The Steel Guitar Forum

My all-time favorite rock and roll guitar player, is Dickey Betts--One of the original members of the Allman Bros. Band. I bought his first solo album, "Highway Call," when it first came out, in '73, '74-- a long time ago. The songs' titles reflect the times--"Let Nature Sing," the title track...But what a group of players. John Hughey's playing "country-rock" steel guitar, Vassar Clements, fiddlin', Chuck Leavell is playing piano, Tony Rice's mother's family, the Poindexters, Dottie Rambo--Dickey put his self a band together!

So, the lyrics may be a little bit dated--But the music? As fresh as it was when it was new. There's no blues--pretty good swing and country stuff, though. And the back side of the album is one long jam, called "Hand-Picked." John and Dickey are locked in, Vassar, is turned loose--Great way to end an album.

If you didn't have a copy then, get one now. And if you did, then buy a CD. You'll be happy, I promise.

Awesome. That album is 40 this month.

Steve you got this right ,,,good time to reflect on a fine album ,,,I bet lots of younger players don't even know about this album. It was a good time to be growing up & having all the players we saw over the yrs ...certainly is not quite as many great new guys right now. John could jump back into any style of music .

Stephen Gambrell wrote:I bought... "Highway Call" when it first came out, in '73, '74-- a long time ago.

Me too. I bought the LP, and the cassette to listen to while driving. And I got the CD when it was released.

Allman Brothers fans who purchased this record expecting to hear Southern Rock or high octane blues were in for a big surprise.

Was fortunate enough to catch a show of the "Richard" Betts tour in support of this album. Sadly, I don't remember if John was on this tour, likely because this was a few years before I got into pedal steel. However, I sure do remember Vassar! Not to mention Dickie, who played nearly as much resonator as Les Paul.

One of my very favorite John Hughey recordings. I love his tone on that one.
I believe a wood neck Emmons original and Evans Hybrid 300 amp.

Jerry, it was indeed a good time. No Clear Channel, no "guys with ties" dictating styles--A good time to be listening to different stuff. John had no trouble fitting in, playing twins with "Richard,"(Jack, do you remember who was on that tour?)

And Tommy, John's tone was, perfect. No other way to describe it.

I wonder if Dickey was playing Marshalls on the record. Almost too clean, but he let everybody know he had some chops. IMO, Dickey had the chops in the ABB. Not to belittle Duane at all--But Duane never wrote anything as complex as "Liz Reed." This record pushed everybody. One of my all-time favorites.

I like the picture on the back of the album with John and the Emmons. Classic Hughey!

Highway Call is a great album, but for more info. This was in the time when Dickey referred to himself as Richard and was expecting everyone to treat his as royalty. I was told this by the Allman Bros. sound engineer of that time. He said Dickey was real hard to work with.
I don't care but this album is killer and owned it years ago, lost it, and bought it again. There is one spot where John was trying to play 16th notes and was barely doing it, but man he worked hard on that album, a big Gotta Own album.

Julian Tharpe did the tour,IIRC...John obviously was gonna stick with Conway after the album was done...

I Bought This Album, "Highway Call" In The Mid 1970s. Hand Picked Is My Favorite Tune On The
Album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md7qo7Lb72Q

Roger

I was lucky to have John sign my CD, and found out he didn't. Even have one, so I found one somewhere since they were out of print and mailed it to him.

One of my favorite recordings and if you look on the Polydor CD, they misprinted Hand Picked as HANK Picked, kinda funny. It's my favorite song on the album as well.

Yeah, Stephen, a stellar, fun album. I also bought it shortly after it came out, and as a fledgling steeler if anyone had told me at the time that I'd eventually get to play, engineer, and record with Vassar, (or get drunk with Dickey after a Holiday Inn gig of mine he turned up at!) I'd have laughed out loud and said, "not possible". Re-listening to this gem reminds me of when those guys were just distant untouchable heroes. Thanks for reminding me!

Drunk, with Dickey Betts? Man! I don't even drink, but I'd have had to have a couple. Again, I wonder if "Richard" was playing Marshalls on the record. Doesn't matter, though. Dickey sounds like Dickey.

Roger, I don't think it was much of a secret, that Dickey was hard to handle. After Duane's death (and the ABB was Duane's band, from the get-go) there was a struggle for control between Dickey and Gregg. But they needed each other, too. Dickey wrote the hits--Gregg wrote the albums. Duane must've been pretty savvy, even at his young age. He knew how to feed Dickey's ego--Brag on him. And he knew how to keep Greg in line, too. Slap him around, a little.

