People, Can You Feel It? The Duane Betts interview

On the joyful Allman Betts Revival, the strength of the family legacy, and his own ‘Wild & Precious Life’

Duane Betts. Photo courtesy of Big Hassle Media.

Duane Betts sounds tired. And I don’t blame him. 

By the time he released his debut full-length album, Wild & Precious Life, in July, Betts had already logged a decade playing alongside his father, Allman Brothers Band founding member Dickie Betts, spent several years as a touring member of Dawes, released an EP under his own name, and formed the Allman Betts Band with Devon Allman, son of Allman Brothers Band legend Gregg Allman. 

Betts also worked with Devon Allman to craft The Allman Family Revival, which was born from a one-off 2017 San Francisco concert celebrating Gregg Allman’s life on what would’ve been his 70th birthday. As the Family Revival marks its 7th year, it has evolved from a single concert to a full-fledged tour, which includes a stop at Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, NY, on Wednesday, November 29 at 8 p.m. 

Betts, one might assume, would be taking some time off before the tour, perhaps in rehearsal with the massive ensemble that is the Family Revival Band, and maybe enjoying Thanksgiving at home. 

One would be wrong in assuming as much, though.

When I spoke to Betts, he was on the road with his own band, touring like a demon behind Wild & Precious Life - a tour he’d continue right up until the Family Revival jaunt kicked off on November 25, in Saint Louis, MO. 

“Tired” might not even begin to describe it, actually. The touring life is a demanding one. It’s tough to get your head around the disorienting whir and blur, and adapting to the whole “hurry up and wait” nature of it all is an ongoing endeavor. 

Yet, this is the life Betts was born to, and it’s the one he embraces. And his enthusiasm for The Family Revival cuts through the road wear. 

The show - a twin-set extravaganza that features, in addition to Duane and Devon and their Allman Betts Band, an all-star lineup including Tal Wilkenfeld, Larry McCray, Luther Dickinson, Cody Dickinson, Alex Orbison, Jimmy Hall, Jackie Greene, Ally Venable, Anders Osborne and Sierra Hull  - is something that Duane sees as both fulfillment of birthright and celebration for fans who’ve welcomes this timeless music into their lives. 

Here’s what he had to say.  

Part of what makes this tour exciting and truly valid in my view is the fact that you are really in a fantastic place as a writer and record-maker yourself, and ‘Wild & Precious Life’ is an incredible album - the songwriting, the playing & singing , the production and Jim Scott’s mix are all as strong as any of the classics we could mention. Do you separate your own recording and touring from the Family Revival stuff, or is it all part of one continuum for you?

Well, first of all, thanks for listening to the record, and thank you for the stellar review. (Laughs)

I’m really proud of the record. I’ve been touring and working my ass off trying to get it out there, and doing all the things you’re supposed to do on that front. But when it comes time to do The Revival, it’s actually just kind of a break from all of that. It’s a chance to rejoice at the end of the year, to celebrate and play great music with a lot of dear friends. So it’s kind of a pause from the hustle and bustle of, like, trying to push something, y’know? So I really look forward to it. 

It’s good to do different things, y’know? If you just do the same thing all year, people get sick of it. The Revival is kind of a nice palate-cleanser at the end of the year, to play some nice venues, to make a living, and recharge the batteries for everything else. 

Obviously, the love and desire from the public for this body of music is stronger than ever. Maybe it’s hard for you to say, because you’re so close to it and it’s your own family legacy, but what is it about this music that you think makes it so timeless and so loved by so many? 

I think it’s truthful music, man. I mean, the amount of talent in that band - in all of the lineups, but you could just start from the original lineup. It’s just breathtaking, what they were able to do, at such a young age. The way they played together, and Gregg’s singing - the whole thing is just pretty stunning. 

So it’s great music. And people want to hear great music. There’s a certain mystery there, too - there’s the element of tragedy, there’s triumph, there’s the light and there’s the darkness. It’s got everything. And the music lives on. And I don’t take that lightly. 

I like the idea of spending the year playing your own music, and then doing something like this to tip the hat, to where we came from, and to all the people who love and support this music and have welcomed into their lives - some of them for a very long time.

I love doing it, but I wouldn’t want to make it my main thing, to spend all of my time tipping the hat.  But really, the way that we play together, and the way I play guitar - that’s tipping the hat, just the way we approach the music, and improvisation in general - it’s in that lineage, and you don’t have to make specific references, even.

But we’re all really proud of the Family Revival, and we really look forward to playing with so many friends. It’s a really fun time. 

Devon Allman and Duane Betts. Photo courtesy of Big Hassle Media.

Speaking of friends, the lineup of musicians on this tour is pretty incredible. Many of these musicians, you’ve played with in the past, but some of them, you haven’t, correct? 

I don’t think I’ve ever played with Anders Osborne, but I believe I’ve played with everyone else. Hell, I probably played with Anders, too. I just can’t think of when.(laughs) 

Tal Wilkenfeld is a pretty extraordinary bassist and all-around musician. Have you played with her previously?

Yes, we’ve had her sit in for The Revival in the past. I’ve played with her a few times, by now. She’s absolutely incredible. 

Can we talk a little bit about the writing and recording process behind ‘Wild & Precious Life’? This particular group of songs fit together so beautifully as an album, and there’s a depth to the arrangements and a consistent vibe to the production that really feels familiar and new at the same time…

I started writing quite a bit during the pandemic, in the summer of 2020. I spent that summer in Jackson Hole, in Wyoming, where I live, part-time. I had a lot of time on my hands, and that became the impetus and the starting point for the record. And it became clear pretty quickly to me that I was working on a Duane Betts record. And then things just kinda happened and it just became obvious to me - ‘I have this time right now, and this is what I want and need to do.’ 

I wrote quite a bit of it with my friend, (songwriter, producer and musician) Stoll Vaughan, down in Florida at my dad’s house, leading up to going into the studio. And I ran into Derek (Trucks) and Susan (Tedeschi) at a mutual friend’s birthday party down in the Keys, and they asked what I was doing. And when I told them I was thinking about doing a record, they thought it would be really great if I recorded it at their studio. So things just started happening and falling into place, to where it kind of became me just following the trail that was placed in front of me. 

We’re all really proud of it. It came together without a lot of struggle. And having guests like Derek Trucks and Marcus King and Nicki Bluhm, along with the core band - Johnny Satchela, John Ginty, Berry Duane Oakley and Tyler Greenwell - well, that just made it really special.

I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.