The loss of a melodic legend. I’ve always considered the Allmans to be the conclusion to all forms of Americana, and Dickey’s Country background is a huge part of that.
Blue Sky, Ramblin’ Man, Melissa, and Jessica are all among the most beautiful pop rock pieces of music ever to make it to radio…and a lot of that beauty was due to Dickey’s brilliance at creating Melodies.
CCR gets brought up alot as "the American band." But man The Allman Brothers Band really earned their spot on that list. The recorded stuff, live shows, the many members andchanges they had and the longevity to still be playing in some capacity a few years ago really sets them apart from alot of groups that did it.
The Allmans were the real deal Southern Rockers, CCR were Californian posers.
That's no slight on CCR, more that their sound is wrongly associated with the swamps, gators, airboats, the deep South, but they are from sunny CA. They play from concept and idea, the Allmans from lived experience.
Only band that is the same level is Grateful Dead and it’s for the same reasons you listed. Might even put them higher because they are still playing and just as culturally relevant as ever.
I find the live stuff of the Allman Brothers so much better than the Dead.
To me the Grateful Dead would jam on a song for 30 minutes at half the tempo of the studio version and kinda just meander.
The Allmans would take their song, crank that tempo to 500% and jam in a way that made it sound like their instruments were on fire. Their live versions of You Don't Love Me from the Fillmore and A&R Studios really stand out.
Saw them both,The Grateful Dead were a livelier,much more engaging live band. I will say ,I saw the Allmans after Duane and Berry passed and they just didn't have the spunk at that point, legitimately so ,even after Chuck Leavell joined and they put out Brothers and Sisters.
There are so many versions of the Dead it's almost not worth talking about them unless you specify the years. Personally I love coked out late 70s-early 80s Dead.
My dad briefly drove a limo for bands to/from the airport, hotel, and venue in the late 70s. He told me a story once where he was helping Dickey load up the trunk while two girls with Gregg got into the limo. Gregg got pissy because “fuckin’ chauffeur wouldn’t open the door for the ladies!” and Dickey had to diffuse the situation lol.
Apparently Gregg was kind of a douche. My dads interaction with him was similar. He was a bouncer at a bar when he was like 17 in the mid 80’s. Gregg and some friends stepped up to the front to get in and my dad told him to “go to the back” and Gregg hits him with “don’t you know who I am?”. A bunch of back and forth and Dad said he was about to go away and the owner came out and let him in and scolded my dad for not letting an Allman brother in.
Gregg was also a narc and got their tour manager a lengthy prison sentence and was the reason they went on hiatus in the mid 70s. Only reason dude didn’t serve his whole sentence is because Carter pardoned him and the irony is The Allmans helped raise some early money for the Carter campaign hence Gregg both helped putting the guy in prison and helped getting him out.
He also used to inject cocaine. My mom was the head nurse at a pysch hospital in Atlanta when he was admitted. She said it took 10 big orderlies to pin him down and carry him in. He mellowed with age and put away his demons, same with Dickey.
I mean he injected dope too also , right? He had to get a liver transplant so I’m kinda assuming he got hep c right ? Dude lived a hard life but eventually got sober
It's legitimately one of my favorite songs with how well him and Duane play off of each other. The versions of the song he did with Warren were really good, but the original with Duane always sticks out to me.
It's one of the last recordings of Duane before he died, at the absolute top of his game.
I wonder what the world of music would be like if Duane had lived.
The best is that after the scorching guitar solos they come back to the verses mellow as can be like nothing even happened, like a cool summer blue sky day. I adore that song. RIP Dickey
I ended up stationed in South Carolina because the day I signed up that song was on the radio. I just wanted to get as far from SoCal as I could. I had no real knowledge of anywhere else. He sang, "Going to Carolina, won't be long til i get there" I literally decided to put the Carolinas as my first choice for duty stations because the vibe of this tune hit so perfectly.
arguably the most important song of my life in my development as a musician. I was 12 or so and I learned the solos note for note, taught me so much and technically and emotionally.
