December 22, 2024

Skylight Webzine

Online since 2000

DICKEY BETTS’ LIVE FROM THE LONE STAR ROADHOUSE: NEW YORK CITY 1988 ARRIVES IN EXPANDED EDITION ON AUGUST 9

Previously available as a double-vinyl LP, the CD debut will add seven tracks to present for the first time the complete 1988 concert

Band includes Warren Haynes, Johnny Neel, Marty Privette, and Matt Abts with special guests Jack Bruce, Mick Taylor, and Rick Derringer performing selections from both the Allman Brothers’ catalog and Betts’ solo repertoire

RockBeat Records will also release a limited “marijuana splatter green”vinyl pressing only available at independent record stores  

RockBeat Records honors the legacy of fabled rock ‘n’ roll performer Dickey Betts, who died last month at the age of 80, with the August 9 release of Live from the Lone Star Roadhouse: New York City 1988. Originally released for Record Store Day in 2018, the double vinyl will now be available in a “marijuana splatter green” pressing exclusively at independent record retailers. An additional seven tracks will be added for its CD debut, making the complete two-hour concert available for the first time. The CD will be a two-disc set. The previous album download will be updated to reflect the newly expanded tracklist. RockBeat Records is an affiliate of Liberation Hall and all formats will be distributed by MVD Entertainment Group (USA) and Wienerworld (UK). 
 
In 1969, Betts became a founding member of the legendary Allman Brothers Band, with whom he would make his name as a composer, vocalist, and guitarist. He took on sole lead guitar duties at the peak of the band’s commercial success in the mid-1970s and wrote and sang their classic hit, “Ramblin’ Man.” A native of West Palm Beach, Florida, Betts also performed with Dickey Betts & Great Southern; The Dickey Betts Band; and Betts, Hall, Leavell and Trucks. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
 
Live from the Lone Star Roadhouse was recorded in New York City on November 1, 1988, and originally broadcast by local classic rock radio station WNEW-FM. In addition to Betts, the concert features a stellar band of musicians including Gov’t Mule and Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Haynes, keyboardist Johnny Neel, bassist Marty Privette, and drummer Matt Abts. The tracklist includes Allman Brothers Band favorites written by Betts (“Blue Sky,” “Jessica,” “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”), other ABB standards (“Statesboro Blues,” “One Way Out”), and selections from Betts’ 1988 solo album, Pattern Disruptive, including his tribute to Duane Allman, “Duane’s Tune.” A trio of all-star players also lend their talents: Rick Derringer (“Statesboro Blues,” “One Way Out,” “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo,” “Southbound”), Jack Bruce and Mick Taylor (“Spoonful,” “Southbound”). 
 
In his liner notes for the package, music journalist Cory Frye writes, “As great as they sounded on record, Betts and friends were best experienced live, and we have the visionaries at WNEW-FM to thank for this rare opportunity to hear this lineup unchained, interpreting Betts’ Allman Brothers catalog with reverence and vigor… Was it all too much? No, on the contrary: The Lone Star clamored for more. You will too, guaranteed.” 
 
Pre-order at Amazon. The album’s first digital single, “The Blues Ain’t Nothin’,” is available HERE
 
DICKEY BETTS — Live from the Lone Star Roadhouse: New York City 1988 (CD/DL: ROC-3472 / LP (marijuana splatter green vinyl) ROC-3474; LP (standard black) ROC-3473.
 
TRACKLIST: 1. Rock Bottom (Dickey Betts, Warren Haynes, Johnny Neel) * | 2. Blue Sky | 3. Introduction to Warren Haynes * | 4. Time to Roll (Betts, Haynes, Neel) * | 5. Duane’s Tune | 6. The Blues Ain’t Nothin’ (Neel) * | 7. Far Cry (Neel, Haynes, K. Morrison) * | 8. Heartbreak Line * | 9. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed | 10. Loverman * | 11. Jessica | 12. Under the Guns of Love (Betts, Neel, M. Lawler * | 13. Statesboro Blues (Willie McTell) | 14. One Way Out (Elmore James, Marshall Sehorn) | 15. Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo (Rick Derringer) | 16. Spoonful (Howlin’ Wolf) | 17. Southbound
 
All songs by Dickey Betts unless otherwise noted.
Recorded January 11, 1988, at the Lone Star Roadhouse in New York City. 
* Previously unreleased. Only appears on CD & digital download.