Forrest Richard Betts (December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer and founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. Early in his career, he collaborated with Duane Allman, introducing melodic twin guitar harmony and counterpoint which “rewrote the rules for how two rock guitarists can work together, completely scrapping the traditional rhythm/lead roles to stand toe to toe”. Following Allman’s death in 1971, Betts assumed sole lead guitar duties during the peak of the group’s commercial success in the mid-1970s. Betts was the writer and singer on the Allmans’ hit single “Ramblin’ Man”. He also gained renown for composing instrumentals, with one appearing on most of the group’s albums, including “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and “Jessica” (which was later used as the theme to Top Gear).
The band went through a hiatus in the late 1970s, during which time Betts, like many of the other band members, pursued a solo career and side projects under such names as Great Southern and The Dickey Betts Band. The Allman Brothers reformed in 1979, with Dan Toler taking the second guitar role alongside Betts. In 1982, they broke up a second time, during which time Betts formed the group Betts, Hall, Leavell and Trucks, which lasted until 1984. A third reformation occurred in 1989, with Warren Haynes now joining Betts on guitar.
Betts was ousted from the band in 2000 over a conflict regarding his continued drug and alcohol use; he never played with them again, nor would he appear with other former band members for reunions or side projects. With the death of Betts on April 18, 2024, Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson is the last living founding member of the Allman Brothers Band.
He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and also won a best rock performance Grammy Award with the band for “Jessica” in 1996. Betts was ranked No. 58 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list in 2003, and No. 61 on the list published in 2011.
Life and career
Born in West Palm Beach on December 12, 1943, and raised in Bradenton, Florida, Betts grew up in a musical family listening to traditional bluegrass, country music and Western swing. He started playing ukulele at five and, as his hands got bigger, moved on to mandolin, banjo, and guitar. At sixteen and feeling the need for something “a little faster”, he played in a series of rock bands on the Florida circuit, up the East Coast and into the Midwest before forming Second Coming with Berry Oakley in 1967. According to Rick Derringer, the “group called the Jokers” referenced in “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” was one of Betts’ early groups.
Early Allman Brothers Band years
In 1969, Duane Allman had parlayed success as a session player into a contract with Southern soul impresario Phil Walden, who planned to back a power trio featuring Allman. The ensuing Allman Brothers Band eventually grew to six members, including Duane’s brother Gregg, Betts, and Oakley.
Duane, who also collaborated with Eric Clapton, once said, “I’m the famous guitar player, but Dickey is the good one.” After Allman’s death in October 1971, Betts became the band’s sole guitarist and also took on a greater singing and leadership role. Betts, over the course of one night’s traveling, practiced slide guitar intensively in order to cover the majority of Duane’s parts. He went on to write “Jessica” and the Allmans’ biggest commercial hit, “Ramblin’ Man”. “Jessica” was inspired by his daughter of the same name.
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Personal life
Betts married his fifth wife, Donna, in 1989. He had four children: Kimberly, Christy, Jessica, and Duane. Christy is married to Frank Hannon of the band Tesla. Jessica is the namesake of Betts’ instrumental. Duane, named for Betts’ former bandmate Duane Allman, is also a musician and performed and recorded with his father.
Although he briefly resided in Georgia during the formative years of the Allman Brothers Band, he lived in Florida’s Sarasota metropolitan area for most of his life.
Health and death
In August 2018, Betts suffered a mild stroke and had to cancel upcoming tour dates with his Dickey Betts Band. He was in critical yet stable condition at a Florida hospital following an accident at his home in Osprey, Florida. An operation was planned for September 20, 2018. He successfully underwent surgery to relieve swelling on his brain. In a statement posted on his website, Betts and his family said the “outpouring of support from all over the world has been overwhelming and amazing. We are so appreciative.”
Betts died from cancer and COPD at his home in Osprey, Florida, on April 18, 2024. He was 80.
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Go here to read a more complete bio:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dickey_Betts
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OTHER NOTABLE MUSICIANS’ DEATHS
If you are thinking of committing suicide, please think of how much it will hurt your family and friends, and maybe cause them a whole lot of trouble and financial problems. Warning Signs of Suicide – National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 and 888-628-9454 for Spanish. Learn the signs of someone who may be contemplating suicide.
If you want to know more about any of the musicians we lost, please check them out at http://www.wikipedia.com
April 2024
23: Florian Chmielewski, 97, American musician (accordion player) and politician, member (1971–1997) and president (1987) of the Minnesota Senate; Samuel Kummer, 56, German church organist (Frauenkirche, Dresden) and academic; Fergie MacDonald, 86, Scottish accordionist.
22: Dušan Grún, 81, Slovak singer, pneumonia; Chan Romero, 82, American singer-songwriter (“Hippy Hippy Shake”) and guitarist.
21: Jean-Marie Aerts, 72, Belgian guitarist (TC Matic); Alex Hassilev, 91, American musician (The Limeliters) and actor (The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming); KODA, 45, Ghanaian gospel singer; MC Duke, 58, British rapper.
20: Kaj Chydenius, 84, Finnish musician and composer; Michael Cuscuna, 75, American jazz record producer and music journalist (DownBeat), co-founder of Mosaic Records, Grammy winner (1993, 1998, 2002), cancer; Sir Andrew Davis, 80, English conductor (BBC Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra), leukaemia; Chris King, 32, American rapper, shot; Josef Laufer, 84, Czech singer and actor (Starci na chmelu, Cirkus Humberto, The Last Butterfly), cardiac arrest; Miroslav Švejda , 84, Czech operatic tenor, Thalia Award for Lifetime Achievement in Opera recipient; Tony Tuff, 69, Jamaican reggae singer (The African Brothers).
19: Naomy, 46, Romanian singer, stroke; Eddie Sutton, 59, American singer (Leeway), lung cancer.
18: Dickey Betts, 80, American Hall of Fame musician (The Allman Brothers Band) and songwriter (“Jessica”, “Ramblin’ Man”), cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Steve Kille, American musician (Dead Meadow); Mandisa, 47, American gospel singer (“Only the World”, “Overcomer”, “Stronger”), Grammy winner (2014); Larry Page, 86, English pop singer and record producer.
17: Pooch Tavares, 81, American singer (Tavares).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2024
Photo: Dickey Betts | From the Dickey Betts Band Facebook page; photo by Brad MacDonald
Dickey Betts, co-founder of the Allman Brothers band, Passes from COPD and Cancer // Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths
