Dickey Betts: The Lost Allman Brother

I've been on an ABB bender over the last few days, so this is great timing for me, Kenny.

"Betts, 73, unamicably parted ways with the Allmans in 2000; today he considers himself retired. He last played live with his band three years ago, at a 300-capacity club in Mill Valley, California..."

I remember him being in town and wish that I had figured out how to get into that show.

Saw DB & band  at the Ocean City Music Pier  a few  years back;  they were Great.

OC is the 'dry town'  near Atlantic City in Jerseyland.  The venue is actually lapped by the Ocean.

Fun times,  and thanks to a Zoner who had a spare Free ticket pair.

I loved some of the great shows over the last decade of the ABB because Derek became a monster and Otiel would bring it nightly - and Warren was more than adequate. Gregg and Butch kept it authentic and Jaimoe would at least show up (lol). Still - it never totally felt like the Allman Brothers Band without Dickey Betts. Its too bad it never happened again before it couldn't happen again.

Well, at this point, he is almost the "last" Allman Brother.   He and Jaimoe could get together, form a new ABB, and they would have more original members than the band calling itself Lynyrd Skynyrd.

walking into an allman show at a casino in reno circa '91, i was pretty blown away how hard they played.

Didn't the end happen after a Shoreline show, when they played a surprise show at the Fillmore the next night and Betts wasn't playing? I think Kimock sat in for him that night, and the whole place was abuzz about Dickie getting fired or quitting.

I remember that Sweetwater show and I can't remember why I didn't go. Probably it was because when I saw him a few years before at Slim's in SF it was depressingly bad. I heard that Sweetwater show was real good though. I wish I had gone.

The last time I saw him was about five years ago when he & his band stopped by TxR after playing the Marin Co. Fair and he sat in with Furthur. That was REALLY good.

After he played that night I ran into him while he was walking his little dog next to the then dark & desolate park behind the Grate Room. He went out of his way to say hello and shake my hand. He chatted with me for a couple of minutes and was very polite and kind.

I thought that was very cool.

I know many loved that last formation of the ABB with Warren & Derek, but I've always felt it was a terrible shame that Dickie wasn't with them, and that the sound was never quite right without him.

Hopefully I'll get another chance to see him.

ABB 1994 Mansfield, MA Tweeter Amphitheater

ABB 1995 Horde festival Shoreline Amphitheater

ABB 1996 Concord, CA Pavilion

Warrren doing Blue Sky with PLQ Orpheum Boston 2001

Duane Allman An anthology Disc 2 off the charts good with Duane playing with Aretha Franklin (The Weight) , King Curtis and Wilson Picket.

Saw that article, bittersweet but that motherfucking clock only goes one way.  For all of us. 

Pretty much all say DB is retired, this just another confirmation  

My years in DC were so great for so many reasons, not the least of which was availability of all the music. 

Heard Betts and band twice at the Birchmere and once at the Howard. 

Blistering good and instrumentally the closest to the original ABB of any of the others. No small part due to Pedro Arevejo channeling Berry Oakley and Aladort and Duane Betts bringing beefy slide and guitar. 

Like Jerry, one note note and you recognize Betts. Those great instrumentals.

Two songs instantly capsule the "counterculture" soundtrack for me after three measures: Dark Star and Liz Reed. 

Now THIS is a good thread - for anyone who needed an example.

had a dream a while back --Dickey & Jaimoe reformed the New New Allman Brothers

Forrest Richard MF Betts, for sure. 

Man, I'd love to see a vid of that Furthur sit in at TXR!

The sit in at TXR was the last time I saw Dickey.. Nice set although looks better on paper than the playing as I recall. He had come from playing The Marin County Fair earlier in the evening.  

Surprised about the positivity in this thread. Sorry dudes, he was a coked up, whiskey drunk asshole 

What's that got to do with anything that's been said in this thread?

Nobody's perfect.