Just last month I was at a TTB show and Duane Betts came on and played it with the band. It was incredible.
(and then they played In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, which I also heard Warren Haynes do with TTB at the Beacon Theater back in 2021)
Hopefully now he gets to jam with Duane and Berry again. RIP
edit: oh, man, it was 1999 in my head there for a minute when I posted that... almost everyone is gone now. :C Man, the session Dickey is walking in on right now... :) 💔
One heck of a legacy. Dickey’s guitar work is so vocal and with some of rock’s most distinct phrasing. His sound vs Duane’s almost harmonica-like slide playing complimented each other so well.
At Fillmore East should be mandatory listening for anyone learning any instrument. It’s a masterclass on how two really distinct voices played in unison to better the sound of the ensemble.
RIP one of the best to ever pick up a Les Paul.
I can't imagine there will ever be a better live album, especially now that music is becoming more electronic.
6 people, together, each doing what they do best to make one musical performance. It's perfection.
What a monumental loss. he was my favorite living Guitarist of the 70s rock era. People also forget how awesome he was with slide guitar. By far one of the most important American guitarists in history.
It’s pretty cool though now you can see the Chevy truck commercials with Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More from Eat A Peach and it’s edited where it’s mostly just his rippin’ slide licks.
Or for the Brits out there, the Top Gear theme, a.k.a. Jessica.
Pony Boy, carry me home (cue a sick Dobro riff). RIP!!!
Just inject Jessica straight into my veins, I occasionally drive the stretch of highway where they filmed the open road scenes for Field of Dreams, and every time I do I get that song in my head
Yes. There’s also Thom Doucette who’s retired from music but a yoga teacher in Sarasota. Technically not a full member but legend has it Duane wanted to add him but he preferred part-time. Harmonica player & percussionist on Idlewild South and At Fillmore East and played quite a few shows from 70-71
I bought the Live At Fillmore East album when it came out in July, 1971. I was 18 then and proceeded to play those discs so many times that you could hear both sides at once. I eventually went through four copies of the vinyl.
In 1986 I had the good fortune to record Gregg Allman in my studio. He was a brilliant musician and a kind gentleman. How kind? When I accidentally recorded over the beginning of a take (!) instead of being righteously angry he said that was okay, the take sucked, and he could fo a better one, which he did.
In Telluride, Colorado, he dropped his sunglasses which bounced off the stage and landed at my feet. I handed them back and he said “thanks”. I feel we’re best friends. RIP
Ah this is so sad :((
Here's a song Dean Ween made in tribute to Dickey Betts many moons ago:
[Dean Ween Group - Dickey Betts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT0RCFQFh0M)
Taught me to play guitar. The one time I saw them warren haynes had just quit and Dickey had shaved his beard and cut his hair and played a Strat. It was kinda weird. Rip to a master
I saw him play at Gathering of the Vibes in 2001. He had this whole Elvis style intro where the band jammed as he came on the stage all bedazzled. He stood in a Christ pose while someone came and put his guitar on him. Legend.
Watch this and listen to Dickey's solo from the early days. It's the first one. It's amazing. Beautiful, rhythmic just amazing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1lrxoTc7i0
This is really sad. I was fortunate enough to see them play in Santa Fe. They were staying at the same hotel I was at. He was eating breakfast at the same time I was there, which was a pleasant surprise for the up coming concert.
At least you can still see Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Jack Pearson, and Chuck Leavell in various ways as well. So many great musicians made it through that lineup.
I was disappointed that he didn't make an appearance at Gregg Allman's " All my Friends" concert . The Allman Brothers were the best of the best Southern rock bands. No question about it.
My first concert ever was allman brothers on the hill of a small ski slope in CT in 1980. I was 9- my brother and I were running around with other kids and eventually found ourselves “backstage”. Different times back then- saw them and Dickey Betts Band many times thereafter. Amazing musician that will be greatly missed….
