Dickey Betts, RIP
[I wrote this with the album Brothers and Sisters on. It would make my day if you read it the same way.]
The term ‘Southern Rock’ was always a bit of misnomer. The signature bands of the genre not only had differing influences – everything from the obvious country and blues to the less obvious British invasion and jazz – they often had very different instrumental lineups.
Lynyrd Skynyrd, for example, was the only major Southern Rock band with a pianist in the main lineup of the band.
The Marshall Tucker Band had Jerry Eubanks, whose saxophone and flute were regularly featured.
Genre pioneer Charlie Daniels was, quite famously, a fiddle player.
And The Allman Brothers Band had Gregg Allman playing organ.
But the true signature sound of Southern Rock was the dual – and sometimes triple – guitar attack.
Dickey Betts, alongside the virtuoso Duane Allman, completely reinvented the idea of two lead guitars. The traditional lead/rhythm was replaced by two leads going back and forth with each other.
You can hear this sound on Layla, with Duane and Eric Clapton, and on most of the Skynyrd catalogue featuring Gary Rossington and Allen Collins.
But in its purest form, listen to Dickey Betts and Duane Allman on ‘Blue Sky’, a Betts composition. In particular, listen to them in this extraordinary recording at Stony Brook University*:
* for reasons I’ve never understood, Southern Rock was always hugely popular in the New York suburbs, and Long Island in particular
And then, Duane Allman died.
Surely, a band that loses its leader, the gifted musician whose session work got The Allman Brothers Band a record contract in the first place, would mean the end of that band?
But the Allman Brothers had another Allman, Gregg, who was a great songwriter and an extraordinary vocalist.
And they had a third miracle: Dickey Betts. On the first album after Duane’s death, ‘Brothers and Sisters’, all he did was write two classics: Rambling Man and Jessica.
Rambling Man was by far ABB’s biggest hit. And Jessica has remained a classic rock staple.
Dickey Betts is in the conversation of most underrated classic rock star. Maybe it’s because he was in a band called The Allman Brothers and his name wasn’t Allman. Maybe it’s because the lost promise of Duane Allman and the celebrity journey of Gregg Allman overshadowed him.
But Forrest Richard Betts was a true classic rock Renaissance man. He was a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist. He wrote songs that can be deemed country, blues, rock, and jazz. He was trying to make a living, and doing the best he can. And his best was pretty damned good.
Rest in Peace, Dickey Betts.
--
Quick personal story: when I was a pre-teen falling in love with music, me and my friends went to a pizza joint in Massapequa Park called Bi-County Pizza. This place had the worst jukebox. Disco crap like ‘Ring My Bell’ and Donna Summer. There were exactly two rock songs on this jukebox: Third Time Lucky by Foghat. And Blue Sky by the Allman Brothers Band. As you might imagine, we played Blue Sky A LOT.
