Guitar Player magazine August 2023 Dickey Betts Allman Brothers

When Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident on October 29, 1971, it seemed as if the Allman Brothers Band were history. In fact, the group's greatest days lay ahead of it. Duane’s co-guitarist Dickey Betts stepped into the breach and led them to create what would become their commercial breakthrough: the 1973 studio album ‘Brother and Sisters.’

Supported by such stellar Betts compositions as “Jessica” and the chart-topping hit “Ramblin’ Man,” ‘Brothers and Sisters’ would go on to sell seven million copies and establish the Allmans as one of the period’s biggest groups. But the album’s wildly successful infusion of Betts’ country-infused rock also helped pave the way for the success of other southern rock bands, like Lynyrd Skynyrd, who made their record debut in 1973.

This era in the Allman Brothers Band’s history comes to vivid life in Alan Paul’s new book, ‘Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Inside Story of the Album That Defined the ’70s.’ This issue includes an exclusive excerpt that presents an inside look at the group's recording session for “Ramblin’ Man” and continues through to the death of bassist Berry Oakley.


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