Dickey Betts - Interview - 11/4/1984 - Rock Influence (Official)

[@onlyboatride]

Dickey Betts is one of the best songwriters and guitar players of all time..

[@greghenderson4582]

The greatest instrumental songwriter !!!! And had the most unique touch of any guitar player in his prime !!!

[@donaldbrown8882]

Yea dickey betts is great guitar player and singer he is also my moms brother and a uncle of mine im proud to have him as an uncel thank you everyone that likes his music

[@nickpavona3326]

There are those who think he's the betts.

[@reebuck6169]

Agree totally both as a guitarist and a songwriter.The man wrote some of the greatest instrumentals of all time

[@sampickel1030]

You got that right

[@SarahSullivanSales]

May you Rest in Peace, Dickey. Thanks for the music.

[@stevehodgis8320]

I got to meet Dickey at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in early 2018. He actually came up to ME, and started a conversation when our wives were waiting in line to pay the bill. Nicest guy of his stature I ever met. Said he was "retired" from one of the greatest R+R bands of all time....When he said the Allman Brothers, my jaw hit the floor. Hadn't seen a picture of him in 25 years or so, so it took me by surprise when he said who he was. Was a great experience, and I will never forget his humbleness and downright friendliness.

[@highnumber9494]

Steve Hodgis Did he seem relatively healthy? That's pretty amazing you just happened upon him randomly like that.

[@leahflower9924]

i was gonna ask where i could find a man like dickey...now i have the answer eat at Cracker Barrel

[@stevehodgis8320]

@@highnumber9494 yes, he seemed fine.

[@XxSkydog71xX]

Dude he would probably be weirded out with me because I’d be passed out if he came up to me

[@holboroman]

Some people have all the luck!

[@glen7695]

Dicky Betts is one of the most underrated guitar players of all time. Guitar players should pay attention to what he says at 4:00. His synthesis of bluegrass, blues, jazz and rock made him a 'fusion' player before fusion existed.

[@markkelly3859]

I've always heard great players say when buying a guitar to play an electric guitar first with no amplifier and if it doesn't ring, move on.

[@ThatOtherRaccoon]

I think you mean 1:00 because that's when he begins to talk about his influences.

[@samsmith4216]

First time I ever heard anyone credit Irish Bagpipe players as the first influence to Rock music and. American music in general. I always hear the answer to that is the Blues and spiritual music as the foundation. Interesting

[@josephfemoyer7218]

Dicky Betts is one of the most melodic underrated players ever recorded.his jam sessions were never boring

[@holboroman]

Two crucial points: "We did a lot of jamming......we played it over and over until we developed it".

[@tomtoride9218]

Dickie was and still is a beast on guitar ..Big part of the allman brothers success...

[@bishlap]

duh

[@ritabeluga7164]

I love Dickey....he is for me one of the greatest guitar players ever....

[@chriszane190]

I am so fascinated by this guy as a guitar player. Not only is he a cultured guitar player but seems like a pretty cool dude.

[@estebannemo1957]

What a great guy. Shy, modest, a true southern gentleman and great talent.

[@MDavidG1]

All true...when he is clean and sober.

[@thepirate5955]

As I watch this, I thought to myself "Such a southern gentleman." Thanks for posting this.

[@nickfanzo]

love his playing. monster guitarist.

[@musiclover3205]

Rest in Power, Dickey 💙 Thank you for the great music and songwriting.

[@rayfarrell6926]

Dickey Betts amazing natural ability with writing melody lines via his guitar playing to me was the reason Duane Allman thought so higly of Dicky Betts. His writing style defined the Allman Brothers style and sound and to me he is one of the finest muscians/guitar players of his generation. He helped hold the Allman Brothers together after the dealths of Duane and Berry oakley. In spite of his difficult addictions and demons he has fought over his life time, he has left a lasting mark and legacy with his huge contribution to the allman Brothers Band. Peace to you Dicky Betts.

[@RickMcCargar]

My personal favorite guitarist. I feel that Dickey Betts is the most melodic of all the rock-generation guitarists. Lots of guys playing riff-based solos, Dickey can do that too, but nobody created melodic solos like that man.

