No matter how good an artist’s studio output, some performers were seemingly born for the stage and that’s certainly the case with Dickey Betts. As founding member of the Allman Brothers Band (composing their smash hit ‘Ramblin’ Man’), Betts’ musical past is punctuated by classic albums and singles. Yet in the live environment he always found another gear; the no-overdubs, one-shot-at-glory ethos the stage offered never failed to fire him up and he rarely missed the target. Originally released for Record Store Day in 2018, Live From The Lone Star Roadhouse: New York City 1988 now gets reissued on vinyl, while the CD and download versions add several tracks to present the full concert for the very first time, and if you want to know why Dickey Betts was such a hot ticket, you need look no further.

I’d always thought of cosmopolitan New York as the complete antithesis to conservative Texas and didn’t think there’d be much of a market for Southern rock in the Big Apple. Yet, for a moment New Yorkers had two venues catering for those who liked their rock with a Southern tinge, and Dickey Betts was a fixture at both. The Lone Star Roadhouse was barely four months old when Dickey Betts appeared on the November evening when this set was recorded, and Dickey had gone through something of a rebirth too, with a new album Pattern Disruptive (his first studio release since the late ‘70s) and newly minted band, there’s a freshness to opening track ‘Rock Bottom’ that threatens to blow the grills off the amplifiers. With a solid rhythm section in drummer Matt Abts and bassist Marty Privette, the band are driven forward by a four-on-the-floor beat that’s simply irresistible, and if your feet aren’t tapping by the song’s conclusion, then I suggest a new set of ears.

The great thing about Dickey Betts is that he wasn’t the type of artist to turn his back on the past and there’s much here that tethers him to his earlier projects. The twin guitar duelling of Dickey and Warren Haynes brings to mind the Allman Brothers (who knows where Thin Lizzy got the idea for their twin guitar attack, but my guess is the Allman Band), the explosive cover of ‘Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo’ recalls his early years in The Jokers, there’s the jazzy section on ‘In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed’ that nods towards the jam scene and it’s all stitched together by the bluesy brand of Southern rock for which he became famed. The new cuts from Pattern Disruptive (‘Heartbreak Line’) already sound classic, whilst the classic cuts sound contemporary, and therein lies Dickey’s genius.

Dickey Betts’ schooling in the jam scene finds him stretching out ‘Jessica’ to almost fifteen minutes, in fact, there are several extended jams during this set and gives the recording an organic feel, and it is a set that ebbs and flows perfectly. However, it is as we barrel towards the finale that we hit pay dirt. Rick Derringer makes a guest appearance on the last five cuts, bringing a distinctly bluesy vibe to proceedings and you can almost feel a sense of fun bursting from the grooves. It’s a playfulness that only occurs when musicians are comfortable in the own company, and that feeling is heightened when Mick Taylor and Jack Bruce join the band for a run-through of ‘Spoonful’ (which pays homage to Cream’s version), while the trinity of Derringer, Bruce and Taylor add their talents to triumphant closer ‘Southbound’.

Following the recent death of Dickey Betts, this collection makes the perfect tribute and stands testament to one of America’s greatest songwriters.

• Live From The Lone Star Roadhouse: New York City 1988 is released via Rock Beat/Liberation Hall on 9th August 2024.

Track List:

Disc One:

1. Rock Bottom ^
2. Blue Sky
3. Introduction To Warren Haynes ^
4. Time To Roll ^
5. Duane’s Tune
6. The Blues Ain’t Nothin’ ^
7. Far Cry ^
8. Heartbreak Line ^
9. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
10. Loverman ^
11. Jessica

Disc Two:

12. Under The Guns Of Love ^
13. Statesboro Blues *
14. One Way Out *
15. Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo *
16. Spoonful **
17. Southbound ***

^ Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks (CD & Download versions only)

* Featuring Rick Derringer

** Featuring Jack Bruce, Mick Taylor

*** Featuring Jack Bruce, Rick Derringer, Mick Taylor