19
Jul
2005
He helped create Southern rock music. He was instrumental in paving the way for today's jam bands. He is indisputably one of the greatest guitarists to ever live. His group was one of the inspirations for Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous. And most people have never heard of him, even though any rock fan has certainly heard him.
Now's the time to familiarize yourself with Dickey Betts. The longtime guitarist and composer for the Allman Brothers Band will be bringing his own outfit, Great Southern, to Quad City Live on Thursday, July 21.
The show, presented by the River Music Experience, is especially appealing because it's in such an intimate venue. Lon Bozarth, president and CEO of the River Music Experience, called it "a once in a lifetime [opportunity] in a venue this size. ... You can get up close and see why this guy is who he is, what his technique is like up close."
Bozarth, who has seen Betts perform with Great Southern, called the bandleader one of the "most harmonic and melodic guitar players ever." Because of the relatively small venue and Betts' importance in rock history, Thursday's show will be a living history lesson for all who attend.
Betts was a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band and wrote some of the group's best-known tunes, including "Revival," "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" (a tribute to Miles Davis), "Jessica," and its only top-10 hit, "Ramblin' Man." The group was credited with stealing the soul of rock music back from the British in the 1970s, bringing it back to its rightful home in the States. The Allman Brothers Band perfected a rock sound loaded with melody and harmony.
The band was a pioneer in Southern rock but also one of the most revered jam bands ever, stretching tracks to 40 minutes with nary an ounce of fat. The Allman Brothers were expert at synthesizing multiple styles, using the blues as a platform for wide-ranging explorations that strayed as far as country, jazz, and classical.
Steve Morse, writing in the New York Times in 1977, said the Allman Brothers refined the art of jamming: "They were not the first rock band to do so - Cream and some other groups of the late 1960s provided the impetus - but they were the first to do so with intelligence and grace. ... [Bandleader and guitarist] Duane Allman and Dickey Betts ... could go on for hours without becoming more than incidentally redundant."
The "paper of record" has also noted that Betts "thinks like a jazz improviser, in thoughtfully structured, cleanly articulated, intelligently paced phrases."
The Allman Brothers Band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2003, Rolling Stone named Betts the 58th greatest guitarist of all time. (Roy Buchanan was apparently one better, at slot 57, but Eddie Van Halen trailed at 70.) Duane Allman was second only to Jimi Hendrix at the top of the list.
"Duane was more of a real purist blues man," Betts told an interviewer in 2003. "I was more of a melody kind of guy. I would just start a melody and Duane would jump on it and play the harmony to it. That doesn't explain the whole thing between me and Duane, but that's basically what we did. I think he picked up the idea of playing melody in rock and roll, and I picked up a lot of stuff from him on how to pour your heart into playing a blues line. We learned a lot from each other."
The Allman Brothers Band formed in Georgia in 1969 and was an instant critical darling with its self-titled debut album later that year, even though the record sold fewer than 50,000 copies initially. Their second album, Idlewild South, and the live At Filmore East helped build an audience and cemented the band's reputation as one of the most exciting acts in rock.
Success and tragedy have always intermingled in the Allman Brothers Band, though. Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident in 1971, but Betts and the band soldiered on. Ironically, the group found its biggest commercial success with Betts taking a more prominent role in songwriting and guitar-playing, peaking with Brothers & Sisters (and its most successful single, "Ramblin' Man") in 1973.
Betts released solo work starting with 1974's Highway Call, and the Allman Brothers Band broke up in 1976. The group reunited in 1978, and was on hiatus for most of the '80s before coming together again in 1989. Betts remained with the Allman Brothers Band until he was fired by fax in 2000.
The guitarist quoted the fax in responding to his firing on the Allman Brothers Band Web site. The fax read, "You have not been performing well and our shows have been repeatedly disappointing to both us and our fans as a result." Betts bristled at what he saw as the unspoken message: "The implication was that I was suffering from some sort of health or drug problem. This is totally, absolutely unfounded!"
A pair of domestic disputes later that year landed Betts in legal trouble and a mental institution for evaluation.
In 2001, Betts said that the public only heard part of the story. He told an interviewer: "My wife and I have been under a hell of a lot of emotional stress from this stuff that happened with the band, plus my workload has tripled by trying to get this new band off the ground."
He issued Let's Get Together in July 2001, on which "Betts reveals he's lost none of his fire nor his impeccable taste as he slips jazz chords, rock pyrotechnics, and shimmering Chicago blues lines into the mix," the All Music Guide noted.
Bozarth said Betts, who is now 61, has grown his since departure from the Allman Brothers Band.
"He's gotten to be more of a stylist," Bozart said, including adding a Celtic feel to his playing. "He's very versatile in his style right now."
Bozarth added that the River Music Experience is happy to promote music at other venues. "We're trying to promote live music, period," he said.
