Duane Betts

Duane Betts (born 1977 or 1978)[1] is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is currently a member of The Allman Betts Band, and leads Duane Betts and the Pistoleers. He is also a guitarist and singer for the Dickey Betts Band, led by his father, Dickey Betts. He was previously a member of several other groups, including Backbone69, Whitestarr, Dickey Betts & Great Southern, Brethren of the Coast, Dawes, and Jamtown.[1][2]

Early life

Duane Betts was born in Sarasota, Florida, the son of Allman Brothers Band member and co-founder Dickey Betts and his then-wife, Paulette. Duane was named for Duane Allman, Dickey's bandmate who was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1971.[1]

Betts learned to play drums as a youth, then switched to guitar at age 12. At 16, he appeared onstage as a guest with The Allman Brothers Band on June 24, 1994 at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheatre in Vail, Colorado. Later that summer, he played with the band during its appearance at the Woodstock '94 music festival.[1]

Career

In 1998, Betts joined Backbone69, a roots-rock band that also included drummer Alex Orbison, bassist Berry Oakley Jr., and lead singer Chris Williams. The group recorded its self-titled debut in 1999 at Ocean Way Nashville Recording Studios, working with producer Bobby Blazier.  It was released on ORBY Records. The death of Williams in 2001 disbanded the group.[3]

Betts and Orbison formed Whitestarr (2002–2005), with singer Cisco Adler, a group that was signed by Atlantic Records (and later dropped), toured with Kid Rock, and appeared at the 2004 Coachella Festival.[4]

In 2005, his father, Dickey, asked Betts to join Great Southern, formed in the wake of Dickey's parting with The Allman Brothers Band in 2000.  Betts toured both nationally and internationally with the group, appearing on the CD/DVD Dickey Betts & Great Southern: Rockpalast 30 Years of Southern Rock 1978–2008.[5][6]

Betts formed Brethren of the Coast in 2014. The group included Great Southern bassist Pedro Arevalo on guitar and Betts' former Whitestarr band member Damon Webb on bass, and was the opening artist on Dickey's final tour before retiring.[7]

Betts officially became a touring member of folk-rock band Dawes in May 2015. Though he did not take part in the recording sessions that led to the group's 2015 album, All Your Favorite Bands, he performed with the band for the entire touring cycle of the record, including appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, the Bonnaroo Festival, and Lollapalooza Berlin.[8]

Reuniting with Adler, Betts joined Jamtown, a group that included Donovan Frankenreiter, G. Love, and Cody Dickinson of the North Mississippi All-Stars. The band released its debut, self-titled EP in the summer of 2017, then undertook a short Western U.S. tour, playing several festivals, including the Malibu Guitar Festival in May, and Monterey Pop 50th and Arroyo Secco Weekend in June, plus two dates supporting Jack Johnson in July, in Denver, Colorado and at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California.[9]

In 2017, Betts formed Duane Betts and the Pistoleers as a quartet performing his solo repertoire and covers of blues and rock classics and included guitarist Johnny Stachela.[10]  The two teamed with Gov't Mule's drummer, Matt Abts, and bassist, Jorgen Carlsson, for a one-off July performance in Santa Monica, California as Bando.[11]

A December 8, 2017 appearance at The Fillmore in San Francisco celebrating the late Gregg Allman's 70th birthday coincided with the announcement of a 2018 World Tour with Betts as a supporting artist and guest of the Devon Allman Project with Gregg's son Devon.[12]

In December 2018, Betts and Devon Allman announced the formation of The Allman Betts Band and recorded the group's debut album, Down to the River, at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Among the group's members was Berry Oakley Jr., whose father had been a member of the Allman Brothers Band with Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts.[13]

Betts released his debut EP, Sketches of American Music, on April 26, 2018 along with a video, directed by Austin Lynch,[14] of the record's first single, "Taking Time."[15]

The six-song set, with sessions produced by Steve Cropper (Booker T. & the M.G.'s) and Marc Ford (Black Crowes), and executive produced by Betts, contains five originals co-written by Betts and songwriter Stoll Vaughan, as well as a cover of Dickey Betts' "California Blues."[16]

Dickey Betts announced his return from retirement in December 2017. On May 17, 2018 he officially debuted his new band, with Duane Betts returning on guitar, at a concert in Macon, Georgia.[17][18]

Discography (selected)
  • Backbone69 (1999)
  • Dickey Betts & Great Southern: Rockpalast 30 Years of Southern Rock 1978–2008 (2008)
  • Jamtown (2017)
  • Duane Betts:  Sketches of American Music (2018)[19]
  • Down To The River (2019)
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References
  1. Tatangelo, Wade. "Duane Betts talks album with Devon Allman, Dickey Betts Band live CD/DVD and Aug. 15 Sarasota show". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  2. "Duane Betts | About". duanebetts. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  3. "Fans Mourn Sudden Death of Popular Rock Band Leader". Los Angeles Times. August 9, 2001.
  4. "From cradle to rave". Los Angeles Times. March 17, 2005.
  5. Leslie, Jimmy. "Devon Allman and Duane Betts Ignite a Revival". Guitar Player.
  6. Ruggiero, Bob (August 20, 2019). "The Betts Boys are Ramblin' Men". Houston Press.
  7. Sutton, Larson (September 30, 2014). "Duane Betts and His Brethren of the Coast". Jambands.com.
  8. "Duane Betts is Now a Member of Dawes' Touring Band". May 9, 2015.
  9. Sutton, Larson (April 27, 2017). "Review of Jamtown in Hollywood". Jambands.com.
  10. Sutton, Larson (July 1, 2017). "Review of North Mississippi Allstars with Duane Betts and the Pistoleers at The Roxy". jambands.com.
  11. Sutton, Larson (July 7, 2017). "Members of Gov't Mule and Pistoleers Join Forces as Bando". Jambands.com.
  12. Greene, Andy (September 9, 2019). "Gregg Allman's Birthday Celebration Spawns Allman Family Revival Mini-Tour". Rolling Stone.
  13. Hudak, Joseph (May 30, 2019). "Hear the Allman Betts Band's Slippery New Song 'Shinin". Rolling Stone.
  14. "Duane Betts: Sketches of American Music". All About Jazz.
  15. "Video Premiere: Duane Betts "Taking Time" from Debut EP Sketches of American Music". Relix. April 26, 2018.
  16. Tatangelo, Wade. "Duane Betts talks album with Devon Allman, Dickey Betts Band live CD/DVD and Aug. 15 Sarasota show". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  17. Sutton, Larson (April 5, 2018). "Devon Allman and Duane Betts: Brothers of the Road". Relix.
  18. Paul, Alan. "How Devon Allman and Duane Betts Become Brothers of the Road". Guitar World.
  19. "Duane Betts Shows the Grittier Side of Florida With 'Downtown Runaround' Video: Premiere". Billboard.
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