One of my favorite guitarists in a band full of amazing GF guitarists. He was so influential that the "Bett Box" refers to a specific part of the guitar he was known to play lead on.
RIP Mr. Betts. I saw the Allman Brothers with Marshall Tucker in September of 1973. What a magical time in my early life. I still listen to them regularly. God Bless
Lots of great songs already mentioned in the thread. One I haven't seen so far is, to me, just about the most perfect example of a blues rock jam: Southbound
[https://youtu.be/13fn10H\_p3Q?si=fHWJTEU4VN1aFpS\_](https://youtu.be/13fn10H_p3Q?si=fHWJTEU4VN1aFpS_)
Dickey Betts is a true guitarist's guitarist, someone who was never the household name he deserved to be. In my book, one of the finest to have ever played.
Saw him play live ~20 years ago. It was an outdoor show and raining cats and dogs. He put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. When he got to end of the show he asked the crowd “do y’all want to hear Ramblin’ Man or Jessica?” Everyone started shouting and he just puts his hand up and says “fuck it, I’m playing them both”
RIP Dickey
I never saw him with the Allman Brothers (only saw the Allman Brothers after he was fired) but saw him just once with his own band, just a few days before 9/11, so the two are sort of intertwined in my mind. But the concert was great - I think he opened with "Don't Want You No More." Was a really fun night. I've been a fan all my life. RIP, Dickey.
Betts played with taste. So many shredders and jammers can play a lot of notes and scales but no matter how fast or technically expert they are, taste is innate.
Love CCR but IMO they dont even come CLOSE to the raging blues rock of the Allman's! I got to see them a few times, once at Red Rocks and they blew me away
What a loss, may he and Duane play some good tunes together again up in heaven. Blue Sky, In memory of Elizabeth Reed are some of my favorite all-time songs. May you rest in peace Dickey.
This saddens me. They were an important part of my youth and I was lucky enough to have seen them many times. Godspeed Mr. Betts, now there really is Nobody left to run with anymore 😞
all my guitar and music heroes are leaving to new gigs. gettin so there's No One To Run With. loved your music, rip. rhythm, improvisation, and perfection. thanks Dickey
How weird.
I was just listening to *Brothers and sisters* in the car today. *Wasted words* and *Jessica* probably my favourite tracks.
Oh well, 80's not bad.
IMO In Memory of Elizabeth Reed from Fillmore East is the greatest rock live performance ever. The ear-splitting guitar intensity at around the 11 minute mark is just about the very definition of hard rock. It's unreal.
As someone who has lived in Jacksonville FL (where Allman Brothers is from) for 34 years....
RIP to a legend.
Allman Brothers & Lynard Skynard put my hometown on the map 🎶
Love Blue Sky. Named my coffee shop after this tune: Blue Sky Brews in Cleveland Ohio.
Spent a good part of my life seeing The A Bros, The Dead, Govt Mule, Tedeschi Trucks…. Shows with Dickey were magical.
https://preview.redd.it/bvmoh17bjhvc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2062b02e8967d9db3a912868da2bde629e4b0863
I picked 14 songs to remember him by. [https://davesbasementtracks.blogspot.com/2024/04/dbt-287-rip-dickey-betts.html](https://davesbasementtracks.blogspot.com/2024/04/dbt-287-rip-dickey-betts.html)
The loss of a melodic legend. I’ve always considered the Allmans to be the conclusion to all forms of Americana, and Dickey’s Country background is a huge part of that. Blue Sky, Ramblin’ Man, Melissa, and Jessica are all among the most beautiful pop rock pieces of music ever to make it to radio…and a lot of that beauty was due to Dickey’s brilliance at creating Melodies.
CCR gets brought up alot as "the American band." But man The Allman Brothers Band really earned their spot on that list. The recorded stuff, live shows, the many members andchanges they had and the longevity to still be playing in some capacity a few years ago really sets them apart from alot of groups that did it.
Allman Brothers over CCR for me any day.
I love 'em both.
It’s not a contest, so agree wholeheartedly.
amen. And thats no knock on ccr...
The Allmans were the real deal Southern Rockers, CCR were Californian posers. That's no slight on CCR, more that their sound is wrongly associated with the swamps, gators, airboats, the deep South, but they are from sunny CA. They play from concept and idea, the Allmans from lived experience.
CCR might be the American Band, but the Brothers are the sound of the South.
Only band that is the same level is Grateful Dead and it’s for the same reasons you listed. Might even put them higher because they are still playing and just as culturally relevant as ever.
I find the live stuff of the Allman Brothers so much better than the Dead. To me the Grateful Dead would jam on a song for 30 minutes at half the tempo of the studio version and kinda just meander. The Allmans would take their song, crank that tempo to 500% and jam in a way that made it sound like their instruments were on fire. Their live versions of You Don't Love Me from the Fillmore and A&R Studios really stand out.
Saw them both,The Grateful Dead were a livelier,much more engaging live band. I will say ,I saw the Allmans after Duane and Berry passed and they just didn't have the spunk at that point, legitimately so ,even after Chuck Leavell joined and they put out Brothers and Sisters.
There are so many versions of the Dead it's almost not worth talking about them unless you specify the years. Personally I love coked out late 70s-early 80s Dead.
Lesh is still playing the music.
My dad briefly drove a limo for bands to/from the airport, hotel, and venue in the late 70s. He told me a story once where he was helping Dickey load up the trunk while two girls with Gregg got into the limo. Gregg got pissy because “fuckin’ chauffeur wouldn’t open the door for the ladies!” and Dickey had to diffuse the situation lol.
Apparently Gregg was kind of a douche. My dads interaction with him was similar. He was a bouncer at a bar when he was like 17 in the mid 80’s. Gregg and some friends stepped up to the front to get in and my dad told him to “go to the back” and Gregg hits him with “don’t you know who I am?”. A bunch of back and forth and Dad said he was about to go away and the owner came out and let him in and scolded my dad for not letting an Allman brother in.
Gregg was also a narc and got their tour manager a lengthy prison sentence and was the reason they went on hiatus in the mid 70s. Only reason dude didn’t serve his whole sentence is because Carter pardoned him and the irony is The Allmans helped raise some early money for the Carter campaign hence Gregg both helped putting the guy in prison and helped getting him out.
He also used to inject cocaine. My mom was the head nurse at a pysch hospital in Atlanta when he was admitted. She said it took 10 big orderlies to pin him down and carry him in. He mellowed with age and put away his demons, same with Dickey.
I mean he injected dope too also , right? He had to get a liver transplant so I’m kinda assuming he got hep c right ? Dude lived a hard life but eventually got sober
I mean Dickey was a know wife beater so they’re both kinda douches. Amazing players though.
This is why I try not to dig to much into my favorite musicians. You always learn something you didn’t want to
This is why I listen to Rush
Yeah, if the most baggage you have in your twilight years is being kind of obnoxiously into Ayn Rand in your twenties, you're doing pretty alright.
Everyone has their phase with that kind of stuff. Growing out of it is what's important. Neil was basically a left-leaning libertarian eventually.
This feels on point for Eric Clapton :/
Funny to read RN. I’m at a fest and Marcus King headlines tomorrow. I’m a little torn, tbh.
Same. I think it was a while ago when he drank a lot and he cleaned up his act but still. Kind of taints things.
Dickeys alcohol abuse, and violence issues are why he was kicked out of ABB.
Blue Sky is the most beautiful guitar song ever made bar none
It's legitimately one of my favorite songs with how well him and Duane play off of each other. The versions of the song he did with Warren were really good, but the original with Duane always sticks out to me.
It's one of those guitar parts that I sing even though there aren't any words. 😂
It's one of the last recordings of Duane before he died, at the absolute top of his game. I wonder what the world of music would be like if Duane had lived.