[@mr.smithgnrsmith7808]

He and Mike Campbell

[@evanmadson]

RIP DICKEY

[@paulhendersun6525]

A true musician - you can tell the sound in the wood. Nod to Django with a laugh- my man gets it. Knows history too. Love Dickey's work.

[@dex-o8s]

THE GENUIS OF DICKIE BETTS IS PORTRAYED RIGHT DAMN HERE.PEOPLE......DICKIE WAS SUCH A MAJOR PART OF THE BAND.....IT WAS GREAT THAT THE ALLMAN BROTHERS MADE IT TO THEIR 40TH....REUNION....WITH DEREK TRUCKS....BUT IT JUST DONT SOUND THE SAME WITHOUT DICKEY...

[@sueellenmcgoey6095]

Amen Could never listen without Mr Betts

[@QueenOfTheGreen27]

Dickey Betts...absolutely amazing guitar player....the epitome of every character Matthew Mcconaughey attempts to embody in all his roles.

[@isaacdodson1565]

Dickey is criminally underrated, great writer, great lead player. With Duane, he was insane, after Duane he carried that band and showed how well he could do, even if the band left the blues behind. Love ya, Dickey!

[@shawn8088]

The A.BROTHERS WERE THE BAND! AWESOME...😊

[@captainsouth4460]

No he’s not. Underrated is overused!

[@Patriot-x8y]

🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕 he was never underrated.

[@breakfastsurreal5650]

Dickey has always been one of my favorite guitar players. My dad introduced me to the Allman Brothers when I was about 13. He played their Live at Filmore East record and I was hooked instantly! Hearing his work as I was learning guitar helped me develop my own skills immensely. I'm grateful for all the fine work he and the rest of the band has shared with us, incredible music and incredible band! 🎸🎹🥁🎶👍👌🤘👏❤️

[@runningblood58]

Dickey is a genuine picker man........a real bad ass player from the heart. He and Duane sure made a great partnership playing under and over each other especially at the beginning of Mountain Jam

[@taylordw]

Richard Cosmillo Live at the Fillmore East: one of the best live albums of all time

[@darrennickoley1653]

You said bro. Mountain jam to be played at my funeral. Maybe I will be there to hear it . Thanks for your words.

[@VonBluesman]

Dickey Betts is one of the greatest guitar player/song writers alive. I love his style of music and all of the music he has made.

[@TheGreasegetter]

When the Brothers started there were no rules,Everyone was high on something,Dickey gave us so much that when i hear people say its good to hear him sober,I agree but he owes us nothing,He gave us melodic music when no one else was.He kept writing when we lost lost Skydog,and Berry.Dont judge just embrace and enjoy.

[@jpalberthoward9]

Another one of the all time greats. His work speaks for itself.

[@perijetton9275]

Dickey is really a smart man. He took us to school in this interview. He knows his music history. ✌️🍑

[@patotmaster3484]

My all-time favorite guitarist without hesitation.

[@arlenesheffield1136]

Not only a great guitar player but a well spoken and nice guy.

[@wthendrix5047]

God's speed to Dickey Betts. One of our finest.

[@PinkChick133]

WT Hendrix - Dickey is still alive

[@RoryGFan-39]

@@PinkChick133not anymore 😢😢😢

[@calbastian]

Great to see his humility when he knows he can take your woman with his guitar playing.

[@kevinwaters5872]

You could argue that Dickey Betts is THE under rated guitarist of all time. He is so melodic , he can make his guitar sound like a fiddle. Not many players do that.

[@shkyrbty]

He looks so proud and happy with all that he and the Brothers accomplished.

[@kathleenzlogar8253]

So. Happy , you are. From

[@ALCE52]

ALL Well Deserved.Being Humble made him the guitarist he DISPLAYED to the World.ALLWAYS REMAIN HUMBLE.

[@johndaugherty4127]

My hero.

