Florida just gave Dickey Betts a fitting tribute: drivers cruising through his hometown on U.S. 41 will now see signs for the Dickey Betts Memorial Highway. It’s a stretch of road in south Sarasota County, running from North Creek down to Blackburn Point Road, in the place Betts called home.
Betts was more than just a guitarist; he was a Florida original who helped shape the sound of the Allman Brothers Band and, honestly, Southern rock itself. Most people know him as the voice and songwriter behind “Ramblin’ Man,” the band’s biggest pop hit. That song’s got Betts all over it, from the unforgettable guitar solo to the lyrics about being born “in the back seat of a Greyhound bus rollin’ down Highway 41.” Now, that very highway carries his name.
Sadly, Betts died at 80 in April 2024 at his home overlooking Little Sarasota Bay. His family, in their own words, said goodbye to a legend, someone larger than life, whose music and spirit stretched far beyond Florida. They asked for privacy, promising to share more when the time felt right.
If you know the Allman Brothers, you know they did things differently. Their music was this wild mix: rock, blues, jazz, country, and at the center of it was Betts, trading lead guitar lines with Duane Allman. Listen to their classic live album, “At Fillmore East,” and you’ll get why people still talk about those twin guitars…