Dickey Betts, who died Thursday at age 80, really was born a rambling man.
He left home at age 16 to join the circus and became a renowned guitarist touring the world with the Allman Brothers Band. He wrote the group’s biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man”, and remained on the road until reaching Rock & Roll the Hall of Fame.
Betts died at his home in Osprey, Florida, his manager of 20 years, David Spero, said by phone. He had been battling cancer for more than a year and had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Spero said.
“He was surrounded by his entire family and passed away peacefully. They didn’t think he was in pain,” he said.
Betts shared lead guitar duties with Duane Allman in the original Allman Brothers Band to help give the group its unique sound and create a new genre, Southern rock. The band mixed blues, country, R&B and jazz with 60s rock to produce a distinctive sound that has influenced a number of important artists, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Phish, Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton, among many others.
“My first show was Dickey Betts at Coleman’s in Rome, New York in 1983,” blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa said in an Instagram post on Thursday, crediting Betts with inspiring his favorite model of electric guitar. . “It surprised me and made me want a Les Paul.”
Other tributes came from members of the Allman Brothers Band’s extended family.
Guitarist Derek Trucks and his wife and bandmate Susan Tedeschi posted on their Instagram account that Betts was “one of the best to ever do it.”
Trucks joined the Allman Brothers Band in 1999. His uncle Butch Trucks was one of the band’s two founding drummers.
Bassist Berry Duane Oakley, son of founding Allman Brothers bassist Berry Oakley, paid tribute to his “Uncle Dickey” on Facebook, saying, “If it weren’t for him, I don’t think I would be a touring musician. The Cat in the Hat will never be forgotten and will always be honored not only for the wonderful life he lived, but for the wonderful music he left for us all to share and remember.”
Founded in 1969, the Allmans were a pioneering jam band, upending the traditional formula of three-minute pop songs by performing long compositions in concert and on records. The band also distinguished itself as a biracial group from the Deep South.
Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident in 1971, and Berry Oakley died in a motorcycle accident the following year. This left Betts and Allman’s younger brother Gregg as band leaders, but they often clashed and substance abuse caused further dysfunction. The band broke up at least twice before reforming and had more than a dozen lineups.
The Allman Brothers Band was introduced into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Betts left the group for good in 2000. He also played solo and with his own band Great Southern, which included his son, guitarist Duane Betts.
Forrest Richard Betts was born on December 12, 1943 and raised in the Bradenton, Florida area, near Highway 41, which he sang about in “Ramblin’ Man.” His family had lived in the area since the mid-19th century.
A descendant of Canadian violinists, Betts listened to string bands before he even started school. He developed a taste for country, bluegrass, and Western swing, and played the ukulele and banjo before focusing on electric guitar because it impressed girls. But he usually composed his songs on an acoustic guitar.
Betts changed schools frequently because his father worked in construction, and these memories later inspired him to write “Ramblin’ Man.” His first big trip came when he joined the circus to play in a band.
He returned home and with Oakley joined a group that became the Jacksonville, Florida band Second Coming. One night in 1969, Betts and Oakley played with Duane Allman, already a successful musician, and his younger brother. Together they formed the Allman Brothers Band.
Betts “excelled at everything that caught his attention,” according to a statement posted Thursday on the Allman Brothers Band’s official website. “He was passionate about life, whether it was music, songwriting, fishing, hunting, boating, golf, karate or boxing.”
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 one of the show’s favorites. .
The 1971 double album “At Fillmore East,” now considered one of the greatest live albums of the classic rock era, was the Allmans’ commercial breakthrough and cemented their 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 pulled the band into country. When in harmony, his playing was especially distinctive.
The group also had two drummers – Butch Trucks and John Lee “Jaimoe” Johanson, a black musician from Mississippi who helped integrate Southern rock.
Duane Allman died four days after “Fillmore” was certified gold, but the band continued and the audience continued to grow. The 1973 album “Brothers and Sisters” reached No. 1 on the charts and featured “Ramblin’ Man,” with Betts singing the lead role and bringing the twang into the Top 40. The song’s intro suggested a violin melody, while the coda was inspired by “Layla” by Derek and the Dominos, a previous hit that featured Duane Allman.
“Ramblin’ Man” reached No. 2 on the singles charts and was held off the top spot by “Half Breed” by Cher, who later married Gregg Allman. Betts’ songwriting became a classic rock standard, with his guitar reverberating in neighborhood bars across the country for decades.
“Ramblin’ Man” was the Allmans’ only Top Ten hit, but Betts’ catchy 7 1/2-minute instrumental composition “Jessica,” recorded in 1972, also showcased his talent for melodic hooks and became a radio staple. FM. Meticulous in his songwriting approach, Betts spent two months composing “Jessica,” which was inspired by the music of the great jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt.
Betts also wrote or co-wrote some of the Allmans’ other best-loved songs, including “Blue Sky” and “Southbound.”
Inactive for most of the 1980s, the Allman Brothers Band launched a comeback in 1990, with Warren Haynes joining Betts on guitar.
Betts recorded three more studio albums and toured with the band over the next decade, but had an acrimonious split from the Allman Brothers in 2000. His bandmates suspended the guitarist from their summer tour and issued a statement blaming “creative differences.”
Betts said Gregg Allman and the other members faxed the news, suggesting he needed treatment for substance abuse. Betts took legal action and settled with the band in arbitration. The separation was permanent. 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.
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Dickey Betts’ name. It’s Dickey Betts, not Dickie Betts.
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