Theater Watch: Southern Rock is in the House

This Friday, July 8^th, Count Basie Theater presents Dickey Betts and Great Southern.   Dickey Betts is man of multiple talents; singer, songwriter, guitarist, and most notably, co-founder of the hugely popular Allman Brothers Band.

The Allman Brothers was originally formed by Duane and Gregg Allman. Betts was one of the original members, adding his country harmonies to the Allman’s blues/jazz influenced style.

Together, the band made unique music that appealed to a diverse audience.  Betts went on to be a major influence and leader in the band after the tragic death of Duane Allman in 1971.

The Allman Brothers are known for a string of hits, with the most notorious being Ramblin’ Man, which was written by Betts.  Betts had a number of other hits, most memorable being the song Jessica, which he wrote for his daughter.

In 1974, Betts ventured out on his own with his first solo album Highway Call.  In 1976, The Allman Brothers Band officially fell apart, but that didn’t stop Betts from making great music. 

Betts continued his career making solo albums. In 1979 he reunited with the Allman Brothers Band, and they managed to stay together until 1982. After that, the group followed a pattern of falling out and re-grouping, with various tour dates in between.  

Throughout the Allman Brothers separation and reunification, Betts kept up with his solo career and his own band. Each time the Allman Brothers reunited, Betts solo band, The Dickey Betts Band, disbanded, only to be reformed when the Allman’s were on the outs.  In 2000, the band reformed again, this time until the name Dickey Betts and Great Southern.

In December of 2009, at age 66, Betts announced at a concert in New York City that it would be his last touring date and that he was looking forward to “waking up with nothing on my schedule.”

Clearly, the lure of the stage and his passion for playing was too strong for Betts to ignore, and he hit the road once more in 2010 to play a string of concerts for elated fans.

In 1995, Betts was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his lifelong success in the music business.  In 2003, he was ranked #58 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list.  His latest DVD release is titled Dickey Betts and Great Southern—Rockpalast: 30 Years of Southern Rock, 1978-2008.

Friday’s show at the Count Basie will include music from throughout his career, with a mix of jazz, blues, western, swing and southern rock and roll on the playlist. For more information on Friday’s show, or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.countbasietheatre.org/

Schedule:

• Dickey Betts and Great Southern: Friday, July 8^th at 8pm