Former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts will perform a pair of rare intimate shows at New York City's Iridium Jazz Club on Monday, August 20, as part of the club's Les Paul Mondays series.
Betts will honor the Iridium's patron saint, Les Paul, by performing with his trio at 8 and 10 p.m. General tickets for the shows, which also mark the latest installment of the monthly "Guitar World & The Iridium Present" series, go on sale July 12, but the Iridium's Facebook fans can take part in a pre-sale for the best seats in the house today by heading here.
Betts joined the Allman Brothers Band as second lead guitarist and singer in the late '60s, with songwriting credits including "Revival" and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed." After Duane Allman's death, he stepped up to front the band with Gregg Allman and shared writing/vocal duties on their biggest hit, "Ramblin' Man." Betts' iconic solo on "Jessica" ranks No. 47 on Guitar World's list of The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time. Betts also fronts his own group, Dickey Betts & Great Southern.
Since Les Paul's death in 2009, Paul's Trio -- guitarist Lou Pallo, bassist Nicki Parrott and pianist John Colianni -- has carried on his legacy, performing every Monday night with special guests that have included guitar heroes from a variety of genres, including Jeff Beck, Mick Taylor, Steve Miller, Zakk Wylde, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Johnson and Robert Randolph.
IridiumLive, the club's new record label, captures the magic of these and other special performances at The Iridium with their state-of-the-art 32-track HD studio. "Les Paul is in our DNA and stands for excellence," says own Ron Sturm of the club's dedication to audiophile quality live and recorded sound. The label's first release, A Jazz Tribute to Les, features the Trio performing with Nels Cline of Wilco, Stanley Jordan, Bucky Pizzarelli and Jane Monheit.
In Paul's honor, the Iridium seeks to balance living legends like Betts with genre-defying trailblazers, like Maria Muldaur (7/17-18), Greg Ginn of Black Flag (7/29-30), Albert Lee (8/10-12) and Stanley Jordan (8/16-19). A portion of the door from each Les Paul Monday show goes to benefit The Les Paul Foundation, which pays tribute to Paul's memory by supporting music education, engineering and innovation.
WHO: Allman Brothers Guitarist Dickey Betts WHAT: "Guitar World & The Iridium Present" WHERE: The Iridium, 1650 Broadway (at 51st Street), New York City WHEN: 8 and 10 p.m. August 20 PRE-SALE: facebook.com/iridiumjazzclub TICKETS: theiridium.com
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For a complete calendar of events at the Iridium, head here.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
