Legendary guitarist Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, Ramblin’Man, is dead. He was 80 years old.
The artist died at his home in Osprey, Florida, confirmed David Spero, Betts’ manager for 20 years. Betts had been battling cancer for more than a year and suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his manager said.
He died peacefully, surrounded by his family, he added.
Dickey Betts shared guitar duties with Duane Allman in the original Allman Brothers Band and helped give the group a distinctive sound and create a new genre: southern rock. Artists ranging from the band Lynyrd Skynyrd to singer Kid Rock were influenced by the group’s music, which combined blues, country, R&B and jazz with ’60s rock.
Founded in 1969, the Allman Brothers Band was a pioneering group and challenged the traditional notion of three-minute pop songs by performing extended compositions in concert and on record. It 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 accident a year later. This left Dickey Betts alone with Allman’s younger brother Gregg, but they often clashed and drug addiction caused further dysfunction. The group broke up at least twice, before reforming, and has had over a dozen lineups.
The Allman Brothers Band was inducted into the rock ‘n’ roll hall of fame in 1995 and won a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2012. Betts left the group for good in 2000 and has also performed 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 grew up in the Bradenton, Florida area near Highway 41 which he wrote about in Ramblin’Man. His family had lived in the 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 the girls. At 16, he left home to go on the road and joined the circus to play in a band.
He returned home and, with bassist Berry Oakley, joined a band that became Second Coming, based in Jacksonville, Florida. One evening in 1969, Betts and Oakley played with Duane Allman, already a successful musician, and his younger brother, and together they formed the Allman Brothers Band.
The band settled in Macon, Georgia, and released a self-titled debut album in 1969. A year later came the album Idlewild Southhighlighted by Betts’ instrumental composition in In Memory of Elizabeth Reedwhich quickly became a concert staple.
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 as a performer by showcasing the unique guitar interplay between Allman and Betts. Their styles contrasted, with Allman playing guitar slide blues style while Betts’ solos and vocals pulled the group towards country. When layered in harmony, their melody was particularly distinctive.
The band also had two drummers: “Jaimoe” Johanson, who is Black, and Butch Trucks.
Duane Allman died four days after At Fillmore East was certified gold, but the band continued and the crowds continued to grow. The 1973 album Brothers and Sisters rose to number one on the charts and included Ramblin’Manwith Betts as lead singer.
The soaring sound of Betts’ guitar on Ramblin’Man resonated in neighborhood bars across the country for decades, and the song highlighted his talent for melodic hooks.