It’s no secret that Dickey Betts was kicked out of the Allman Brothers Band years ago, reportedly for abusing drugs and alcohol. Despite that ABB guitarist Warren Haynes was discovered by Betts, and that Betts himself was a founding member of the band, keyboardist Gregg Allman has made it clear that Betts will not be invited to perform with the Allmans during their final run.
The Allmans final shows will be held at the Beacon Theatre, starting tonight, October 21st, and running through next Tuesday, October 28th. When asked by Jambands.com if he was going to invite Betts, Gregg Allman stated, “Dickey is in the middle of a hunting trip. Of course we reached out.”
However, comments and updates from Betts’ manager, David Spero, seem to suggest that this is completely false. The first such comment was posted on the article itself, saying “Alright, enough of this. I am David Spero, and while I admire that someone might pretend to be me, there is only one of me. Me. At any rate, there has been no, I repeat, no communication between anyone in the ABB camp and Dickey or anyone here. Feel free to reach out, my number is 216-381-5544. Dickey has been misrepresented and disrespected by Gregg, Butch and various members of the ABB family for many a moon. For the record, Dickey is not on a hunting trip and would be tickled pink to receive an invite or any positive communication from Gregg or the family.”
Then, Spero took to Facebook to continue his rant. “This is a load of crap! Dickey was never asked to be a part of the final shows. A complete lie! Shame on jambands.com for not calling me for confirmation on this. They know where to find me!”
And finally, in the Dickey Betts Fan group, Spero said, “To all reading Gregg Allman’s quote about Dickey being invited to the Beacon…it is a total lie. As Dickey’s manager I know all the ‘behind the scenes maneuvering’ that take place when these things happen, and guess what…none have gone on. They are trying to save face…..he was never invited!”
This he-said-she-said style of bickering is rather indicative of the fractured relationship between Allman and Betts, and is certainly indicative of one thing: longtime Allman Brothers fans will not get the heartfelt reunion they so desired.
[Via Jambase]