I recently got into a spirited discussion with one of my subscribers on the subject of Dickey Betts. He was of the opinion that Duane was a more creative and complex guitarist. I understand what he’s getting at, but that doesn't tell the whole story. I thought my response was on point so I'll re-state it here:
“I think it's fair to say that Duane made more unusual and surprising choices in terms of note selection and rhythmic motifs whereas Dickey took a more linear approach. But Dickey was every bit Duane’s equal in terms of technical ability. And if you don’t believe that, listen to Dickey’s solo breakdown on “You Don’t Love Me” from 6/27/71 at the Fillmore East. It’s a bootleg, but worth finding. Frankly Duane couldn’t have hung with that fiery display of speed and dexterity and he knew it. Duane’s gift was quirky inventiveness and uncanny intonation. But it’s not a race to me anyway. It’s just music, and Dickey and Duane are simply different colors of the same rainbow. Neither better than the other, just equally beautiful.”
Dickey Betts came from a Western Swing and Bluegrass background; two very unforgiving genres with rigid rules and lofty expectations. Dickey set his own bar very high and it showed in his playing. Frankly, Dickey was a more accurate player than Duane, and this was very obvious in his faster passages. Nothing illustrates this point better than Dickey’s free-time solo in You Don’t Love Me. The official album version from At Fillmore East is legendary, but not his best performance by far. After years of listening to as many Allman Brothers recordings as possible, I believe that Dickey’s playing from 6/27/71 sets the high water mark.
This was the last show at the Fillmore East and the boys were *on fire*. Even the most untrained ear can hear that the band had obviously eaten their “Wheaties” that morning and the playing is inspired. Don’t forget, this is the show that yielded the absolutely blistering version of “One Way Out” that appeared on Eat A Peach less than a year later. In any event, take a listen to this solo and see what you think. I’m yet to hear anything that tops this and I’m always left slack jawed after hearing it. When I was a kid, I wanted to be Dickey Betts when I grew up. I still do.
Many thanks to my friend Kathy Hurley for the photo of Dickey that appears in the video thumbnail and also later in the video. She was there to click the shutter when it mattered most. That photo was taken at The Steel Pier in Atlantic City, NJ ~ 7/5/71. Look for an upcoming book from Kathy that I will promote here.
PS - If you dig the Allmans, you might enjoy the ABB tribute band I play in called SKYDOG. We pride ourselves on being as authentic as humanly possible. Come say hi at our website or Facebook!
www.skydogtribute.com
/ skydogtribute
/ brianwilliewilliams
Cheers ~VW