I have been conditioned to love and prefer the EAP version. But hearing this makes me wonder if that was a "draft" for another ABB epic instrumental.  This is very, very nice!  

Porkchopbob. Is this when Dan Toler was in Great Southern? Before he quit and Andy was hired? 

I saw the post 2000 Great Southern several times as I'm a huge Dickey fan and never knew they did this. Yes wonder why Dickey shelved it. In the 1990s the ABB didn't do it according to Kirk West because Dickey  was opposed to it. Said Dickey was real close to Duane and has a lot of reverance for Duane and to Dickey it was like they were stepping on the only song Duane ever wrote!

Did you ever hear about or read Duane's interview that was published just after he died? Duane claimed he was asleep in a motel room and in his dream Jimi Hendrix walked in and went to the sink, turned on the water and Jimi put his fingers in the stream of water and began playing this melody and song. Duane said he woke up and grabbed an acoustic guitar and Bam there it was. 

In a way it sounds like Duane was blowing  smoke in that interview. 

@robertdee yeah it was the Dan Toler period, between the original Mark May lineup and the final Duane & Andy lineup. I think Dave Stoltz is still in the band for this, but Mike Kach had recently joined. As I recall, Dickey was trying to get his band based out of Tampa and the original band was mostly from the northeast area (which is why they ended up in Jaimoe's band). 

Dickey and Warren did perform "Little Martha" a handful of times during special acoustic-specific performances in the 1990s, but never regularly. Made it pretty special when Warren & Derek (and Oteil) performed it for the 40th anniversary shows.

Thanks for sharing this version. "Little Martha ," as I'm sure is a favorite of so many. The added sounds of the Hammond B3 on this one IMO really helps put the melody line in perspective. Great way to start my day!

@rusty

The original is unbeatable, for sure.

Dickey was churning out a lot of fresh material between 2001-2004. But by 2005 or so he dropped a lot of that material in favor of ABB and GS standards for the next decade. Maybe it was due to the personnel changes, make it easier for Andy and Duane to onboard, but Dickey was known to prefer only 1 or 2 different set lists on the road.

Damn Bob, not only are you a fantastic illustrator/artist, you're one helluva musician too.

@chris that's very kind, thanks!

Interesting concept that this tune may have developed into another great instrumental by the original ABB. I can appreciate why DB&GS didn't play this often in reverence of Duane.

@porkchopbobThanks porkchopbob.  I really liked David Stoltz on bass. Mark May was an okay fit with Dickey. I saw that lineup once. May's style was different than Dickey's which is what Dickey wanted. That and being able to twin passages with him. I seem to remember May played a Peavy electric guitar which is probably the only time I've seen someone play one.

Yeah I was rather sure Dan Toler is on the Little Martha you linked. 

@robertdee

I didn't really think Mark May fit, but he's a good player. I liked Kris Jensen on sax in the band - gave a nice layer to Dickey's instrumentals that he still adds to Jaimoe's band. I think Dickey's final lineup was his best - Andy & Duane, Mike Kach, and without Twinkle.

“tough tune!” that’s what Dickey says on the March 2004 version at Falls Church - less hiccups on this one that PCBob posted - as was mentioned Mike’s playing, terrific

but Falls Church Va. is an excellent good sounding show w/5 musicians (1 drummer) - this was a real strong lineup, as was the one that followed

Digressing, the more recent two Allman-Betts Band CDs take it to another level still & are just tremendous listens - 

Also I just remembered Dickey didn't call it Great Southern when Mark May was there. The Dickey Betts Band.  When Dickey got reacquainted with Dan Toler and saw he had moved to a style that didn't mirror his style and Dan's main guitar wasn't a Les Paul and had a whammy bar, Dicksy quickly asked Dan to join. I well remember the interview where Dickey talks about it and brags how Dan Toler uses his whammy bar in a unique way from many other players plus since Dan was his other lead player in Dickey's 70's band Great Southern Dickey decided to use that name and pickup where they left off in 1978. 

It seemed as if Dickey had found another old shoe to wear that felt comfortable after what happened between him and the Allman Brothers.  

With all due respect to Dan Toler who was a very sweet and friendly guy, everyone agreed, I wasn't that impressed with how he used his whammy bar or his tone. But I am very impressed with say Jimmy Herring and Jeff Beck and their whammy. Herring in a nice subtle way and Beck uses it for actual notes in a series of notes. Not for extra bending or vibrato but Beck plays notes with his whammy. BTW Warren Haynes has mentioned in 3 interviews that Jeff Beck is his favorite guitarists and they are night and day apart. I dont hear any Jeff Beck influence in Warren's playing. Anyone?

Apparently Toler joined this band or sat in often after he quit Dickey. A Florida band based in Sarasota which is Dickey's backyard.  I read Dan brought some songs in and Dickey said only my songs in my show. Dan said he thought it was a band not  solo act so he quit. He isn't bad on this weird version of One Way Out.  Too bad he got that awful Lou Gehrig disease.  Died at 64. Dickey attended his funeral.

Dickey said in the early 90's just as In Memory of Elizabeth Reed had nothing to do with the woman buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, Little Martha had nothing to do with the little girl buried in the same cemetery.  Dickey said Duane wrote it for a girl named Dixie. Dickey explained by he chose the name on the grave for Elizabeth Reed because he had to hid the real name as she was Boz Scaggs girl. But he didn't explain why Duane Allman used Little Martha to obscure Dixie's name. Anyone know? 

@robertdee I had never heard that Dan quit due to songs, since Great Southern often played a few of Mike Kach's tunes. I know it was sudden, right before the band was to go back out on tour and he  jumped ship for Renegades of Southern Rock with brother.

But a lot of members were shuffled in and out of Dickey's band between 2000-2005, fired and re-hired, so who knows. They patched things up either way.

@porkchopbobThat could have been true it was for better money.  I definitely read Dan suddenly quit because Dickey wouldn't consider his songs and Dan was quoted saying " I thought it was a band not a solo act"

Yes it was sudden. I remember being surprised at the news Dan had suddenly left. 

But apparently Dan was thinking money too because it was also surprising he sold the Les Paul Dickey played on Fillmore East to a Japanese collector. Especially since Dickey gave it to Dan in 1978. 

I had a chance to speak to him at a Great Southern show and Dan was very friendly as usual and I ask him about the guitar as I always liked the way it sounded on Fillmore East, maybe a bit of a metallic ring compared to other guitars Dickey used and was happy to learn Dan still had it then. I think it was his number one in the 80's while he was in Gregg's band. Anyway Dan said he found that Strat at a music store and liked it then left then went back I told the guy that was his guitar dont sell it. Dan said it had a fast neck and stayed in tune and Dickey liked the whammy bar etc as it pushes Dan away from Dickey's style. Dan said Dickey said he was often told they sounded too much alike when they were in the ABB together and I agreed but didn't tell Dan that. 

That and Butch saying that version of the band didn't have the right chemistry and later when Gregg's book came out, Gregg didn't care for David Goldflies.  But I enjoyed several of that lineups shows. But on their three albums there were solos where I had difficulty deciding if its Dickey or Dan. Did you?