(NationRise.com) – Legendary guitar player Dickey Betts, who was one of the co-founders of the Allman Brothers Band, died at his Florida home at the age of 80 after battling an obstructive pulmonary illness and cancer for over a year. Betts, who is part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was the one who wrote Ramblin’ Man. The song became the band’s most famous track and one of the greatest hits in the 1970s, not only in the United States but also in many European and Latin American nations.
In a letter, Betts’ manager, David Spero, said that the legendary guitar player was finally resting after spending his last months struggling with these health conditions. Spero added that Betts was surrounded by his “whole family” and friends and had a peaceful death.
Along with Duane Allman, the two musicians created not only the band but also an original and unique sound that mesmerized rock and pop fans back in the 1970s. Numerous reports explained that the duo could be considered one of the most important in the US music industry as both created “Southern Rock,” a new genre that influenced many other bands in the country and around the world. Some famous artists have admitted to being deeply influenced by the Allman Brothers Band, including Kid Rock and even Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Betts became the band’s main leader after Allman and Berry Oakley died in two separate fatal motorcycle accidents in 1971 and 1972. While Betts and Allman’s younger brother Gregg became the band’s leaders from that moment on, they had numerous clashes not only because of artistic differences but also because of substance abuse.
The band reached legend status in 1995 when it was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Rock & Roll, thanks to its numerous hits and the way it became a cult band for so many pop and rock artists. Betts, who was born in the Floridian city of Bradenton, said in many interviews that bluegrass and country were always his main musical influences.
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