[@edwhite7475]

I like how he talked about going back and researching the guys HIS heroes listened to, that's what i always did, kinda like taking things apart to see how they work-i was doing that at 5 years old, and i bet he was too...kids today dont do that, and I dont hear the sort of creativity in modern music anymore.

[@evanmadson]

His playing on Fillmore East will always be my favorite

[@punishmentforall]

Good to see a coherent, intelligent and informative interview with Dickey. It's tough to see more recent ones.

[@joshpelton3708]

+punishmentforall i hear you, booze and drugs really destroy a man's intellect after decades of abuse. Makes me wonder if he is still using.

[@andrewptob]

+punishmentforall Yeah, more recent interviews are a bit of a bummer. Drugs and alcohol have probably caught up with him to a large extent, but he's also an old man now. He's in his 70s so I think we can cut him a break. Would he be a bit more energetic or whatever without the years of excess, yeah probably, but he's also just an old dude now. Rock on...

[@somanyroads1966]

Didnt he get a charge that really was pretty bad quite a ways back?

[@ginacalabrese3869]

HALF PAST DEAD his wife got arrested for pointing a gun at a bunch of student boat rowers like a year ago.

[@scottmoyer1357]

Funny, I did a gig in 1971 with Chuck Berry at UNC in Chapel Hill NC and on the same bill that day were The Allman Brothers Band and Spirit. It was on May 1st of 1971 just months after they recorded Live At the Fillmore East. They played so well it was unbelievable but Chuck Berry still remains the greatest influence of them all. I was fortunate to have been asked to be a supportive player that day playing drums for Chuck and able to hang out with the members of Spirit & The Allman Brothers.

[@MarshallAmpMan]

He is totally underrated, he should be ranked up there along with Duane, Clapton, Hendrix, etc...

[@bluecollar825]

He gets ranked just not talked about. Idk whose top 100 list you prefer, I personally don't think about it but I look at them. And hes in just about all I can remember seeing the last few years. So the "pros" know, hes regarded highly by his peers, and us fans know.🍄🍑✌

[@jacksutherland846]

Hat is off to Mr Betts. He was a huge influence on my playing.

[@bmwwheatley4140]

What a great, well spoken human. Not to mention a fabulous guitar player.

[@badtexasbill5261]

God bless Dickey Betts.

[@roymullins4926]

A very great one...

[@fattsfatts7891]

I love this man!!! Such a great writer and player and also down to earth and humble.

[@aran125]

This is awesome

[@mrjon75]

He's a true student AND master of music, including music history. I love how he can keep it real about details, demystifying things without taking away the magic.

[@pbrent3106]

Very nice. Comment on the bagpipes to the fiddle tunes to the blues - then jazz, country, southern rock.. wonderful lineage of music traditions, influences

[@John-wr6yo]

I love his song pony boy.

[@charliedee9276]

I loved the part where he says he wanted to know who influenced the musicians who influenced him, getting to that musical foundation is I think what made him so great.

[@mags5459]

One of the last greats left🎸

[@dianejoa1754]

What a scholar!

[@dickeybett3304]

hi

[@dickeybett3304]

Hi

[@markmcmyn8967]

Jessica is my favorite instrumental! What a joyous, uplifting tune.It absolutely defines an era. I have spent more time studying dickey betts then duane allman! Duane allman for slide and dickey for just about everything else. I do love duanes stormy monday solo for live at the filmore east but dickey is smokin on that one too! His improvisation on filmore east's , You dont love me is as good as it gets.Much Respect, Mr Dickey Betts.

[@johnemerson5428]

Jessica composed as a homage to Django and to be played with only two fingers on the left hand! The man does indeed know his history!

[@InTonalHarmony]

I’ve found Dickey’s parts more difficult to get right. Areas where he picks every note with such speed and intensity. It’s very hard to do.

[@johnnykawakid]

Legend. 🙏 👏 Plain and simple.

[@mojohinson1540]

Dickey has continued to be a source of Influence and inspiration for me

[@buddyollie180]

he should've been in a Civil War movie...

