Anyone that is a fan of rock music and especially southern rock knows the name Duane Betts. He was born into a rock and Roll family. The Allman Brothers Band were pioneers of southern rock guitar driven music and were led by his father and brother. It’s not surprising that Betts’ early musical influences came from his family. Over the years, Betts has harnessed these influences and created a very distinct writing style. He is a prolific song writer and creative multi-genre musician with a focus on rock and country rock and blues.
Berry Oakley Jr., Johnny Stachela, and Duane Betts are from the same area.
Betts has a great feel for the guitar, his notes are beautiful and he always delivers them with passion and precision. The son of the original bass player of the Allman Brothers Band, Berry Oakley Jr., he has been in many bands over the years. One of the projects was called Backbone69, and the other was The Oakley Krieger Band. Betts played guitar with his father in the Great Southern and The Dickey Betts Band as well as in the band Dawes.
Berry Oakley Jr. and Duane Betts perform at the Moxi Theater.
The first solo record by Betts was called Sketches of American Music. There were four original rock and blues songs written by Betts along with some co-writers, one song written by Betts alone and one cover of California Blues written by Betts. Betts would be a supporting artist and guest of the Allman Project. Once again, the family ties between Allman, Betts and Oakley are long and deep, as evidenced by the fact that Devon and Duane go back a long time. The Allman Betts Band was formed from this collaboration. The band has the same configuration as their famous father’s ensemble, but they also have exceptional music of their own to present to the fans, but they also carried the legacy of the Allman Brothers Band to a certain degree. Most of the members of the Allman Betts Band with many special guests will be back on the road in November and December to celebrate the birthday of the late Gregg Allman.
Johnny Stachela is performing in the Moxi Theater.
They went to one of the most famous recording studios after this collaboration of immense talent and ambition. Many classic albums were recorded over the years in the special room at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. Down To The River and Bless Your Heart were recorded by the Allman Betts band in 2019. Both albums were very well received by fans and were refreshing takes on straight ahead rock and roll with lots of raw emotion and old school recording techniques that will keep these albums relevant for a long time.
Berry Oakley Jr., Johnny Stachela, and Duane Betts are all from Colorado.
Betts, Berry Oakley Jr. and Johnny Stachela were on the tour. National and local talent can be found at the Moxi Theater in the Northern Colorado music scene. I talked to Betts about the current tour, a new record and the Allman Family Revival after catching up with the guys before their set. He said that there is a new album coming out. Johnny Stachela and Berry Oakley Jr. will both be on the new record. The studio where the record was recorded is located in Jacksonville, Florida. Betts is very excited and proud of his new material and can’t wait to share it with the world, he will be releasing his first full length album.
Berry Oakley Jr., Johnny Stachela, and Duane Betts are at Moxi Theater.
The guys were all enjoying their time together with minimal gear and their vibe was chill. When I asked Betts about the upcoming Allman Family Revival shows, he said it’s exciting to see old friends, play in different cities and meet new people along the way. Many artists will be featured at the Allman Family Revival, and introducing different artists for different shows is always exciting. Betts has played with some musicians but not others. Everyone is invited to attend the Revival shows to celebrate Allman’s birthday and enjoy each other’s company around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Moxi Theater is located in Greeley, CO.
The audience gave the guys a warm Colorado welcome as they took the stage about half past nine. The room was exciting at the same time. Betts was on acoustic guitar, Oakley was on electric bass and Stachela was on electric guitar in a singing format. Betts’ voice sounded clear and crisp as he opened the set with a song from his debut album. “Shinin'” was the second song on Allman Betts’ debut album Down To The River. The acoustic guitar, electric bass and electric guitar were all in a nice configuration. It gave you a sense of unpluggedness. Stachela can soothe your soul with tasty notes or punch you in the gut and melt your face with licks that will peel paint off the walls. His tone is amazing and he is a virtuoso of simplicity.
Berry Oakley Jr. is at the Moxi Theater in Greeley, Colorado.
The songs in the set were from Betts DebutEP. Other songs he composed with the Allman Betts band as well as some select covers from the Allman Brothers Band including “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” “Blue Sky” and ” Little Martha.” The Dead song “Althea” was on the list. Within the intimate club setting the presentation was very personal as the set had a great flow and each song was played with a lot of heart. The band has been playing a new song called “Colors Fade” every night and it got a good response. It was fun to watch and hear the back and forth between Betts and Stachela on electric guitars. The platform for the songs to take shape was provided by Oakley. The presentation was beyond expectation. The intimate setting was like a living room with the guys stopping by to pick up some things. The performance by the trio was a huge hit with the audience. A big thank you to Berry and Johnny for a great evening of music.
The Moxi Theater will host a performance by Duane Betts on September 14th, 2022.
Charlie Overbey and Blues Party supported them. Thank you to the Moxi Theater and staff. Special thanks to both the sound engineer and the lighting engineer for their work.