The Allmans reunite for Dickey Betts tribute concert

The surviving members of the Allman Brothers Band, Musician friends and family will reunite next month for “In Memory of Dickey Betts”, a tribute concert dedicated to Dickey Betts the group’s late guitarist.

The event will be held on February 28 at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Ga., in honor of Betts, who died in April 2024 at the age of 80 after suffering from cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (Read here)

Organized and curated by Betts’ son, Duane, the event will feature Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Susan Germans, Oteil Burbridge, Jaimoe, Chuck Leavell, Devon Allman, Charlie Starr, Jimmy Hall, Lamar Williams Jrand more to be announced.

“For many of us, Dad’s gift to the world was music,” Duane says. “I am so happy to reunite with some very special friends to honor the depth and beauty of his life and, of course, to share that sweet, melodic sound he is so known for.”

A portion of the proceeds will benefit as-yet-unspecified music education causes.

Starting in 1969, the mustachioed Betts joined brothers Gregg and Duane Allman in the Allman Brothers Band, which overcame Duane’s death in a 1971 motorcycle accident to become one of the most legendary Southern rock bands of all time.

Betts wrote and sang the Allmans’ biggest hit, “Ramblin‘ Man” from 1973, as well as favorites like “Blue Sky“, “Jessica“and the beloved instrumental”In Memory of Elizabeth Reed“.

After a long hiatus in the 1980s, the Allmans reunited and achieved new success as American jam band culture emerged. In this era, Betts was the group’s de facto co-leader alongside Gregg, whose struggles with substance abuse continued into the 1990s. Betts himself was no stranger to run-ins with the law and his volatility led him to leave the band for good in 2000.

While the Allmans continued without him for another 14 years, Betts played throughout the 2000s with his Dickey Betts Band, which featured Duane on guitar.