yous 

22 Ramblin’ Man [w/ Everyone Except Oteil Burbridge]

tt: 3:00:22

In Memory of Dickey Betts 

House Band:

Duane Betts -Guitar

Johnny Stachela -Guitar

Tyler Greenwell -Drums

Mark Greenburg -Drums

Frank Lombardi -Percussion 

Pedro Arevalo -Bass

John Gintey -Keyboards

Maddie Schell -Vocals

Erika Orbison -Vocals

Guests:

Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Oteil Burbridge, Chuck Leavell, 

Devon Allman, Charlies Starr, Jimmy Hall, Lamar Williams Jr.

 

 

We mentioned that we had been talking about Dickey Betts as perhaps our favourite guitarist with the Allman Brothers with his country influences and signature style and compositions like the legendary instrumental beloved of petrol heads (in the UK) ‘Jessica' and now comes this . . . . .  

Dickey Betts

 

Dickey Betts’ melodic sense, rooted in the “string music” (bluegrass) that his family played in his youth, produced memorable lines which Duane jumped on, using his great ear and technical facility to add harmony and counterpoint on the fly. This sympatico musical relationship helped create one of the greatest guitar partnerships in rock and roll history. Their partnership rewrote the book on how two rock guitarists could play together, just as Jaimoe and Butch Trucks did for drummers. 

Betts’ ideas and concepts formed the Allman Brothers Band’s backbone and musical DNA, setting the template for so much of what we now know as Americana. His fantastic songwriting included “Blue Sky,” “Jessica,” “Ramblin’ Man” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” plus late-era classics like “Seven Turns” and the majestic “Nobody Knows,” tunes that seamlessly incorporate blues, country and jazz into their rock and roll.

He had a wide musical palette and a compositional sense that sparkled in everything he played, from the pithy fills on Gregg Allman’s “Melissa” to the burning solo breakdown on At Fillmore East’s “You Don’t Love Me” — a molten solo often credited to Duane — to the fiery psychedelic jazz-rock of “Liz Reed,” which Haynes described as “Django Reinhardt on acid.”

“Dickey’s a real Charles Bronson type,” 

Gregg Allman said. “It doesn’t take long after you meet the guy to realize that there are things he knows about himself that you’ll never know, so don’t even get close to his space. Which is fine.”

- Tidal

Photo by Kirk West

Don's Tunes

Jessica plus . . . . . . . . The ABB argument continues!

 

Dickey Betts & Brian Setzer 11-20-84 late night TV performance

and not an Allman brother in sight . . . . . . for the ABB arguments from Merkins who are choosing to argue with me about the value of the Allman Brothers and my saying it was "that Southern schtick" and I didn’t rate them . . . . look how happy Dickey is here!? Listen to his playing here! Better than any during his time with the ABB which he was a founder member of!!! . . . . gus, guys, GUYS it’s just an opinion! calm down! Stop reaching for your Smith & Wesson 45s!

Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers plays two songs, joined on the second tune by Stray Cat Brian Setzer (playing a signature Pete Townshend Schecter), in a performance filmed in Passaic, New Jersey 11-20-84 and later broadcast on late night TV. Also in the band is pianist and Allman Brothers vet Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones, Sea Level), and bassist Kenny Aaronson (HSAS, Bob Dylan, Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Rick Derringer). You can find more of this set by searching BetaGems for "Brian Setzer & Dickey Betts 11-20-84 PT 2 late night TV performance."

Top Hat Crew "Live Music Archivists"

 

DICKEY BETTS : December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024

Pony BoyDickey Betts I Saw The Light (Live At The Ultrasonic Studios 1974)

Dickey Betts and the Great American Music Show live at Ultrasonic Studios: 3rd November 1974

Dickey Betts, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the Allman Brothers Band whose piercing solos, beloved songs and hell-raising spirit defined the band and Southern rock in general, died Thursday morning at the age of 80.

Alongside brothers Duane and Gregg Allman, bassist Berry Oakley, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson, Betts founded the Allman Brothers Band in March 1969. The band created its own sound, one that mixed blues traditions with the grit of rock n’ roll and, when onstage, borrowed from jazz for lengthy improvisations. 

Betts was responsible for writing many of The Allman Brothers Band’s most well-known and commercially successful hits, including “Blue Sky,” “Ramblin’ Man” and the Grammy Award-winning instrumental “Jessica.” Betts composed the aforementioned instrumental jam vehicle “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” and “Revival,” plus other ABB favorites like “Southbound.” His contributions were crucial to the band’s success, particularly on subsequent albums like Eat a Peach and Brothers And Sisters. 

Prior to The Allman Brothers Band’s hiatus in 1976, Betts ventured into solo endeavors, releasing his debut solo album Highway Call in 1974. Despite reunions and splits within the ABB, Betts maintained his musical journey with projects like the Dickey Betts Band and Dickey Betts & Great Southern, continuing to captivate audiences with his signature guitar stylings and recognizable vocals. 

Credit: Kirk West/Getty Images

Forrest Richard Betts (December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer best known as a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band.

Early in his career, he collaborated with Duane Allman, introducing melodic twin guitar harmony and counterpoint which "rewrote the rules for how two rock guitarists can work together, completely scrapping the traditional rhythm/lead roles to stand toe to toe".[ Following Allman's death in 1971, Betts assumed sole lead guitar duties during the peak of the group's commercial success in the mid-1970s. Betts was the writer and singer on the Allmans' hit single "Ramblin' Man". He also gained renown for composing instrumentals, with one appearing on most of the group's albums, including "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Jessica" (which was later used as the theme to Top Gear).

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, they broke up a second time, during which time Betts formed the group Betts, Hall, Leavell and Trucks, which lasted until 1984. A third reformation occurred in 1989, with Warren Haynes now joining Betts on guitar.

Betts was ousted from the band in 2000 over a conflict regarding his continued drug and alcohol use; 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 in April 2024, Jaimoe is the last living founder of the Allman Brothers Band.

He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and also won a best rock performance Grammy Award with the band for "Jessica" in 1996. 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. (Wikipedia)

Dickey Betts Great Southern tribute here at URBANASPIRINES

and here

Dickey Betts at BUTTERBOY

Dickey Betts Great Southern live 1977 - Heavy Bootz

Fly high now Dickey

Heavy Bootz

Dickey Betts on the Allman’s | ROLLING STONE - David Browne

 

Dickey Betts talking about an incident in 1993, when Betts, along with Bob Dylan, the Band, Stephen Stills and others, had been invited to play at a Bill Clinton inauguration event. Betts’ performance was shaky – the house band was so inept, he says, it could barely get through “Southbound,” a song from his years with the Allman Brothers Band. Backstage, Betts recalls, he met “a real smartass in a three-piece suit” who told him, “ ’You got to do some woodshedding to play with the big boys.’ ” Betts became enraged, slugging the guy and knocking him onto Dylan, who was napping on a couch. Betts was afraid he had hit a congressman, but it turned out he was another act’s drug dealer. “It was really a relief,” Betts says. “I was worried about the police comin’ to arrest me.” 

The Allman Brothers Band were among rock’s hardest-living groups, and Betts more than lived up to his side of that deal – from taking swings at two cops in 1976 to instigating an Allmans band brawl 20 years later. Trashed hotel rooms and arrests are as much a part of his legend as signature songs like “Ramblin’ Man” and “Jessica.” With his horseshoe mustache and moody-cowboy image, Betts was so charismatic that Cameron Crowe based one of the central characters in Almost Famous – Stillwater guitarist Russell Hammond, played by Billy Crudup – on Betts. “Cru-dup’s look, and much more, is a tribute to Dickey,” Crowe says. “Dickey seemed like a quiet guy with a huge amount of soul, possible danger and playful recklessness behind his eyes. He was a huge presence.” 

In 1976, the Allmans broke up, Betts telling Rolling Stone, “There is no way we can work with Gregg again. Ever.” Gregg had testified in court against his drug dealer and road manager, which the bandmates saw as a betrayal. After a three-year reunion that ended in 1982, they re-formed in 1989, and Betts soon became the driving force again, especially after Allman relapsed. “I have all the respect for Gregg Allman,” says Betts. “He was a leader when it came to talent. Duh! But he was never the leader-type personality.” But Betts wasn’t easy to work with either. Tired of dealing with his bossiness, drinking issues and unpredictability, the three other founders – Allman, Jaimoe and Trucks – wrote him a letter after a series of rocky shows in 2000, saying he was out of the band until he sobered up. “He would say, ‘I need to go get myself straight,’ and that’s what he would do,” Jaimoe says. “This time he didn’t do it. He didn’t get fired. He quit.” 

Betts disagrees, saying he was kicked out thanks to “a whole clandestine business thing” that stemmed from the moment he asked manager Bert Holman for an audit of their finances. “Big fuckin’ mistake on my part,” Betts says. (Holman says he has no recollection of that request.) Whatever the case, Betts was awarded an undisclosed financial settlement and his walking papers. Betts neglects to discuss that period in detail (“I don’t want to say anything bad about Gregg”), but he speculates that without all the dysfunction, the Allmans might have gotten even more popular – as revered as the Grateful Dead. “After Jerry [Garcia] passed away, we were right in the position to move into that next-step thing,” he says. “But everyone was fucking my band up. Gregg wanted horns. And it was just so crazy.”

- David Browne  / Rolling Stone

Photo: John Atashian

 Jessica - Dickey Betts - 11/12/1984 - Capitol Theatre

This weeks birthdays: HAPPY EIGHTIETH DICKEY BETTS

Happy 80th birthday to Dickey Betts!

 

“I think with my dad being a fiddle player I kind of naturally liked the uplifting aspects of music. But I was in a band with Gregg Allman, who is basically a melancholy kind of writer, the beautiful melancholy that Gregg would come with. So, I’m looking at what we have here and I’m thinking how do you balance this out? I don’t want to write a song that makes you want to go hang yourself in the bathroom. So, I would really make an effort to write more up songs, to balance the band out. That kind of influenced the way I wrote.”

“Duane and I had an understanding, like an old soul kind of understanding of let’s play together. Duane would say, ‘Man, I get so jealous of you sometimes when you burn (a guitar solo) off and I have to follow it,’ and we would joke about it. So that’s kind of Duane and mine’s relationship. It was a real understanding. Like, ‘Come one, this is a helluva band, let’s not hotdog it up’ and that was our understanding, and it was an understanding from previous years of experience. That’s kind of amateur shit, you know, when you start trying to upstage everybody? That was kind of the way the thing built momentum. And then I wrote ‘Elizabeth Reed’ and instead of Duane being jealous of it he said, ‘That is the greatest thing, man.’

Wade Tatangelo / Herald Tribune

 

Photo: Ebet Roberts

Elizabeth Reed - The Dickey Betts & Great Southern band

Reelin InTheYears

Elizabeth Reed  - The Allman Bros with Greg, Duane and Berry, Butch Jai and Tom