As a core member of The Allman Brothers Band, guitarist Dickey Betts has his name attached to some of the most powerful rock songs of all time. Among his most famous compositions is the moving instrumental known as “Jessica.” The song’s iconic melody is instantly recognizable, and a crucial component of the ABB canon. In a new article for Music Aficionado, Betts digs deep and talks about his creation of the song in depth.
Interestingly, Betts starts the article by talking about his ancestry, claiming that “Jessica” was inspired by a then-recent discovery that he was related to Canadian fiddle players from the 1770s. “I believe that being immersed in this music as a youngster, plus my genetic ancestry, provided me with an instinct for a melodic approach to playing,” he says in the article.
The song’s title comes after Betts’ daughter, who was an infant and inspired the classic melody. “I had a general idea of a melody and a feeling for “Jessica,” but I couldn’t get started on it; nothing was really adding up. My little girl Jessica, who at the time was an infant, crawled up to me and I started playing to her, playing to the feeling of the innocence of her personality. And soon the whole song just fell together. The song was justly named after her for providing the needed inspiration.”
He then breaks down the song musically, citing Django Reinhardt as a major influence in shaping the song’s pieces. He also says that the audience is critical for instrumentals, as Betts talks about “taking the listener on a musical journey.” He gets technical in the article as well, talking about key changes and band arrangements for the song’s well-composed sections. Ultimately, he begins discussing classical music, making a quite humorous, but also apt, comparison.
I don’t know a damn thing about classical music, but I do love to listen to Brahms concertos for violin. I hear musical ideas in the music of Brahms that I was using before I ever heard it in his music! I’m not bragging—I just get a big kick out of it. The first time that happened, I thought, “Oh, my god! He’s stealing my licks!” But what it really told me was that I was thinking in good solid musical terms. And it is very rewarding that, as a solid piece of music, “Jessica” seems to have stood the test of time and audiences are still glad to hear it when we play it today.
We’re certainly always glad to hear “Jessica.”