Ah Jonesy, lest you forget.... You have to take into account the business aspect of what was occuring within the Band at the time. Ask yourself when did Derek become a partner in the Band? Butch actually was not stupid in that one. Ive always contended that when Jack left, Butch wanted young blood up front from a marketing perspective, someone he could control, and he got a win-win with young Derek. Dickey was doomed from the start and never saw the torpedo when it was launched.

Ghandi... Don't ask...don't tell...

"You mentioned that Butch comments relative to young Derek coming in the Band. Well,I want to comment on that. At that time, I was somewhat friendly with people close in the Band. Not a groupie mind you, but friendly. In any event, I personally said to Betts to be VERY careful with Butch bringing in Derek. That Butch had an agenda, and it was not a good one for Betts at least. Blood is thicker than water, I said. Well, there was an agenda, and young Trucks was the pawn" That's an interesting scenario. Didn't Derek replace Jack Pearson? Dickey stayed in his slot, and Pearson left the band as I remember---when the band took Dickey out, they put Herring in Dickey's slot for the summer tour. Is that how Butch wanted it to go down? I did read Butch's comments about Derek but I think the context was that while Derek may be more accomplished, it was primarily due to his length of time playing and his supreme talent, but Butch never left any doubt that Duane was on another level entirely, at least to my read.

So 69duane you asshole what the f#ck are YOU doing here? We don't need your low life bullsh%t! Did someone say trailerpark trash yep that must be YOU!

Blackey, you do an excellent job of organizing band information, and personally I love to read your posts. Here is something to add. Butch wrote me several times many years ago. Insightful and he was being serious I could tell. But that does not mean he was being completely truthful, or, not sprinkling fact with fiction lets say. In one email he said before Duane was killed he felt Duane was going to fire Dickey. Now, the "feel" part is the point I want to go with here; Butch has over the years used "feel" "think" to equate as fact, when in fact, its subjective opinion. So, with Butch, you have to take it this way, he thinks, therefore it becomes fact in his mind. That is why he could never be a reliable source of knowledge for Band history. You mentioned that Butch comments relative to young Derek coming in the Band. Well,I want to comment on that. At that time, I was somewhat friendly with people close in the Band. Not a groupie mind you, but friendly. In any event, I personally said IMO to be VERY careful with Butch bringing in Derek. That Butch had an agenda, and it was not a good one for Betts at least. Blood is thicker than water, I said. Well, there was an agenda, and young Trucks was the pawn. As for Gregg and his book, well, sure I will read it but I would not expect it to be anything above a surface read. It will not be salicious, in part because too many people are still living. I love Gregg, but he never has been a man that speaks his mind and puts that on the table, more of a go along to get along type soul. He owes too many and chips are yet to be called in. Enjoy your Saturday Brother. Like your posts around here and keep it up.

As we all get older our daze are somewhat numbered. I like to think about what it is instead of what it may have been. These are the Good Old Dazes!!! We are in our hayday and it feels pretty damn good!!! The Macon Gathering for DDT can be the event that may put you over the hump in your life. Remember when you all were talking about a get together up here for me and I said I would like us all to gather in Macon??? The next day Bluedad posted about the DDT benenfit in Macon on 10 March. I really feel this is all being guided by a higher power. Praise God!!! Pam and I are so much looking forward to all this. We will get the chance to meet some new Friends and say hey to some old Friends also. Friday is Friend Chicken at the H&H. Macon is such a Goodtime place to hang out and dig the music. 😎 We hope you can make it. Peach.