Tickets to Dickey Betts & Great Southern are $20 in advance and available at Co-Op Records and through Ticketmaster. For more information on Betts, visit (http://www.dickeybetts.com).
Now's the time to familiarize yourself with Dickey Betts. The longtime guitarist and composer for the Allman Brothers Band will be bringing his own outfit, Great Southern, to Quad City Live on Thursday, July 21.
The show, presented by the River Music Experience, is especially appealing because it's in such an intimate venue. Lon Bozarth, president and CEO of the River Music Experience, called it "a once in a lifetime [opportunity] in a venue this size. ... You can get up close and see why this guy is who he is, what his technique is like up close."
Bozarth, who has seen Betts perform with Great Southern, called the bandleader one of the "most harmonic and melodic guitar players ever." Because of the relatively small venue and Betts' importance in rock history, Thursday's show will be a living history lesson for all who attend.
Betts was a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band and wrote some of the group's best-known tunes, including "Revival," "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" (a tribute to Miles Davis), "Jessica," and its only top-10 hit, "Ramblin' Man." The group was credited with stealing the soul of rock music back from the British in the 1970s, bringing it back to its rightful home in the States. The Allman Brothers Band perfected a rock sound loaded with melody and harmony.
The band was a pioneer in Southern rock but also one of the most revered jam bands ever, stretching tracks to 40 minutes with nary an ounce of fat. The Allman Brothers were expert at synthesizing multiple styles, using the blues as a platform for wide-ranging explorations that strayed as far as country, jazz, and classical.
Steve Morse, writing in the New York Times in 1977, said the Allman Brothers refined the art of jamming: "They were not the first rock band to do so - Cream and some other groups of the late 1960s provided the impetus - but they were the first to do so with intelligence and grace. ... [Bandleader and guitarist] Duane Allman and Dickey Betts ... could go on for hours without becoming more than incidentally redundant."
The "paper of record" has also noted that Betts "thinks like a jazz improviser, in thoughtfully structured, cleanly articulated, intelligently paced phrases."
The Allman Brothers Band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2003, Rolling Stone named Betts the 58th greatest guitarist of all time. (Roy Buchanan was apparently one better, at slot 57, but Eddie Van Halen trailed at 70.) Duane Allman was second only to Jimi Hendrix at the top of the list.
"Duane was more of a real purist blues man," Betts told an interviewer in 2003. "I was more of a melody kind of guy. I would just start a melody and Duane would jump on it and play the harmony to it. That doesn't explain the whole thing between me and Duane, but that's basically what we did. I think he picked up the idea of playing melody in rock and roll, and I picked up a lot of stuff from him on how to pour your heart into playing a blues line. We learned a lot from each other."
The Allman Brothers Band formed in Georgia in 1969 and was an instant critical darling with its self-titled debut album later that year, even though the record sold fewer than 50,000 copies initially. Their second album, Idlewild South, and the live At Filmore East helped build an audience and cemented the band's reputation as one of the most exciting acts in rock.
Success and tragedy have always intermingled in the Allman Brothers Band, though. Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident in 1971, but Betts and the band soldiered on. Ironically, the group found its biggest commercial success with Betts taking a more prominent role in songwriting and guitar-playing, peaking with Brothers & Sisters (and its most successful single, "Ramblin' Man") in 1973.
Betts released solo work starting with 1974's Highway Call, and the Allman Brothers Band broke up in 1976. The group reunited in 1978, and was on hiatus for most of the '80s before coming together again in 1989. Betts remained with the Allman Brothers Band until he was fired by fax in 2000.
The guitarist quoted the fax in responding to his firing on the Allman Brothers Band Web site. The fax read, "You have not been performing well and our shows have been repeatedly disappointing to both us and our fans as a result." Betts bristled at what he saw as the unspoken message: "The implication was that I was suffering from some sort of health or drug problem. This is totally, absolutely unfounded!"
A pair of domestic disputes later that year landed Betts in legal trouble and a mental institution for evaluation.
In 2001, Betts said that the public only heard part of the story. He told an interviewer: "My wife and I have been under a hell of a lot of emotional stress from this stuff that happened with the band, plus my workload has tripled by trying to get this new band off the ground."
He issued Let's Get Together in July 2001, on which "Betts reveals he's lost none of his fire nor his impeccable taste as he slips jazz chords, rock pyrotechnics, and shimmering Chicago blues lines into the mix," the All Music Guide noted.
Bozarth said Betts, who is now 61, has grown his since departure from the Allman Brothers Band.
"He's gotten to be more of a stylist," Bozart said, including adding a Celtic feel to his playing. "He's very versatile in his style right now."
Bozarth added that the River Music Experience is happy to promote music at other venues. "We're trying to promote live music, period," he said.
Tickets to Dickey Betts & Great Southern are $20 in advance and available at Co-Op Records and through Ticketmaster. For more information on Betts, visit (http://www.dickeybetts.com).
