Back Where It All Begins (Dickey Betts Tribute)

[Railroad Bum]

My friend Ray started a memorial thread for Dickey Betts, and I told him that I would try to contribute something. This is a song that Dickey wrote for the "Where It All Begins" album, which I thought was killer. And I always really, really liked this song because it's kind of who Dickey was--rough and tumble but with a hippie streak, and there's a couple huge jam sections for Dickey and Warren Haynes. So here's my little rough solo acoustic version of that great tune, and I will link it to Ray's thread as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ler65EaQf6s.

If you listen to me blabbering at the start, I erroneously said that Dickey died on Friday, when it was actually Thursday. Sorry about that.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Railroad Bum

My friend Ray started a memorial thread for Dickey Betts, and I told him that I would try to contribute something. This is a song that Dickey wrote for the "Where It All Begins" album, which I thought was killer. And I always really, really liked this song because it's kind of who Dickey was--rough and tumble but with a hippie streak, and there's a couple huge jam sections for Dickey and Warren Haynes. So here's my little rough solo acoustic version of that great tune, and I will link it to Ray's thread as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ler65EaQf6s.

If you listen to me blabbering at the start, I erroneously said that Dickey died on Friday, when it was actually Thursday. Sorry about that.

Nice tribute man. I don't think Dickey would mind you being off by a day...

-Ray

[LAPlayer]

Great job. Thanks for sharing. Great sounding Yamaha as well.

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by raysachs

Nice tribute man. I don't think Dickey would mind you being off by a day...

-Ray

That's a good one. I get my daze confused, as it were, lol.

I am glad you dug it, my friend.

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by LAPlayer

Great job. Thanks for sharing. Great sounding Yamaha as well.

Thank you. I am more than happy to share any of my music.

That Yamaha is blowing my mind for $350. Crazy good.

[started with 1]

Great one Tim. Will be listening to ABB more this weekend too now. So much to catch up on.

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by started with 1

Great one Tim. Will be listening to ABB more this weekend too now. So much to catch up on.

Thank you, Joe. I obsessed over Dickey, Gregg, and anything ABB related for some years, and I was able to catch about 40 Allman Brother shows total, I think, some with Dickey and Warren or Jack Pearson (whew!!!), or Derek and Jimmy Herring, or Derek and Warren (mostly Derek and Warren because they manned the guitar chairs for the longest).

I also pulled out Dickey's first solo album "Highway Call" and gave that a listen yesterday. That's a beautiful record.

[Railroad Bum]

Interestingly enough, this tune has been pretty big for me on YouTube. I think it's mostly the nostalgia thing in lieu of Dickey's passing. I appreciate the support that many folks offer here, especially Joe, Ray, and Glenn. It means a lot to keep me doing the recording. I can easily slip into a very private approach to playing music, as I am prone to depression and anxiety, like anybody could, I suppose.

My music is not monetized in any way, and I could not care less about subscribers and views. It's just nice to know that some people enjoy the tunes, and the music is all that matters to me--Tim.

[chuckv97]

Nice one,, I like your rhythm playing.

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by chuckv97

Nice one,, I like your rhythm playing.

Hey, Chuck, I really appreciate you mentioning my rhythm playing. I have worked a long time on trying to play good rhythm. I think it's the most important thing. I see a lot of people who can play all these fancy licks, but they can't play a 12-bar blues or whatever.

I am a big fan of your videos as well--great taste and nice fingerpicking and flatpicking.

[Glennwillow]

Wonderful tribute, Tim! I enjoyed that in spite of the sadness at our recent loss.

- Glenn

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Wonderful tribute, Tim! I enjoyed that in spite of the sadness at our recent loss.

- Glenn

Thank you, Mr. Glenn. I wanted to do something that wasn't Ramblin' Man or Blue Sky for Dickey. He was a huge influence on my musical life, and many folks don't realize what a cool songwriter he was. Gosh, just listen to his album "Highway Call."

[reeve21]

Hey Tim, this is fantastic. I thought I was an ABB fan, but I don’t know this one (90 per cent of my record buys and concerts were in the 70’s, I see this one is mid 90’s). Really, really well done and a heartfelt tribute to a legend.

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by reeve21

Hey Tim, this is fantastic. I thought I was an ABB fan, but I don’t know this one (90 per cent of my record buys and concerts were in the 70’s, I see this one is mid 90’s). Really, really well done and a heartfelt tribute to a legend.

Oh, wow, thank you for the kind words. Well, I think the really groundbreaking ABB stuff was from the 70s, and they kind of slogged through the 80s with Gregg and Dickey both having substance abuse issues, to be kind. When Warren Haynes and Allen Woody (and the great Johnny Neel on keys for that album only) joined the band for the "Seven Turns" album and all the touring, it gave Dickey a kick in the butt, and he was fantastic for several years. So there are some great Dickey tunes on "Seven Turns," "Shades of Two Worlds," and "Where It All Begins." That was the era when I saw the band the most, too. Then Woody and Haynes left to form Gov't Mule, which is also an incredible band and is still out there--Tim.