....coked up , drunk asshole?

hmmmm...name that famous musician...

piggybackin on Aiq s thought, that one note that made you recognize Dickie immediatly was a huge loss , and left a gap in the band (for me) that Warren never filled. 

warren "grew" into the role and def found his place w the band, but , i dont think they ever sounded the same, almost two comlpetly dif bands by then. theres just no comparison the allman brothers shows in late 70 s, early 80 s, to the "warren" brothers...

i often think two of the the most overlooked rock and roll losses were Duane and Terry Kath....ya, ppl mention Duane alot, but, its where these bands were heading (compared to where they ended up) is what im referring to. 

ill take these original 1970s era lineups of 4 bands over most :

Grateful Dead

Allman Brothers Band (liz reed, jessica)

Chicago ( listen to Motorboat from Mars, or whole live from Carnegie Hall collection)

Grand Funk Railroad (im your captain, foot stompin music , Close to Edge album, first few albums are just mind blowing)...

ahhhhh, memories and wishes...lol...must be the season...but, i always wonder where ABB would have gone musically if Duane had lived....fuck, can you imagine that band w all original still in it, AND a Derek sit in???? 

obviously meant Closer to Home album..lol..not Close to Edge^...oops

Dickey Betts and the great southern rocked...as did his sit in w the Q at the beacon back in da day...

>>>Grand Funk Railroad

Saw the current lineup of Grand Funk last year, definitely not the same without Farner. Glad they gave the job to Bruce Kulick(Kiss) though

>>Surprised about the positivity in this thread. Sorry dudes, he was a coked up, whiskey drunk asshole 

So you would rather focus on the negativity of his flaws instead of the positivity of his songwriting and playing? What purpose does that really serve?

What are your thoughts on  Gregg Allman? Bill Kreutzmann? Miles Davis? Bob Marley? James Brown? Prince? John Lennon? Neil Young? David Crosby? Stephen Stills? Roger Waters? Paul Simon?

I love Dickey--his tone, his phrasing, the way he swings.  First saw him in 1978, then the Enlighten Rogues tour at the Spectrum was my first of maybe 40 ABB shows.  Still in my top 5 shows ever with the Henry Paul Band opening and the ABB blowing through the Spectrum's curfew and SEPTA stopped running! Dickey's playing ability really trailed off in the last few years and IMHO, his substance problems certainly added to this decline.  Maybe the last time I saw him was the Marin County Fair--I can't remember but when you watch videos of his most recent performances, his playing is a bit of a shell of his past.  I guess when you get to 73, where he is at, I can understand he feels he can't compete with his younger self--nobody can, but I hope he comes to a place where he wants to play and tour again--and cleans up because when he is on, he is the pinnacle.  Warren came to the ABB through Dickey--I saw them in the Pattern Disruptive tour when Warren was first in Dickey's' band and they had great chemistry from the get-go.  He has had a lot to cope with and hope he can find some inner peace.  Go get his Highway Call album, that is some country swing and pickin fo sho

>>>What are your thoughts on  Gregg Allman? Bill Kreutzmann? Miles Davis? Bob Marley? James Brown? Prince? John Lennon? Neil Young? David Crosby? Stephen Stills? Roger Waters? Paul Simon?

Point taken, pretty shitty list you've got there. At least Dickey was a TALENTED coked up drunken asshole 

Well - the list was shitty on purpose, but...yes, Dickey was a talented coked up drunken asshole.

enlightened rogues tour!!

1979 Enlightened Rogues - great tour. Saw them a couple of times that year - one was the last show ever at Music Inn in Lenox.

GDfan your fuckin nuts

Once upon a time in Las Vegas,

DB sat in at a late-night moe. show post-Phish.  Also a  musician from the band  "Tesla".

Early 2000's  and the Tesla guy is somehow related through marriage,  maybe DB's  daughter's husband ???

It was an unexpected Guest Appearance,  and DB rocked 

I loved Dangerous Dan and Dickey together--the Toller Brothers and the Rook on bass injected good energy in the 1979-1982 period.  Even though Pearson had problems with Dickey, I thought Jac was the best second guitar player the ABB had since the original Dickey/Duane.  That country bou could play--I saw his first and last shows with the ABB

Sorry dudes, I too was a coked up, whiskey drunk asshole and I never even wrote In Memory of Elizabeth Reed. Also, one time somebody threw up on me at a Tom Petty show.

Like Jerry, one note note and you recognize Betts. Those great instrumentals.<<<

and make it look easy at that.

Coked up, whiskey drunk>>>

You talking about Greg or Dickey?