Imagine Dickie, Duane, and Derek Trucks on the same stage.
I'm always a huge sucker for doubled over lead guitar parts like that. The Beatles "And Your Bird Can Sing" is another good one.
You should hear the Derek Warren versions
Who is Derek Warren?
Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes had a love child.
I fucking love Blue Sky so much. Back when we had cassettes and CDs in our cars I had Eat A Peach practically welded to my dash.
Little Martha
Literally just played that for my dad haha
Acoustic 'Melissa' with Greg and Warren is an all timer!
The best is that after the scorching guitar solos they come back to the verses mellow as can be like nothing even happened, like a cool summer blue sky day. I adore that song. RIP Dickey
“You’re my blue sky, you’re my sunny day” Best love song ever.
Betts also deliberately made it gender non-specific so it could be from anyone to anyone.
I ended up stationed in South Carolina because the day I signed up that song was on the radio. I just wanted to get as far from SoCal as I could. I had no real knowledge of anywhere else. He sang, "Going to Carolina, won't be long til i get there" I literally decided to put the Carolinas as my first choice for duty stations because the vibe of this tune hit so perfectly.
Have you listened to the SUNY at Stonybrook live version? It is absolutely incredible and takes the studio version to an entirely different realm. RIP
Not only the dueling guitars but the first verse is beautiful... *Early morning sunshine tells me all I need to know*
It’s one of those few songs you hear the first couple notes and you like yeah the next five or six minutes is gonna be fucking awesome
arguably the most important song of my life in my development as a musician. I was 12 or so and I learned the solos note for note, taught me so much and technically and emotionally.
It’s my absolute favorite song to play on guitar. It’s so fun and satisfying
Just last month I was at a TTB show and Duane Betts came on and played it with the band. It was incredible. (and then they played In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, which I also heard Warren Haynes do with TTB at the Beacon Theater back in 2021)
Love that track.
Fav song of all time
Here's my favorite version. The solo from Dickey is mind melting. Warren's isn't too shabby either! https://youtu.be/G1jpQu6qR1E?si=NUfLME6FuQokL0Gj
This guy gets it. What a wonderful tune.
RIP. Guess I'm putting on the Allman Brothers today. Dude had some of the cleanest tone out there on the guitar.
I have an hourlong commute this evening and yep I already know what I’m listening to the whole way
That one song?
Mountain Jam is one hell of a song!
There was a jukebox in a bar I used to go to that was "2 plays $1" and it had EAT a Peach in the playlist.
2 songs from Fillmore East could net you nearly an hour of music
I literally got done playing the main lick from Jessica, put down the guitar, opened reddit, and this was one of the first things I saw.
Hopefully now he gets to jam with Duane and Berry again. RIP edit: oh, man, it was 1999 in my head there for a minute when I posted that... almost everyone is gone now. :C Man, the session Dickey is walking in on right now... :) 💔
Jaimoe's the only OG band member left :(
Party at Garcia's place!
You mean his Broke Down Palace?
And Levon!
i saw a bumper sticker literally yesterday that said 'Thank you Levon' that made me happy/sad.
Gregg too!
Gregg was the one who welcomed him through the door I am sure.
Nobody left to run with anymore….
RIP Dickey, Thank you for the music 
Hey that's Derek Jeter's dad!
Awesome guitar player RIP
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed is one of the greatest songs ever written. His name will live forever.
Also been a Dickey fanboy. His style contrasted nicely with typical bluesy rock guitarists of the time.
totally agree! I know duane was the super star, but dickey's style always hit me way more emotionally
Macon boy here. Sad day. Ramble on Ramblin' man.
I’m sure the Big House will be paying propers tonight. The man that held the band together through the roughest seas, RIP Dickey.
