Devon Allman and Duane Betts were born from music royalty. Their fathers, Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts, were founding members of the iconic Southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band. Now, The Allman Betts Band, founded by Devon and Duane in 2018, carries on their family’s traditions.
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“It’s such an honor to be part of the legacy,” Allman tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast. “It’s some of my favorite music in the world.” But it’s not without challenges, he adds. Being in The Allman Betts Band requires walking a fine line. On one side is the Allman Brothers’ well known musical heritage; on the other is The Allman Betts Band’s desire to build a career by writing and performing their own music.
The Allman Betts Band has released two albums steeped in sounds and themes of the South: Down the River from 2019 and Bless Your Heart from 2020. Their songs will sound familiar to any fan of the Allman Brothers, but their music “has its own character, its own texture, its own chemistry,” says Betts.
Over the years, Allman and Betts have found a sweet spot that balances their need to play original music with their desire to honor their fathers’ songs. They are proud of their own songs, but they also recognize that fans want to hear them perform The Allman Brothers.
“I could never go out and do six month tour of all Allman Brothers songs,” says Betts. “I’d feel gross. But at the same time, if the lights go down in a theater and there’s 1,500 people to see us perform, and we didn’t play one of our fathers’ songs, I would feel gross then, too.”
For fans of their fathers’ music, the Allman Betts Band weaves Allman Brothers’ songs such as “Blue Sky,” “Midnight Rider” and “Dreams” into their concerts. The Allman Brothers’ lesser-known 1990s era gets a nod, too, with performances of “Nobody Knows,” “Sailin’ ‘Cross the Devil’s Sea” and “Seven Turns.”
But an Allman Betts Band show doesn’t lean too heavily on nostalgia. “It’s important to play those songs, but we have to move forward,” explains Betts. “You have to be your own creative person.”
Listen to the entire interview with Devon Allman and Duane Betts with the embedded Spotify player, or go to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, Podbean or Everand.