So when the Band got back together, after the grieving was over, Dickey was no longer the "other guitar player in the band--He became THE lead guitarist in one of the hottest bands in the world. Struggles with Gregg, with women, with the bottles--One, a whiskey bottle, the other, a Coricidan bottle, would have made him hard to work with. His lyrics, on "Highway Call," are the cries of a man who's longing for the old days. The simple days.

Indeed, a "Gotta Own" album.

Mark, I got a Les Paul around here, someplace. It's seen a lot of action, including (believe it or not) one night at Saluda, playing with---John Hughey. Damn. I just thought about that. I'm cooler than I thought!!!

Unlike you normies, it was Duane that ignite the gas I was so full of at that age - but it was this album, and Garcia's "The Wheel" - not "Teach", Merle or George - that alerted me to the possibility that there might be a way to sneak around the fundamental limits of a six-string monotuned slide guitar. Took me far too long to act upon it, but that "sneak" was for real - there was a time where admitting to simultaneously owning "Sticky Fingers", "Birds of Fire" and "Lost in the Ozone" could get you banned, beat up or institutionalized, depending.

This was the album that lured me away from six-string guitar and into the pedal steel realm. The sound of John's steel on this record was mesmerizing, and I heeded the siren's call and bought a student model Emmons. The next record of major influence was Willie Nelson's "Phases And Stages", also featuring John's incredible playing that still blows my mind to this day.

dickey's playing on this album is the least interesting part of it.
of course john always makes me smile.
...but.....think of vassars influence on music. he was a monster. he gave us hillbilly jazz and don't mess with my funk (!) with doug jernigan.
boogie in the barnyard with big jim murphy. i saw jim and vassar live and it knocked me out.
then of course with john on this album.
all this steel playing opened peoples' eyes up to it's potential as an all around instrument.
vassar was an amazing one of a kind guy!

Roger Shackelton wrote:I Bought This Album, "Highway Call" In The Mid 1970s. Hand Picked Is My Favorite Tune On The
Album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md7qo7Lb72Q

Roger

What a good mix on that track. The sound guy was on point that day

This album and John Hughey's excellent playing are what attracted me to PSG. "Hand Picked" is a permanent resident on my iPhone.

Regarding Vassar Clemens, don't forget "Old and In the Way" with Jerry Garcia on banjo, John Kahn, Pete Rowan and David Grisman - one of the finest bluegrass records anywhere!

So right on about Vassar as an influence, and a gentleman. One of the nicest guys you'd ever want to hang out with. My Avatar here is actually a Scramble Campbell painting of one of the many gigs I got to do with Vassar, I'm grateful for every bit of time I got to spend with him.

Haven't thought about that album in a long time. Will have to dig it out tonight and become "inspired" again!

Ironically, I was listening to that record (CD) on the way back from the Norwalk Connecticut steel guitar show.
BTW, I've been to the last two national Steel guitar events and have been not only appalled, but taken aback, by the lack of attendance.
I had expected to run into at least one person I see here on the forum.
Notta in either case?
I'm 57 and my buddy john, at 55, was the youngest guy there!
The other convention was ST Louis. I estimate the attendance was down by a factor of 10 from the last time I attended (ten years ago nonetheless)
I don't mean to rob this thread , coincidentally, I did listen to "Hand Picked" twice from Conn to VT.
Great f...ing record show-casing JH.

Great comment Mark. I met Vassar on a couple of occasions - dito. I never picked up on your avatar but now it's unmistakable.

Vassar could change hats faster that most folks can change drawers. When he was with Monroe, he was a bluegrass player. Jazz, he'd be Joe Venuti. Rock and roll? yep.

Remember, on the first "Will the Circle be Unbroken" album? Doc says, "How does it go, Vassar?"

Stephen Gambrell wrote:Vassar could change hats faster that most folks can change drawers.

Vassar had a nice little run as a sideman in the early '70s:

Aereoplain
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Old And In The Way
Highway Call
Hillbilly Jazz

When I was playing steel in a band for the 1st time in the early 70's, the band I was in at that time played at a festival somewhere in York County, PA. John Hartford was the headliner, and Vassar Clements was also there. During our 1st set, Vassar came up and played a few songs with us, standing right next to me. Talk about being extremely nervous!!!!!!