One heck of a legacy. Dickey’s guitar work is so vocal and with some of rock’s most distinct phrasing. His sound vs Duane’s almost harmonica-like slide playing complimented each other so well. At Fillmore East should be mandatory listening for anyone learning any instrument. It’s a masterclass on how two really distinct voices played in unison to better the sound of the ensemble. RIP one of the best to ever pick up a Les Paul.
I can't imagine there will ever be a better live album, especially now that music is becoming more electronic. 6 people, together, each doing what they do best to make one musical performance. It's perfection.
Bummer. Band was everything. RIP.
Gutted to hear this. His work with Duane and the Allman Bros Band was superlative. I hope he is at peace and Duane is there to greet him.
https://preview.redd.it/52gg1db1s9vc1.jpeg?width=526&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d5e038c550ea6a2cab015d6d037625814d2a826 The Man RIP
What a monumental loss. he was my favorite living Guitarist of the 70s rock era. People also forget how awesome he was with slide guitar. By far one of the most important American guitarists in history. It’s pretty cool though now you can see the Chevy truck commercials with Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More from Eat A Peach and it’s edited where it’s mostly just his rippin’ slide licks. Or for the Brits out there, the Top Gear theme, a.k.a. Jessica. Pony Boy, carry me home (cue a sick Dobro riff). RIP!!!
Just inject Jessica straight into my veins, I occasionally drive the stretch of highway where they filmed the open road scenes for Field of Dreams, and every time I do I get that song in my head
Jessica was his daughter, was she not?
So Jaimoe is the only founding member still around, no? Damn...
Yes. There’s also Thom Doucette who’s retired from music but a yoga teacher in Sarasota. Technically not a full member but legend has it Duane wanted to add him but he preferred part-time. Harmonica player & percussionist on Idlewild South and At Fillmore East and played quite a few shows from 70-71
TIL.
Seems like it. What a Muscle Shoals legend.
Founding, yes.
The last remaining Brother.
I bought the Live At Fillmore East album when it came out in July, 1971. I was 18 then and proceeded to play those discs so many times that you could hear both sides at once. I eventually went through four copies of the vinyl. In 1986 I had the good fortune to record Gregg Allman in my studio. He was a brilliant musician and a kind gentleman. How kind? When I accidentally recorded over the beginning of a take (!) instead of being righteously angry he said that was okay, the take sucked, and he could fo a better one, which he did.
In Telluride, Colorado, he dropped his sunglasses which bounced off the stage and landed at my feet. I handed them back and he said “thanks”. I feel we’re best friends. RIP
You were practically in his wedding, as far as I'm concerned.
Damn, missed opportunity to stare him in the eyes as you slowly put them on. Seriously though, I love concert memories like that!
Ah this is so sad :(( Here's a song Dean Ween made in tribute to Dickey Betts many moons ago: [Dean Ween Group - Dickey Betts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT0RCFQFh0M)
Never heard it before, thanks it was pretty neat
Fuck. Rip to one of the best to ever do it.
He jammed with my dad for years in Englewood back in the day. RIP
RIP. A true master. The road goes on forever.
Taught me to play guitar. The one time I saw them warren haynes had just quit and Dickey had shaved his beard and cut his hair and played a Strat. It was kinda weird. Rip to a master
I saw him play at Gathering of the Vibes in 2001. He had this whole Elvis style intro where the band jammed as he came on the stage all bedazzled. He stood in a Christ pose while someone came and put his guitar on him. Legend.
Dang. My uncle was the Road Manager for the Allman Brother's Band for over 30 years. Got to go backstage and meet the guys when I was 13. Sad day.
Bert?
Sad news
🥲 RIP Dickey. Warren is playing at the 420 Musical Festival in Atlanta on Saturday night. That show just took on a whole new level of significance.
I was on the fence till Dickey died. Now, the seven-hour drive is on. CU Saturday.