[@jimbanda]

Still a legend.... 👏🙏❤️

[@markhafkenschiel3872]

Forrest Richard Betts-- the VERY BEST at Hittin' the Note!!

[@douglasellington5077]

Music Historian, indeed. Underrated guitaist. Very talented.

[@rbaskin71073]

The Fillmore concerts have always blown me away with the improvisations. I have been moved by the peformance. They seemed inspired compared to all other recordings. Dickeys explanation of how they used chord progressions that run that they never used before or since explains what my ears always heard. Genius. And Berry was so unique in his approach to bass.

[@shkyrbty]

Great and informative interview. I remember Dickey's first solo album--still have the vinyl….

[@garymisenheimer]

The best show I ever saw,was him in a small club and when he finished Jessica, he was all wrapped up in the cord from his guitar. It was very memorable.

[@joeb6867]

Of his much loved songs mentioned here, I think his very best has been missed. Blue Sky on Eat a Peach. Best studio recording by original lineup (OK maybe except for Dreams) . Almost Impossible to hear the transition from one guitar soloist to the next. Oh to have been a fly on the studio wall.

[@dwaynesbadchemicals]

Renewed appreciation for this man. Saw him in the ‘80’s.

[@carlkuss]

The southern accent is so sweet, nothing like it.

[@andrewptob]

He looks like an outlaw from the late 1800s.

[@Ocantus]

+andrewptob He's a mean git-tar slinger, pardner!

[@rosieknitter7162]

badkarmaclan l

[@geetarnut]

YES,,, I SAID THE SAME THING AS WELL!! DOC HOLIDAY!!

[@ronr7905]

That's because he is..... :)

[@chrisbreedy2314]

He looks like a BUNCH of confederate generals 😍

[@gabrieldunne0]

Such a humble man :))))

[@paulc7742]

I saw the Allmans at Radio City Music Hall in early mid nineties and he was fantastic. Love Greg and Warren but Dickey was the show that night. Best I’ve ever seen them!

[@geetarnut]

NOW,,, I ASK YOU, IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE PLAYING GUITAR,, WHO IS AS NICE AS DICKEY?!?!?! WHAT A HEART! THAT'S WHY HE'S THE LAST MAN STANDING (BESIDES J.J. THE DRUMMER!) FROM THE ALLMAN BROTHERS!!!!

[@ThatOtherRaccoon]

Yeah. Myles Kennedy.

[@vmat1000]

From awhile ago. Happy to see it now. Semi iconic photo was taken of Duane in a homes bathroom playing his GoldTop Les Paul. He like Dickie knew the ring. I don't shop for stuff much these days (bakers dozen) but i'd always play something Unplugged first. Also grateful for the chance to play Ramblin' Man in a band/bar gig. Shared so co guit played the first lead. Yeah, i did an 'edited' version but still was a blast. Thanks the years of inspiration, Mr Betts!!

[@KyOte13]

Legend

[@thomasmcglaughlin1410]

Dickey Betts is the BEST. Really talented inspired genius

[@sagarpokhrel5357]

I think he was not only the great guitar player but also a great person which you can tell right here after watching this interview

[@TeresaCacciapaglia-b7g]

Rest in music. A brilliant talent - and totally cool✝️🎵

[@fuita227]

Not that he needs one, but you don't interview a legendary guitarist like Dickey Betts without a proper introduction...a man whose recognition is well deserved!!!

[@GodInTheMachine]

Long live Dickey Betts 76 & counting

[@Urgomebloke68]

Good interwiew. Ramblin Man is like skynyrds sweet home albama.. Radio hit.

[@tefenstrat]

What a great player and person. As I was watching I couldn't help thinking about the time period of this Interview. The start of MTV and the almost death of rock bands like Allmans....it was no longer "Cool" to listen to a guitar band. Then I think it was around the end of the 80's when this guy named Stevie Ray Vaughn came along and made it cool again to listen to a guitar band. This then paved the way for a ton of bands from the 70s to make a huge comeback in the 90s...The Allmans, The Moody Blues, The Eagles, The Dooblies, Fleetwood Mac etc etc. all made huge comebacks and they made a lot of great new music....thank goodness and thanks to Stevie.