Duane69. No all I do now days is google Butch Trucks/Dickey Betts/Gregg Allman on Google news on the web so I can read the latest jab at Dickey by Butch & occasionally by Gregg & write it down in my notebook where I've collected dozens of terrible things Butch has said publicly about Dickey that date back to 2000 & when I was kicked off the blue site by someone in the band.. according to the Email I received from Lana. I was even accused of being Dickey's spokesperson which is crazy. I've met Dickey several times at concerts over the many years of being a ABB & Betts fan which began in 1970 (I'm 64 now) and he has even invited me on his bus once (1986) & autographed a few albums & answered some questions such as "who is singing the background vocals on Revival on Idlewild South?" Dickey: "I know it doesn't sound like it but that is all six of the original band members. I can remember all of us laughing & having fun while we added that part in the studio". (I'm sure he has done the same for many fans when he is in the mood over the years) but Dickey Betts wouldn't know me from Adam's cat if we met today. Just as I was pissed when the ABB founding members voted out Jaimoe in 1980, I got pissed when the ABB voted out Dickey in 2000. I was CONVINCED Duane & Berry Oakley would NOT have gone along with that & would have broken up the band if ALL six guys could no longer work together anymore. But here almost 12 years later: who knows, as older men maybe they would.. since they would no longer be the loving hippies who would never vote out a "brother" or sell out their chosen kin. This was as bold & crass as the Stones voting out Keith Richards or the Dead voting out Bob Weir. And it seems Dickey took it like that. Dickey said he was blindsided with what the guys did & they could have handled it differently if they didn't want to work with him anymore. In the summer of 2000, Jaimoe would not agree with Butch to put Dickey out for good. Only a temporary thing to save the 2000 tour as Gregg was also going to quit if Dickey was on the tour & Butch admitted on the blue site he wanted that Jaimoe refused & the guys would get together in the fall with Dickey & decide how to proceed. Somehow Jaimoe later cast his lot with Judas & that temporary suspension became permanent & very bitter. But I really don't know exactly what happened. Maybe we will find out more info in Gregg's new book "My Cross To Bear". Gregg says he put it all out in the open on everything. X wives, Cher, growing up with Duane, Duane's death, problems in the band etc etc. So it promises to be an interesting read. I would be shocked if Gregg never says a word about Dickey being voted out. It seems that to live up to Gregg's pre-release hyperboley, the Dickey situation would be covered from his point of view rather deeply. But in recent interviews, when Duane or Dickey is brought up by the person interviewing Gregg, Gregg refuses to go there. But Gregg says he didn't hold back on anything in the book so it should cover much of it from Gregg's perspective but Butch's problem may involve a different set of issues. I don't know what happened. Butch was a big Dickey supported, it seemed to me, for years. He always said good things about Dickey, was in Betts, Leavell, Hall & Trucks, played percussion on "Patterned Disrupted" & said in a radio interview from LA in 1994 that Dickey's "Back Where We All Began" was one of the best original ABB songs ever. In 1999 Butch said that since Derek Trucks was added to the band it really inspired Dickey & Dickey was playing the best he has in years! But something happened the next year. From 2000 on, Butch Trucks' opinion of Dickey Betts is really nasty. And often during the last 11 years, Butch has ripped Dickey publicly except when Dickey was invited to the 40th at the Beacon, something the Dickey camp says they never received (an invitation). Then Butch said the manager of the ABB was going to askDickey's manager to ask Dickey to put aside their differences for one night and come play a few songs for Duane because Duane & Dickey were real good friends & founding members of the band. Well Butch is a great drummer & a big part of the ABB sound. But he can be hateful. I can remember years ago Butch talking about Berry Oakley & saying that he was ready to ask the band to get rid of Oakley because he was so out of it after Duane died. That Oakley couldn't live in a world that didn't include Duane Allman & it was a RELIEF when Oakley died. And just the other day he wrote that "Derek Trucks can play circles around Duane Allman". Maybe that is true. And maybe that doesn't mean Butch was dissing Duane & really admires Duane & really DOES appreciate Duane for "giving me my life". But that was an odd thing to say was it not? Wonder what Gregg thinks of that kind of talk? There is NO question that Butch Trucks really despises Dickey & that may run both ways with those men. That may be why Dickey decide not to show. Just couldn't be in the same place as Butch. I really don't know & I would be shooting in the dark to speculate. But Gregg also has been surprisingly negative. "There is no way Dickey Betts can ever have anything to do with the Allman Brothers again. We've been down that road several times before and it just would work". But Gregg also said he kinda expected to get a call from Dickey while he was in the hospital with his liver transplant but so far "not a word". But you're right. Other than playing with my ding-a-ling every now and then, this is about all I do with my time!

Its already five past nine cant tell whats your wish and whats mine is it changing programms Or turn off just to hear each others talk touching or smoking with windows closed so amazing to read in your eyes getting touched wont either tell no lies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GgxfcZZOpg&feature=share Dickey, Toy and Charlie trading licks at the Volunteer Jam on The Thrill Is Gone.

I was admiring the beautiful photos taken by Kimberly in that photo. The Dickey shot she gave me is the best I have ever seen!!!! Goodtimes!!!! 😎 Peach