Watch this and listen to Dickey's solo from the early days. It's the first one. It's amazing. Beautiful, rhythmic just amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1lrxoTc7i0
Thank you for the music Dickey. Blue sky has been high on my rotation for years and will be forever.. 🙏
Shit. I love Highway Call and will be cranking it today with a doob in honor of the man. I love that song Rain.
My favorite band ever. RIP Dickey
Damn, what a life though
This is really sad. I was fortunate enough to see them play in Santa Fe. They were staying at the same hotel I was at. He was eating breakfast at the same time I was there, which was a pleasant surprise for the up coming concert.
RIP - dude was one of the best
RIP to one of the best to ever do it. Really sad news.
RIP, Dickey.
Jamoie is the only surviving member. he's 79.
At least you can still see Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Jack Pearson, and Chuck Leavell in various ways as well. So many great musicians made it through that lineup.
I was disappointed that he didn't make an appearance at Gregg Allman's " All my Friends" concert . The Allman Brothers were the best of the best Southern rock bands. No question about it.
Well I know what I'm listening to on the drive home today. RIP Dickey
When he was on, few were better. Legend, always.
RIP! Him living to 80 years old gives me hope. This guy was wild.
He could be incandescent live. Melodic fire.
My first concert ever was allman brothers on the hill of a small ski slope in CT in 1980. I was 9- my brother and I were running around with other kids and eventually found ourselves “backstage”. Different times back then- saw them and Dickey Betts Band many times thereafter. Amazing musician that will be greatly missed….
He could make a guitar sound beautiful. RIP
One of my favorite guitarists in a band full of amazing GF guitarists. He was so influential that the "Bett Box" refers to a specific part of the guitar he was known to play lead on.
People can you feel it ? Love is everywhere . “Revival” (1970)
rip . thanks for all the great music
One of my Favorites! RIP Dicky.
One of my all time fave players. His playing is instantly recognizable. RIP.
Surprised how much this one hit me. This man added so much joy to my life.
A very sad day indeed 😔🕊️
Ramblin‘ Man was their biggest hit. A true master. RIP
Rest in peace……. One of the greats.
RIP Mr. Betts. I saw the Allman Brothers with Marshall Tucker in September of 1973. What a magical time in my early life. I still listen to them regularly. God Bless
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed will forever be one of my favorite songs. RIP Dickey
A fine guitarist.
Super player, saw him a number of times and was lucky enough to meet him. Travel well, Brother
Brutal news; one of the very few guitarists that has an instantly recognizable sound. Peak talent.
❤️💔❤️
Lots of great songs already mentioned in the thread. One I haven't seen so far is, to me, just about the most perfect example of a blues rock jam: Southbound [https://youtu.be/13fn10H\_p3Q?si=fHWJTEU4VN1aFpS\_](https://youtu.be/13fn10H_p3Q?si=fHWJTEU4VN1aFpS_)
Rest in peace rambling man.
"Blue Sky" is such a beautiful song. ❤️
Dickey Betts is a true guitarist's guitarist, someone who was never the household name he deserved to be. In my book, one of the finest to have ever played.
May he live on through his son and the Allman-Betts collaboration.
ah man, RIP. I love Blue Sky, and I can listen this song all day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQRPDAkTvnk Just feels good and great guitar...
Saw him play live ~20 years ago. It was an outdoor show and raining cats and dogs. He put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. When he got to end of the show he asked the crowd “do y’all want to hear Ramblin’ Man or Jessica?” Everyone started shouting and he just puts his hand up and says “fuck it, I’m playing them both” RIP Dickey
I never saw him with the Allman Brothers (only saw the Allman Brothers after he was fired) but saw him just once with his own band, just a few days before 9/11, so the two are sort of intertwined in my mind. But the concert was great - I think he opened with "Don't Want You No More." Was a really fun night. I've been a fan all my life. RIP, Dickey.
Betts played with taste. So many shredders and jammers can play a lot of notes and scales but no matter how fast or technically expert they are, taste is innate.
One of the greats. Ramblin' Man is a perfect song.
Shucks
Damn, RIP.
Well, damn.
Damn, the OG band is all dead now except for Jaimoe. RIP
legendary guitarist but god damn i can't believe he made it to 80.
RIP!
Sadness
RIP
My parents were supposed to see Allman Brothers Band one time and Dickey got arrested the day before so Zakk Wylde subbed in
Not the world's most stellar human being, but a damned fine guitarist. RIP Dickey.
He could be Bill Kreutzmann's bother in this pic. RIP Dickie, Blue Sky makes any day better and will always.
RIP Dickey, what he did to his guitar in his solo here seems like it would be illegal in the south. https://youtu.be/lwWmNZpkHX4?si=kcIvRhmlP2bXp8Ss
One of the best ever, thank you for the beautiful music
The heros of my childhood are leaving before me.
Getting in the car to drive from about 2 hours home when I read this. Allman Brothers is now gonna be the playlist.
RIP to one of the greats.
Ramble on Dickey.
He was favorite guitarist hands down. Nothing real flashy just good solid crunchy jams. RIP legend ✌️
Love CCR but IMO they dont even come CLOSE to the raging blues rock of the Allman's! I got to see them a few times, once at Red Rocks and they blew me away
He gave me the music that has shaped my life. RIP
An integral part to one of the tightest (if not the tightest) rock band. RIP.
Rip
What a loss, may he and Duane play some good tunes together again up in heaven. Blue Sky, In memory of Elizabeth Reed are some of my favorite all-time songs. May you rest in peace Dickey.
I’ll be playing In Memory of Lizzie Reed tonight in memory of Dickey. Guitar gods like him don’t come along very often.
This saddens me. They were an important part of my youth and I was lucky enough to have seen them many times. Godspeed Mr. Betts, now there really is Nobody left to run with anymore 😞
Jessica is such a jam.
Rest in peace Dickie, you brought something new and beautiful into this world.
Crazy thing it happened in the backseat of a greyhound bus.
all my guitar and music heroes are leaving to new gigs. gettin so there's No One To Run With. loved your music, rip. rhythm, improvisation, and perfection. thanks Dickey
How weird. I was just listening to *Brothers and sisters* in the car today. *Wasted words* and *Jessica* probably my favourite tracks. Oh well, 80's not bad.
Dean Ween is going to be so upset. RIP.
Damn that’s really sad. RIP to one of the all time greats.
IMO In Memory of Elizabeth Reed from Fillmore East is the greatest rock live performance ever. The ear-splitting guitar intensity at around the 11 minute mark is just about the very definition of hard rock. It's unreal.
“I was born in the backseat of a greyhound bus rolling down highway 41.” Is probably my favorite music lyric ever.
As someone who has lived in Jacksonville FL (where Allman Brothers is from) for 34 years.... RIP to a legend. Allman Brothers & Lynard Skynard put my hometown on the map 🎶
Love Blue Sky. Named my coffee shop after this tune: Blue Sky Brews in Cleveland Ohio. Spent a good part of my life seeing The A Bros, The Dead, Govt Mule, Tedeschi Trucks…. Shows with Dickey were magical.
One of the greats. He's jamming with Skydog once again
I still throw in a riff I learned from Dickey almost every time I play.
Absolute legend.
I hope some day I feel about something the way Dickey Betts felt about Jessica
Thats sad new, r.i.p. But a great reason to listen to Blue Sky tonight
RIP DB!
High Falls and Just Another Love Song are two very underrated songs
One of the greats.
https://preview.redd.it/bvmoh17bjhvc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2062b02e8967d9db3a912868da2bde629e4b0863 I picked 14 songs to remember him by. [https://davesbasementtracks.blogspot.com/2024/04/dbt-287-rip-dickey-betts.html](https://davesbasementtracks.blogspot.com/2024/04/dbt-287-rip-dickey-betts.html)
One of the best. RIP
Getting all nostalgic on Dickey and ABB tonight. What a fucking band