DICKEY BETTS has been a ramblin' man since quitting high school to play rock 'n' roll in a traveling circus called World of Mirth. He would do about a dozen shows a day on the Teen Beat stage at fairgrounds from Canada all the way down the eastern seaboard. On stages from city to city, this is where Betts has always thrived and cemented his reputation as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. An original member of the Allman Brothers Band, he first found fame and fortune with the release of their 1971 live album "At Fillmore East" Betts played a key role in making the Allman Brothers stadium-filling stars in the mid-'70s then returned the band to prominence in 1989, keeping the group among rock's vanguard through the '90s. As leader of his Great Southern group during the 2000s, Betts continued to play stages around the world, elating fans from Chicago to Tokyo.
DICKEY BETTS has been a ramblin' man since quitting high school to play rock 'n' roll in a traveling circus called World of Mirth. He would do about a dozen shows a day on the Teen Beat stage at fairgrounds from Canada all the way down the eastern seaboard. On stages from city to city, this is where Betts has always thrived and cemented his reputation as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. An original member of the Allman Brothers Band, he first found fame and fortune with the release of their 1971 live album "At Fillmore East" Betts played a key role in making the Allman Brothers stadium-filling stars in the mid-'70s then returned the band to prominence in 1989, keeping the group among rock's vanguard through the '90s. As leader of his Great Southern group during the 2000s, Betts continued to play stages around the world, elating fans from Chicago to Tokyo…
When Dickey Betts entered the stage at the second Rockpalast rocknight in 1978 another magic moment in the long history of Rockpalast for decades was born. Dickey Betts, founding member of the „Allman Brothers Band", was sparkling with his delight in playing and fired his songs and guitar solos into the audience - millions of people on their screens all over Europe (many countries were connected with the ARD-Live-Show via Eurovision). Epic "Jessica" for example, a Dickey Betts written title, already successful with the Allman Brothers, or the southern rock classic "Ramblin' Man". As bonus track we added a 17 minutes jam session with Dickey Betts and Spirit, recorded later the same evening.
The forthcoming debut album Down To The River. Led by Devon Allman, son of founding Allman Brothers Band keyboardist and singer, Gregg Allman, and Duane Betts, son of founding Allman Brothers Band guitarist and singer, Dickey Betts, the album was recorded at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studios with producer Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price, John Prine and Elvis Presley).The beginning of the partnership between Devon Allman and Duane Betts goes back to the Gregg Allman tribute show at the Fillmore in San Francisco. It was time, in that historic venue, to pass the spirit to the next generation. It was time to take all the lessons of the past, all their collective experiences, and make something new.
Spanning four discs and 55 tracks, Dreams is one of those rare box sets that tells a story while delivering the definitive word on its subject. Its success has a lot to do with its status as Polygram/Bill Levinson's sequel to the acclaimed hit Crossroads, which summarized Eric Clapton's winding career perfectly. They follow the same approach here, gathering pre-Allman Brothers Band recordings from the clan, including cuts by the Allman Joys, selecting the hits from the classic years, and adding stray cuts by solo projects to the mix. It's a smart move and it results in a terrific box that truly offers the definitive word on one of the longest-running dramas in Southern rock. Yes, the Allmans reunited rather successfully after this box, so none of that material is here, but it's not missed – this is the story of the classic band.
If you're going to listen to the Allman Brothers, make sure you have the first four records. The band made The Allman Brothers Band, Idlewild South, At Fillmore East, and three-fourths of Eat a Peach with its original lineup, before Duane Allman's fatal motorcycle accident in 1971. The Tom Dowd-produced Idlewild South, their second album, comes off with a little less ferocity than their debut – which is perhaps the result of reaching for new sounds the second time around…
A tribute to the dearly departed Duane, Eat a Peach rambles through two albums, running through a side of new songs, recorded post-Duane, spending a full album on live cuts from the Fillmore East sessions, then offering a round of studio tracks Duane completed before his death…