MUSIC: The Allman Betts Band

Description

Led by the sons of Allman Brothers Band founders, the late Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts. Over the past seven years The Allman Betts Band featuring Devon Allman and Duane Betts is known for their classic blend of throwback rock, soul, blues, country, jazz and jams. The show takes listeners through the band’s two BMG records “Down to the River” and “Bless Your Heart.” Fans of Allman Brothers Music will get a fair share of the classic songs with an evening filled with that familiar sound that is part of their family’s legacy. On drums Alex Orbison (son of Roy Orbison), Justin Corgan on bass, along with the slide guitar of Johnny Stachela, the masterful Hammond B3 organist John Ginty and drummer John Lum round out the septet. Don’t miss the tour of the summer! 

Individually, they’re Devon Allman and Duane Betts, two solo artists and modern-day guitar heroes who’ve both spent years creating their own version of American roots music.

Together, they’re the leaders of The Allman Betts Band, a supergroup anchored by sharp songwriting, fiery fretwork, and an historic legacy. Inspired by the classic sounds of the group’s family tree, The Allman Betts Band makes timeless rock & roll for the modern world, blurring the boundaries between blues, Americana, and southern soul. Over the course of two critically-acclaimed studio albums, hundreds of live shows, and annual performances of the Allman Betts Family Revival, The Allman Betts Band has established its own legacy of music and brotherhood. 

Devon and Duane first met as children in 1989, when their fathers — keyboardist Gregg Allman and guitarist Dickey Betts, both co-founders of The Allman Brothers Band — brought their boys on tour for the group’s 20th anniversary tour. “When you grow up on tour like that, it connects you at a young age,” Duane says. “From that point on, we knew we were family. Even though we never lived in the same city, we always had that bond.”

The musical chemistry grew throughout 2018, while the two songwriters played more than 100 shows across the world. Along the way, they began writing new songs in hotel rooms and tour bus lounges, creating their own version of the soulful, guitar-fueled music they’d grow up loving. Flush with material, The Allman Betts Band recorded its debut album, Down to the River, at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. The guys tracked the record live, recording to two-inch analog tape without the use of computers or digital editing. Down to the River was released in 2019, reaching Number 1 on the iTunes Rock Chart and cracking the Top 10 on multiple Billboard charts. 

“We built a fanbase very quickly,” Devon says. “I think there was a need for our kind of music, especially for people who loved bands like The Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, and the Rolling Stones. Those fans were excited to hear a newer band doing music in an old-school vein.” 

To support the album’s release, The Allman Betts Band launched a world tour on March, 2019 — an historic date that marked the 50-year anniversary of The Allman Brothers Band’s first jam session in Jacksonville, Florida. As the seven-piece band toured the world, the musical connection between Devon and Duane grew deeper. They wrote new songs during the short breaks between shows. They collaborated on the third-annual Family Revival. They even found time to return to Muscle Shoals Sound Studios with producer Matt Ross-Spang, with whom they recorded Bless Your Heart over a week’s time. 

“We’re keeping the tradition alive,” says Duane. “The Allman Betts Band is an original band, and our albums are the foundation of what we do, but we’re also happy to include a couple tips-of-the-hat to my dad and Gregg Allman during our sets, too. They’re part of our influences. They’re part of our history.”

History, indeed. There’s a rich lineage to The Allman Betts Band, whose two leaders are carrying the musical torch once held by their fathers. This is a group of musicians who proudly live in the present, though, not the past. They make music for today, creating a new soundtrack for the American South, blurring the lines between genres along the way. There’s a bluesy Americana band with teeth. They’re a rock & roll band with soul. They’re first-rate songwriters and top-shelf guitarists, always searching for a new song to sing. They’re The Allman Betts Band.