Dickey Betts just turned 80, so here’s five of the best quotes I ever got from the legendary Allman Brothers guitarist

By Steve Newton Happy birthday to southern-rock guitar hero Dickey Betts, who is celebrating his 80th trip around the sun today. Now I know why the Allman Brothers named that stellar 1975 compilation LP The Road Goes On Forever. During that legendary musical trek I got to interview Betts four times, in 1989 (just before … Continue reading Dickey Betts just turned 80, so here’s five of the best quotes I ever got from the legendary Allman Brothers guitarist

Album review: the Allman Brothers Band, Where It All Begins (1994)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 15, 1994 By Steve Newton Like a hearty handshake from a rarely seen high-school buddy, every new Allman Brothers release is a hazy reminder of my teenage glory days, when the purchase of a southern-rock LP such as the Allmans’ Eat A Peach made everything right in my small-town world. Nowadays … Continue reading Album review: the Allman Brothers Band, Where It All Begins (1994)

That time Dickey Betts told me that an Allman Brothers reunion “could be a good idea”

By Steve Newton I did the first of my four interviews with guitar legend Dickey Betts back in March of 1989, when he was touring with the Dickey Betts Band, playing tunes from his first album in seven years, Pattern Disruptive. Betts’ famous former group, the Allman Brothers Band, had broken up (for the second … Continue reading That time Dickey Betts told me that an Allman Brothers reunion “could be a good idea”

R.I.P. Dickey Betts: the 10 best quotes I ever got from the legendary Allman Brothers guitarist

kirk west photo By Steve Newton If you’re a fan of southern rock, or just music in general, you may have heard the sad news: legendary Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts passed away today at the age of 80. Musicians don’t get much more celebrated than Dickey did. His guitar playing–along with that of fellow … Continue reading R.I.P. Dickey Betts: the 10 best quotes I ever got from the legendary Allman Brothers guitarist

Three wicked box sets I’d buy right now if I was stinkin’ rich

By Steve Newton Ever go hunting around on Amazon for the kind of wicked box sets that you’d kill for, if murder wasn’t such a bad thing? I’m one of those stubborn old rock freaks who refuses to go digital, and can’t get the most out of music unless I hold it in my hands … Continue reading Three wicked box sets I’d buy right now if I was stinkin’ rich

Gibson picked the top 50 guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it

Geez, even Jimi knew Johnny ruled. By Steve Newton Back in September of 2010 Gibson.com posted what it felt were the 50 greatest guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it. Most conspicuous by his absence is Texas blues-rock legend Johnny Winter. I for one am getting sick and tired of … Continue reading Gibson picked the top 50 guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it

That time Warren Haynes told me that it felt strange being chosen best slide player over Johnny, Sonny, and Ry “the man”

By Steve Newton Warren Haynes is one helluva slide-guitar player, as anyone who’s heard him will attest. There’s a reason why Dickey Betts brought him along to handle Duane Allman’s slide parts when he rejoined the Allman Brothers back in ’89. When I interviewed Haynes in November of 1998 he’d won the latest Guitar Player … Continue reading That time Warren Haynes told me that it felt strange being chosen best slide player over Johnny, Sonny, and Ry “the man”

That time Derek Trucks told me that Duane Allman’s slide was one of the first sounds he ever heard

By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed Derek Trucks three times so far, including back in 1998 when he was 18 years old. Our second conversation happened 14 years later, when he was touring with his wife Susan and their 11-piece band, Tedeschi Trucks. Four months before that the group had been awarded the Grammy for Best … Continue reading That time Derek Trucks told me that Duane Allman’s slide was one of the first sounds he ever heard

10 minutes on the phone with Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers in 1991

By Steve Newton Back in July of 1991 I did the second of my four interviews with American guitar legend Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band. Two weeks earlier the band had released its tenth studio album, Shades of Two Worlds, which Dickey had written most of the material for. Here’s the first ten minutes … Continue reading 10 minutes on the phone with Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers in 1991

The Allman Brothers’ 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome

By Steve Newton If you’re wondering why “Statesboro Blues” and “One Way Out” aren’t on here, it’s because I didn’t include live recordings, just studio ones. Sorry about that. 20. “Old Friend” (Hittin’ the Note, 2003) 19. “Dreams” (The Allman Brothers Band, 1969) 18. “Pegasus” (Enlightened Rogues, 1979) 17. “Kind of Bird” (Shades of Two … Continue reading The Allman Brothers’ 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome

Album review: Pride & Glory, Pride & Glory (1994)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 5, 1994 By Steve Newton It comes as somewhat of a surprise that Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde is a dyed-in-the-swamp southern-rock maniac, but the New Jersey native is at the forefront of the current trend toward repopularizing the style epitomized by the Allman Brothers Band. On its … Continue reading Album review: Pride & Glory, Pride & Glory (1994)

That time Dickey Betts asked me to mention all the guys in the Allmans, including the “piece of dynamite”

By Steve Newton Yesterday I went and dug up the old cassette with my first Buddy Guy interview on it, the one from 1991, because I wanted to digitize it for my Patreon page. Cool thing was, I noticed that the interview before it on the tape was the one I did the previous month … Continue reading That time Dickey Betts asked me to mention all the guys in the Allmans, including the “piece of dynamite”

That time I asked Warren Haynes how long he thought the Allman Brothers might stay together

By Steve Newton I wouldn’t say that the Allman Brothers were as great, back in 1994, as they were when Duane was in the band, but holy crap were they still a smokin’ hot band! A lot of that smoke was conjured up by Warren Haynes, who Dickey Betts brought with him when the band … Continue reading That time I asked Warren Haynes how long he thought the Allman Brothers might stay together