Just watched it. Enjoyed all of it. Jerry and Dickey together would have been way cool.

I was at a Great Southern show in 2009 and Duane came walking by and I said I he and Andy are doing real well. Duane walked over closely and asked " What's going on on the internet?" I said I wasn't sure. Nothing unusual this afternoon.

I remember Dickey and Duane Betts had Goldtops and Andy played a red ES-335. Except Andy played a Stratocaster with whammy bar on, I think, Liz Reed. Andy played a Strat on one song. Oh yeah Dickey switched to his Stratocaster for Nobody Left To Run With. The Strat apparently is better to get that Bo Diddley sound on the song I think it has.

Duane Betts in Allman Betts Band has 3 guitars on stage. Saw them a few months ago in Blacksburg, Va near Virginia Tech. A Goldtop Les Paul that he uses on much of the show. But on a few songs a 1956 Stratocaster hard tail with much road wear but makes it look cool to me and a red ES-335 dot neck. All three are guitars Dickey owns or owned and all sound real nice.

[Edited on 4/25/2020 by blackey]

That was terrific, Alan. A perfect little respite from these weird times.

To the extent that you might know or have a connection with him please, please, please consider bringing the subject about getting Dickey and Jerry together up with Big Steve. He may be the only person who could speak accurately to Jerry's perspective on the whole Allman / GD relationship at that period.

That would've been a perfect time for the bands to re-connect but I always wonder what prevented it other than maybe it just wasn't top of mind for anybody. Like did Jerry really view Gregg as a narc like we'd heard thru the years, was there some other rub, etc.?

Peace

[Edited on 4/25/2020 by islalala]

Thanks guys. Frank, I think the answer on Jerry is pretty simple. He was totally isolated and no one even told him about this. I was just a Guitar world guy then, in line with Musician and Rolling Stone etc. I had clout with ABB and knew Mcnally but couldn't get anywhere. No one wanted to bother Jerry. He'd do a round of press for new Grisman albums.

McNally actually said to me, "we're looking big time only - like Musician." We were 5-7 times bigger than them by then and they were about to die, actually. I told him that. Just couldn't get their attention and after a while I realized that all the talks we had were just BS. And it was time sensitive because had to happen when ABB were in San Fran.

Nice job Alan. Very enjoyable interview.

Great questions. It's really nice to see Duane got to where he belongs. The road can eat you up and spit you out but he's where he should be. The cosmos worked it out for him and Devon. Glad to see it happened for him. Also glad to hear Dickey is doing well.
I know we will see him play again because he wants to and we'd like that too.

What a cool down to earth guy. Thanks Al, I feel like I just got to know Duane. I did a trip to Sarasota Blues Festival in 2007, Gregg was the headliner, Devon's Honeytribe was also on the bill (they were HOT). Caught Duane Betts and Pedro Arevalo playing in a club in Siesta Key on that trip, I thought Duane had some chops even then.

Interesting story about someone getting sober because Dickey, after just getting out of rehab, told him he needed to clean up. I hope Dickey is still sober.

Let me relate my own personal tale. A buddy of mine went to Respiratory Therapy school with me and we've remained close ever since. We graduated in 1994. He had a Masters in music before he went to RT school and is an awesome musician, drums and piano, and plays in a couple of bands. He had a HUGE drinking problem as I did. I quit in 2011. Dave was still going strong, in fact I can remember a couple of years after I quit going to a local minor league baseball game with him and could not BELIEVE the amount of beer he was putting down between a bar before the game and then at the game. I was concerned but I also knew better than to say anything. Flash forward to a year later, 3 years after I quit: Dave tells me that he is now sober. I was in shock. Then he told me: "I quit because of you. I looked at you and figured, if he can do it, then I can do it." Six years later Dave is still sober and he is like a changed man, I mean NIGHT AND DAY. He got married since he quit too.

I've never been prouder than when this hard core alcoholic told me he quit because of me.

[Edited on 4/26/2020 by robslob]

Yeah I too was surprised Duane Betts had a drinking problem.

Gregg Allman said in 1998 that drinking and drugs have messed up a lot of bands and musicians. He said all the traveling is hard and not fun though he did enjoying riding on the same bus with Warren and Allen in the 1990s before they quit. So the traveling is hard. The fun is when you are on stage. Also if you get a little success going the drug dealers are crawling out of every crack.

Loneliness on the road, the traveling from town to town, loosing his brother and drug dealers and other people offering a hit of this and that Gregg said hurt him. After getting sober he could sing and play better.

Butch around 2012 indicated Gregg was still on drugs.....then clarified it was pot and prescription medicine and Gregg's liver was as big as a basketball. But supposedly when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Gregg saw himself on TV with Willie Nelson, Dickey, Butch and Jaimoe and he was very drunk he stopped everything including cigarettes.

@Robslob - congrats and that's great about your friend. After writing about ABB and SRV I have a deep and abiding appreciation of the process.

@blackey - more or less.