Was reading an interview with Warren a few months ago and when asked about Dickey he said Dickey was responsible for Warren getting his job with the Allman Brothers, that he learned a lot from Dickey and like all the important guitar players has his own unique style and voice. And that Dickey's sound was a huge part of the Allman Brothers sound. That he and Derek were never comfortable with Dickey not being there and he (Warren) would not do it if he was standing in the way of Dickey coming back but Dickey didn't want to come back and one person in the band was uncomfortable with it too. Also said he and Derek tried hard to get Dickey to join them on stage more than once but Dickey never showed at any of the occasions.

Burt Holman said once it was all set but Dickey didn't show. That it was very disappointing but also a relief because of the tension with another original member.

Apparently when it came down to it Dickey said hell no.

He didn't need the money so his pride stopped him I suppose. Dickey is the only brother worth north of 40 million dollars.

Dickey knows his input in the band and if he was asked directly from Gregg he would've been there, but it was a "my people will call your people" scenario and that was never good enough for him. I understand where he was coming from, they all went thru a lot together and it should've been band mate to band mate, not my manager will call yours. There was a lot of missed opportunities and they just ran out of time. It's a shame that Gregg and Dickey never reunited. Much love to both.

All of the guys in the ABB are / were remarkable musicians, amazing musicians.

Organizers? Planners? Businessmen? Communicators? No, not really. But wonderful musicians. Not everyone gets to have all of the skills.

"he and Derek were never comfortable with Dickey not being there and he (Warren) would not do it if he was standing in the way of Dickey coming back but Dickey didn't want to come back"

I hadn't heard this, but it makes sense to me. For years, people on this site would beg Gregg and/or the ABB to "let Dickey come back" but I was never convinced that Dickey was eager to return. As you said, it's not like he needed the money.

I think Mr. Betts chafed at the idea of begging for his job in a band that he helped create, especially with the way everything went down with the infamous fax. I think once things went to court and it became a legal matter that bridge was burned to the ground.

"Also said he and Derek tried hard to get Dickey to join them on stage more than once but Dickey never showed at any of the occasions."

When I worked at HTN I think there was at least one time Dickey was "expected" to play and didn't show. Whether the invitation was proper or not, if it came from a manager or member, I don't know. This just supports the idea that Dickey wasn't bending over backwards to share the stage with the ABB. If they wouldn't do it on his terms, he was perfectly happy not doing it at all.

This just points out something I've said many times about my time at HTN. After Dickey left, the band kept going on a year to year basis. There wasn't a lot of long-term thinking, it was all about the next tour, the next thing on the list. I honestly don't think anybody ever expected the band to survive for over a decade without Dickey....including the ABB themselves.

Knowing that Warren was never comfortable with the situation matches with my impression that everything in those final years was on an ad hoc, "let's see if we can get through this next tour" type level. It was always a temporary situation, it was just a temporary situtation that lasted 13 years.

Thanks for posting! Love the facial expressions from Duane & Andy...

Warren also said the band should have operated like The Rolling Stones and not toured every year. The band decided to do a tour in 1989 because Epic wanted Gregg and Dickey to do an album together. But they were skeptical even though both had signed with Epic by then. The Dreams Box set was released that year so Dickey pulled Warren and Johnny Neal out of his band after Chuck turned it down ( originally said he would do it if the Tolers were not involved and Butch thought the chemistry was never right with the Tolers) and Gregg put his band on hold to do the tour. The band was so hot out of the gate they said yes to a new album but Warren said soon a lot of people went to work for the band and were counting on the band for their living so they had to tour every year and by 1997 Gregg got tired of the band and going out with Dickey and Butch apparently had been rubbed the wrong way by Dickey for years. This probably wouldn't have happened Warren said if they had toured every other year or longer. But they couldn't due to the staff payroll and finally Gregg was ready to leave in 1997 but hung on.Warren did leave. Butch was leaving in 2000 but heard from his wife Gregg was too and developed a plan to convince Gregg to vote with him to sack Dickey. We all know the story. The original four had all the power in the band and ran it with their votes and 3 to 1 means you are off the stage just as it did for Jaimoe in 1980. Butch said Dickey would blow a fuse when the occasional vote didn't go his way. After Dickey was sacked, Gregg, Warren and Derek actually wanted to do their own bands and just do the ABB occasionally but Butch wanted to keep going every year as did the staff. Warren didn't explain how so many people came to count on the band for their yearly income. They were to stop at the 40th but Butch got 5 more years out of them when Warren and Derek finally said enough. Butch agreed to finally stop then got cold feet again but Gregg didn't want to find new players as Warren and Derek said no more. The ABB wasn't exactly the vehicle Gregg preferred.He wanted less jamming and the spotlight on the singing so his love for his solo bands. But like Dickey, the ABB made Gregg a multi millionaire. Its a shame they couldn't do the final big tour Butch was expecting. He needed the money to shore up that tax mess.

Warren also said the band should have operated like The Rolling Stones and not toured every year. The band decided to do a tour in 1989 because Epic wanted Gregg and Dickey to do an album together. But they were skeptical even though both had signed with Epic by then. The Dreams Box set was released that year so Dickey pulled Warren and Johnny Neal out of his band after Chuck turned it down ( originally said he would do it if the Tolers were not involved and Butch thought the chemistry was never right with the Tolers) and Gregg put his band on hold to do the tour. The band was so hot out of the gate they said yes to a new album but Warren said soon a lot of people went to work for the band and were counting on the band for their living so they had to tour every year and by 1997 Gregg got tired of the band and going out with Dickey and Butch apparently had been rubbed the wrong way by Dickey for years. This probably wouldn't have happened Warren said if they had toured every other year or longer. But they couldn't due to the staff payroll and finally Gregg was ready to leave in 1997 but hung on.Warren did leave. Butch was leaving in 2000 but heard from his wife Gregg was too and developed a plan to convince Gregg to vote with him to sack Dickey. We all know the story. The original four had all the power in the band and ran it with their votes and 3 to 1 means you are off the stage just as it did for Jaimoe in 1980. Butch said Dickey would blow a fuse when the occasional vote didn't go his way. After Dickey was sacked, Gregg, Warren and Derek actually wanted to do their own bands and just do the ABB occasionally but Butch wanted to keep going every year as did the staff. Warren didn't explain how so many people came to count on the band for their yearly income. They were to stop at the 40th but Butch got 5 more years out of them when Warren and Derek finally said enough. Butch agreed to finally stop then got cold feet again but Gregg didn't want to find new players as Warren and Derek said no more. The ABB wasn't exactly the vehicle Gregg preferred.He wanted less jamming and the spotlight on the singing so his love for his solo bands. But like Dickey, the ABB made Gregg a multi millionaire. Its a shame they couldn't do the final big tour Butch was expecting. He needed the money to shore up that tax mess.

That's a nice history, I learned some things. One question though: If Chuck "orginally said he would do it if the Tolers were not involved" then why didn't he do it? By 1989 the Tolers were long gone.

Chuck was with the Stones by then for years.

Haven't said a damn thing any of you shouldn't have heard before. In the old days Oakely and Red Dog would not only answer but ask us questions.

I bet there is someone right now who also noticed in Warren interviews that Warren thought the ABB shouldn't have toured every year because tension that would arise between 3 originals when they saw too much of each other.

Derek Trucks also said he was ready to stop at the 40th.

It is true Chuck Leavell, when approached about the band doing a couple new tours and a new album, said he wouldn't do it if the Tolers were involved and it's true Butch said the chemistry wasn't right with the 1978-1982 lineup. The complained I always heard back then was Danny sounded too much like Dickey. And a lot of old fans such as myself were pissed when Jaimoe was voted out. Butch said he was sorry he voted for that in no time. That when he started to play something David To let was already playing it.

Most old fans including myself were also pissed when Dickey was voted out. I know it would have been impossible to refund the tickets for the summer 2000 tour but probably they should have done that with Jimmy Herring then quit for a year or so until cooler heads prevailed and Dickey came back.

Playing Blue Sky, Jessica and Liz Reed after voting out Dickey was BS!!!. Playing in 1981 and 82 without Jaimoe was B.S. too! Jaimoe himself told Gregg and Butch an Allman Brother shouldn't be fired. Only dying or quitting is the only way out. That is why Butch agreed to change it to a suspension for the summer of 2000. Because of Jaimoe. It was the only way Jaimoe would vote to have the summer tour without Dickey. It came down to suspending Dickey for the summer or breaking up in spring 2000. You all know that is true if you were reading the interviews. And if fell that way because of Jaimoe.

I read every interview I can find and have since 1970. Yeah sometimes Gregg or Butch or Dickey will tell it more than one way but not by a lot.

Dickey Betts himself told me that is the entire band singing backup on Revival on Idlewid South.

I bet Alan Paul wouldn't have much fuss with the stories I've read, asked about and talked about over the years.

I've appreciated ALL eras of the ABB. The Toler's was great. I've always felt the original band just clicked and the band for 45+ years played mostly off those 1st three years. Using the original line-up chemistry as a base. The Dangerous Dan/Dickey era was cheating to having 2 Dickey's and the Warren/Derek era cheated to the Double Duane. Dickey has a sweetness and purity I hear, but can't describe . Any era without Mr. Betts is lacking. Not unejoyable done right, but lacking. I rank them personally 1.) Dickey/Duane, 2.) Dickey/Warren, 3.) Dickey/Dan, 4.) Warren/Derek.

I absolutely adored every Warren/Derek show I've ever seen (which was many), but it's always best when making meatloaf, you include the meat.

Here's the Florida Bandshell '82 Dickey/Dan show which is the 1st ABB version I saw live (Round-up Philly '81)

Fretsman I witnessed some Dickey/Jack shows that were really good too. And in 1999 a few Dickey/Derek shows. But I agree with your ranking generally. The original lineup us the legacy and high watermark of the band. Even today on the two classic rock radio stations I can pick up, with the exception of a few songs from Brothers and Sisters, it's the original band they always play. You would think Duane and Oakley were in the band for 40 years. And when they play Ramblin Man its Oakley on bass.

I don't know why Chuck didn't want to do the band in 1989 if the Tolers were there. He played with Dan Toler in 1986 just 3 years earlier. One of the 1986 shows is on YouTube with good quality. The ABB didn't have a base player that year but they only did 2 shows using a mix of Gregg and Dickey's bass players.

It couldn't have been because Chuck and Butch didn't like the Tolers as people. Both were super nice guys and fine musicians. Gregg and Dickey liked them but it must have been style as Dickey himself said in 2003 that Danny's style seemed similar to his to most people but when Dickey invited Danny to rejoin Great Southern he had switched to a Strat and was using the whammy bar a lot which was great because the two leads had the ying and yang he and Duane and he and Warren had.

Fretsman I witnessed some Dickey/Jack shows that were really good too. And in 1999 a few Dickey/Derek shows. But I agree with your ranking generally. The original lineup us the legacy and high watermark of the band. Even today on the two classic rock radio stations I can pick up, with the exception of a few songs from Brothers and Sisters, it's the original band they always play. You would think Duane and Oakley were in the band for 40 years. And when they play Ramblin Man its Oakley on bass.

I don't know why Chuck didn't want to do the band in 1989 if the Tolers were there. He played with Dan Toler in 1986 just 3 years earlier. One of the 1986 shows is on YouTube with good quality. The ABB didn't have a base player that year but they only did 2 shows using a mix of Gregg and Dickey's bass players.

It couldn't have been because Chuck and Butch didn't like the Tolers as people. Both were super nice guys and fine musicians. Gregg and Dickey liked them but it must have been style as Dickey himself said in 2003 that Danny's style seemed similar to his to most people but when Dickey invited Danny to rejoin Great Southern he had switched to a Strat and was using the whammy bar a lot which was great because the two leads had the ying and yang he and Duane and he and Warren had.

Chuck probably didn't rejoin in 89 because the Stones had a huge tour with Steel Wheels. It carried on into 1990.