Allman Brothers Co-founder, Guitarist Dickey Betts Dies at 80
Guitar legend Dickey
Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest
hit, “Ramblin’ Man,” has died. He was 80.
The Rock & Roll Hall
of Famer died at his home in Osprey, Florida, David Spero, Betts’
manager of 20 years, confirmed. Betts had been battling cancer for more
than a year and had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Spero said.
“He was surrounded by his whole family and he passed peacefully. They didn’t think he was in any pain,” Spero said by phone.
Betts shared lead guitar duties with Duane Allman in the original Allman
Brothers Band to help give the group its distinctive sound and create a
new genre — Southern rock. Acts ranging from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Kid Rock
were influenced by the Allmans’ music, which combined the blues,
country, R&B and jazz with ‘60s rock.
Founded in 1969, the Allmans were a pioneering jam band, trampling the
traditional notion of three-minute pop songs by performing lengthy
compositions in concert and on record. The band was also notable as a
biracial group from the Deep South
Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident in 1971, and founding member
Berry Oakley was killed in a motorcycle crash a year later. That left
Betts and Allman’s younger brother Gregg as the band’s leaders, but they
frequently clashed, and substance abuse caused further dysfunction. The
band broke up at least twice before reforming, and has had more than a
dozen lineups.
The Allman Brothers Band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame in 1995 and earned a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2012.
Betts left the group for good in 2000, and also played solo and with his
own band Great Southern, which included his son, guitarist Duane Betts.
Forrest Richard Betts was born Dec. 12, 1943, and was raised in the
Bradenton, Florida, area, near the highway 41 he sang about in “Ramblin’
Man.” His family had lived in area since the mid-19th century.
Betts grew up listening to country, bluegrass and Western swing, and
played the ukulele and banjo before focusing on the electric guitar
because it impressed girls. At 16 he left home for his first road trip,
joining the circus to play in a band.
He returned home, and with bassist Oakley joined a group that became the
Jacksonville, Florida-based band Second Coming. One night in 1969 Betts
and Oakley jammed with Duane Allman, already a successful session
musician, and his younger brother, and together they formed the Allman
Brothers Band.
The group moved to Macon, Georgia, and released a self-titled debut
album in 1969. A year later came the album “Idlewild South,” highlighted
by Betts’ instrumental composition “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” which
soon became a concert staple.
The 1971 double album “At Fillmore East,” now considered among the
greatest live albums of the classic rock era, was the Allmans’
commercial breakthrough and cemented their performing reputation by
showcasing the unique guitar interplay between Allman and Betts. Their
styles contrasted, with Allman playing bluesy slide guitar, while Betts’
solos and singing tugged the band toward country. When layered in
harmony, their playing was especially distinctive.
The group also had two drummers — “Jaimoe” Johanson and Butch Trucks.
Duane Allman died four days after “Fillmore” was certified as a gold
record, but the band carried on and crowds continued to grow. The 1973
album “Brothers and Sisters” rose to No. 1 on the charts and featured
“Ramblin' Man,” with Betts singing the lead and bringing twang to the
Top 40. The song reached No. 2 on the singles charts and was kept out of
the No. 1 spot by "Half Breed" by Cher, who later married Gregg Allman.
The soaring sound of Betts’ guitar on “Ramblin’ Man” reverberated in
neighborhood bars around the country for decades, and the song
underscored his knack for melodic hooks. “Ramblin’ Man” was the Allmans’
only Top Ten hit, but Betts’ catchy 7½-minute instrumental composition
“Jessica,” recorded in 1972, became an FM radio staple.
Betts also wrote or co-wrote some of the band’s other best-loved songs,
including “Blue Sky” and “Southbound.” In later years the group remained
a successful touring act with Betts and Warren Haynes on guitar. Gregg
Allman and Butch Trucks died in 2017.
After leaving the Allmans for good, Betts continued to play with his own
group and lived in the Bradenton area with his wife, Donna.
