I went and saw Dickie Betts and Great Southern this weekend. If you don’t know, Dickie Betts has been with the Allman Brothers since the beginning. He played the guitar that wasn’t Duane on all those killer albums. Duane played the slide, he played the licks. He also wrote a bunch of great tunes for them including “Ramblin’ Man” and “Blue Sky”. Both of these tunes are FM radio favorites and he really has been a solid rock sticking with the Allman Brothers Band through thick and thin.

He was kicked out of the band however, a couple of years back and the band itself was squirrelly on the issue of “why”. From his point of view, he always performed well and was always right on the mark. The story I HEARD, and I am not saying it is totally TRUE is that he would get all hammered and karate kick guys and beat up the crew after the show. They even faxed him the “kick out letter” not wanting to speak to his face about it after it was an issue for quite a while.

He had a solo band in the late 70s and 80s that was 50/50. called Great Southern and is apparently still using that name. I had two albums the one named after the band and one called “Highway Call”. They were both too country for me at the time and I never listened to them even though I think I still own both. He sure likes to catch a buzz so, my expectations for the show were pretty low.

However, I was surprised at what a ROCKING Triple Gibson ATTACK came out that night. He did a few originals but really, mostly did the Allman Brothers tunes that allowed him to really stretch out. Jessica was a RIPPER in the first set (he actually played 2, 1 hour and 20 minute sets!!?!?!) Blue Sky and other Allman favorites. He really just slayed it and clearly was leading the band. The band? They were OK. The other guitar player was a true professional and very agile with the slide and without. Then, his son, Duane, also played and is on his way to becoming a real good player too. The rest of the band was pretty good but, it seemed like they had a hard time staying with Dickie through every tune. Couldn’t tell wether it was him or them?!

The highlight was and seems to frequently be, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed and was a real smokeshow way to end the 2nd set. They really just put the tune through the paces as everyone got extended solos and the jams just washed over the audience. The venue was the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana which is always a mellow place to see a show tucked back in an office park. They have a small but good food menu and plenty of bar access. The place was 2/3 full with the type of folks in Orange County who would go see Dickie Betts. So, perfect.

I recommend a viewing for SURE if he comes through your town. Again, I wasn’t sure what to expect but really got a thrilling surprise!!