Dickey Betts joined
the Allman Brothers Band as second lead guitarist and singer in the late '60s. In addition to matching bandleader
Duane Allman lick for lick,
Betts also wrote such memorable songs as "Revival" (number 92, 1971) and the instrumental
tour de force "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed." After
Duane Allman was killed in a road accident in 1971,
Betts and Allman's brother
Gregg shared leadership of the band, with
Betts writing and singing the group's biggest hit, "Ramblin' Man" (number two, 1973). Members of the band began solo careers in 1973, and
Betts released his first solo album
Highway Call, in 1974.
The Allmans split up in 1976, and
Betts formed
Dickey Betts and Great Southern.
The Allmans reformed in 1978, with
Betts contributing "Crazy Love" (number 29, 1979), "Angeline" (number 58, 1980), and "Straight From the Heart" (number 39, 1981). But they split again, and both
Betts and
the Allmans were inactive for several years.
Betts returned with the Dickey Betts Band and
Pattern Disruptive in 1988, and in 1989 he and a couple of members of his backup band joined a second, more permanent re-formation of
the Allmans. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide