Dickey Betts found himself in a most unenviable position in 1971 when Duane Allman, his bandmate in The Allman Brothers Band, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Betts and Allman had, in their short time together, fashioned one of the most sizzling, hypnotic twin-guitar teams in rock; now, it was left to Betts to compensate, to serve as the sole lead player in the group. He took charge admirably, maintaining the trademark guitar sound and becoming the group’s secondary lead vocalist after Duane’s younger brother Gregg Allman. It was Betts who provided the ABB with some of their most recognizable material—he wrote and sang both “Ramblin’ Man” and “Blue Sky,” and composed many of the band’s most notable jams, including “Jessica,” which appeared on the hit 1973 album Brothers and Sisters. Betts had a successful solo career as well, and although he parted ways with the group in 2000, he carried on until his death earlier this year at age 80, drawing crowds to his shows and releasing both live and studio albums. Live from the Lone Star Roadhouse: New York City 1988 was originally issued as a vinyl double-LP in 2016 for Record Store Day, but that release was incomplete. For this upgrade, seven additional tracks have been tacked on, making the full show available for the first time. And it’s a smoker: Doubling up with Betts on guitar is a young Warren Haynes, and the album includes guest spots by three monster musicians: Cream bassist Jack Bruce and guitarists Rick Derringer and Mick Taylor. As incendiary as those add-ons are, though, it’s clearly Betts leading the way. His guitar work had yet to lose any of its fire, especially when he tore into classics like “One Way Out” and “Statesboro Blues.” But while he clearly hadn’t forgotten where he came from, this show was more than a tribute to the past; it reaffirmed that Betts was a viable frontman in his own right.
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