[@normcook9335]

Dickey seems like a real gentleman - great musician.

[@skhavia]

American Legend. God bless the South!

[@barbaragorny8750]

i was an organ major... also play the oboe...been influenced since i was 16..'70.. bot all yer records.....mmm miss u soooo much...

[@Mr59coconut]

Great stuff. Thanks

[@joenania]

DICKEY BETTS he was playing the rock and roll and rockabilly in the 1950s - and somewhere in those days and nights he also heard of the great gypsy guitarist DJANGO REINHARDT - WOW - I though HE was an influence on Dickey _ I was feeling it - !

[@owenmcgee8496]

Good, down to earth, interview. A few years ago I stumbled across a Betts album called "The Collectors" (2002). It is all acoustic. It features his Western Swing mentor playing alongside Betts' 'great southern' band on a few tracks. Not all of it is great (Betts isn't always a good singer or songwriter) but it reflects all of what he is saying in this interview regarding music in general. There's a tune 'Georgia on a Fast Train' that was Django inspired & a Western Swing performance of a Horace Silver jazz tune. There's what he calls a pre-historic American, or Gaelic, instrumental "Beyond the Pale", a couple of Sonny Terry/Brownie McGhee style blues tunes, and an acoustic version of one of his latest instrumentals, "One Stop Be Bop". It's Betts instrumental music I liked best in hearing the ABB. Around the time this interview was done, if he was working on a new album, the one that came out (Pattern Disruptive, 1988) was anything but a country/folk album: twas blues-rock all the way, and not really any good, excepting, surprise surprise, the instrumental (Duane's Tune). "The Collectors" is the album that Betts used to reflect his influences etc. and is the one folky record he made, that is, after his initial sessions/playing for Highway Call in 1974.

[@MillennialGeo]

What a cool dude so talented and just cool.

[@hippydippy]

Great Interview! Bless you Dickey.

[@kennethpuskas9061]

Being a ramblin Man only proves that the road does gone forever praise the Lord amen

[@MarkBbill-us1yd]

Agreed, sir !!! U have good taste my, monkey man. See how I got another reference to a great southern influenced rock and roll band ? Their earlier stuff was totally country/blues, if anyone has ? s please give them a listen, still blows my wig back ! After all these years, I believe they are truly the greatest R$R band of the whole genre. But I won't shove it down anyone's throat. Trust me young'uns, y'all missed a truly great era in rock history. Anyone outthere's agree ?

[@turkeeg7644]

Sound!....This man a great American composer.

[@danielj8630]

Midnight Rider and Ramblin' Man great road songs, all round excellent band.

[@gsmeeuwsen]

AMAZING guitar player!!!

[@Dang...]

Thanks for posting!

[@williammoore3184]

I miss these folks they were great!!!!!

[@jeffrey-ye9qv]

love this guy

[@beaulyons1977]

Rest Easy 🍄🍑

[@markkelly3859]

I agree with Dickie. I've often though some of the best country playing is rock sung with a twang and and dressed up in countrified lyrics.

[@JimmyJoeization]

Nice to see and hear him as just a man.

[@chipurBillWhite]

Forrest-Richard-Betts! Have always loved him.

[@ThePixilator]

Love you Dicky! Remember you from The Fenton Hotel and your time spent at Lake Shannon! 😘

[@megagatvol]

He’s such a nice humble everyday kinda guy.

[@carlrudd1858]

what a guy...

[@PaulLaurinD]

Chuck berry gave my uncle guitar lessons. Love Dickey Betts Long time ago

[@lbclbc5447]

great music, love "out to get me", reminds me of when I was growing up.. love it!! you know Steve Doss, Mack Doss??? (my dad, and uncle)..

[@jeremychandler1192]

I'm more of a 80's baby grunge type but Dickie can place them strangs! Imagine talking ,writing,playing with someone who's been doin it like he did. He understands music and it's development that's knowledge.

[@dickeybett3304]

hello