Ramblin’ Man – Still trying to make a living. Still trying to do the best I can. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers

Today’s feature is all about inspiration. Inspiration from those who came before. Inspiration in the moment from a friend. Inspiration from one’s own past, and inspiration from one’s peers.

Fifty years ago today the Allman Brothers Band released ‘Brothers and Sisters’ and the lead single was the eternally brilliant ‘Ramblin’ Man’.

‘For the over-arching roots of ‘Ramblin’ Man’ one need look no further than the 1951 song of the same title by Hank Williams.

Here is a passage from one of the fathers of ‘good’ Country.

But when that open road
Starts to callin’ me
There’s somethin’ o’er the hill
That I gotta see
Sometimes it’s hard
But you gotta understand
When the lord made me
He made a ramblin’ man”

Hank Williams

Using the theme of a man who can never stay in one place for too long; relationships be damned, Dickey Betts was then fortified by a passing statement made by his friend Kenny Harwick during a conversation. In this quote, Betts recalls the exchange.

In 1969, I was playing guitar in several rock bands that toured central Florida.  Whenever I’d have trouble finding a place to stay, my friend Kenny Harwick would let me crash at his garage apartment … One day he asked me how I was doing with my music and said, ‘I bet you’re just tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best you can.’”

Dickey Betts

It should be clear that this iconic line did not emerge in any set of lyrics right away. Dickey Betts just let it rattle around in his head for a while.

If you listen to this phenomenal bootleg known as the ‘Gatlinburg Tapes’ you will hear Dickey jamming ‘Ramblin Man’ on his acoustic guitar while talking to Duane (2:40). This is thought to be April of 1971.

At this early stage the song was presenting as ‘Ramblin’ Country Man’.

Pure gold!

As the Allman Brothers Band was rising the majority of their catalogue relied on songs written by Gregg Allman, and a feast of classic blues covers. Therefore, Dickey Betts had no cause to rush his idea through.

This recipe satisfied their audience for over three years, but as we all know fate would deal a wicked hand.

In the fall of 1971, Duane Allman was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident (see ‘Little Martha’, ‘Trouble No More’).

Dickey continued to work on the musical idea for ‘Ramblin Man’ through the fall of 1972. Once he was satisfied with this presentation, he says the lyrics came to him in about twenty minutes while hanging out in Berry Oakley’s kitchen.

I wrote “Ramblin’ Man” in Berry Oakley’s kitchen [at the Big House] at about four in the morning. Everyone had gone to bed but I was sitting up,”

Dickey Betts

Reportedly, when the guys in the band first heard Betts’s demo they felt that although it was a good song, it was just a little bit too country.

Music fans may have the new ‘brother ‘ on the block, Chuck Leavell to thank for the fact the band pushed ‘Ramblin’ Man’ through for release on ‘Brothers and Sisters’.

It’s definitely in the direction of country but that didn’t bother me in the least […] I think our attitude was, ‘Let’s take this thing and make it as great as we can.’”

Chuck Leavell

This became the prevailing attitude.

As the music for ‘Ramblin Man’ developed, Dickey relayed his deeper vision. While the lyrical theme was all about the way Hank would have done it, his idea for the song structure was an ode to ‘Layla’ by Derek and the Dominos.

The next three quotes were taken from Dickey Betts in an interview with American Songwriter. They needed to be included in this post because Dickey takes us through ‘Ramblin Man’ from concept to completion.

I liked how that sounded and carried the line around in my head for about three years. Then one day in 1972, I … decided to finish the lyrics. The words came fast, like I was writing a letter. My inspiration was Hank Williams’ ‘Ramblin’ Man,’ from 1951. His song and mine are completely different, but I liked his mournful, minor-chord feel. Except for Kenny’s line, the rest of the lyrics were autobiographical. When I was a kid, my dad was in construction and used to move the family back and forth between central Florida’s east and west coast. I had two sets of friends and spent a lot of time in the back of a Greyhound bus. But the song, as I originally wrote it, had a country flavor and needed to be Allmanized – given that rock-blues feeling. I thought of Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’ – which had come out a year earlier – with its long jam at the end. I figured something like that might work.” 

Dickey Betts

Dickey knew that in order to fulfill his vision the song needed some finishing touches. His initial thought was to replicate a fiddle sound. With a bit of studio ingenuity, combined with some grade A talent, Betts and Leavell achieved this goal as he explains in this passage.

I knew ‘Ramblin’ Man’ needed a solid intro to grab the listener. My daddy had been a fiddler, and I heard a lot of fiddle music as a child … What I came up with for the intro was a fiddle-like opener built on a pentatonic scale – but with me on guitar and Chuck [Leavell] on piano exchanging lines. Then I had an idea that threw everyone for a loop. For that ‘Layla’-like instrumental part, I asked everyone to play the same line over and over again as I sang, ‘Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man.’ This set up the next part. I wanted to overdub guitars in harmony – two playing high notes and two playing low notes. I planned to overdub a solo over all those guitars stacked together.”

Dickey Betts

Everything evolved from there, but there was a certain degree of tension, specifically from Berry Oakley. Session guitarist Les Dudek was in the control room waiting for opportunities to add guitar parts at Dickey Betts’s behest. His role of adding harmonies during crucial moments had been working out well, but when Dickey said he wanted Dudek to play live from the floor Oakley was shaken. This triggered the bassist, who went immediately back to his days complimenting Duane’s playing. He was not ready, and as Les Dudek recalls;

We played it all live. I was standing where Duane would have stood with Berry just staring a hole through me and that was very intense and very heavy,” 

Dickey Betts

It all ended well though. The finishing touch was a beautiful bit of slide guitar created by Betts over top of the dual track laid down earlier. When the recording was finished the Allman Brothers Band’s roadie, Red Dog declared;

That’s the best I heard since Duane.”

Red Dog

Seriously, what more can be said?

The last time anyone said that, they were speaking of Duane Allman and Eric Clapton exchanging licks on…

…Layla.

What’s that? You want to hear ‘Layla’ now?

Here is Dickey Bett’s ode to Hank, his friend Kenny, and the song structure attempted by many, but taken to stratospheric heights by ‘Skydog’ and ‘Slowhand’.

What you get is is an Allman Brothers Band classic. It served notice to music fans everywhere. They were still a musical tour de force.

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man,
Tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I can.
And when it’s time for leavin’,
I hope you’ll understand,
That I was born a ramblin’ man.

My father was a gambler down in Georgia,
And he wound up on the wrong end of a gun.
And I was born in the back seat of a Greyhound bus
Rollin’ down highway 41.

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man,
Tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I can.
And when it’s time for leavin’,
I hope you’ll understand,
That I was born a ramblin’ man.

I’m on my way to New Orleans this mornin’,
Leaving out of Nashville, Tennessee,
They’re always having a good time down on the bayou, Lord
Them Delta women think the world of me.

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man,
Tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I can.
And when it’s time for leavin’,
I hope you’ll understand,
That I was born a ramblin’ man.

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man…”

Dickey Betts

‘Ramblin Man’ made it all the way to #2 on the U.S. Easy Listening Charts. Ironically, it was kept out of the top spot by Cher’s ‘Half Breed’. Of course, a couple of years later Cher and Gregg Allman were married ever so briefly.  ‘Ramblin’ Man did make it to #1 on the U.S. Cashbox Top 100. This was gratifying to the Allman Brothers Band because it was the first single the band recorded without their original leader Duane Allman.

The multi-layered guitar attack offered by Dickey Betts and Les Dudek will always exist as a tribute. Because Duane Allman was never far from the Allman Brothers Band’s thoughts ‘Ramblin Man’ was a regular feature in the group’s live set through the years, no matter the incarnation of the band.

Before I move on to the cover versions, let’s enjoy a couple of interesting Allman Brothers Band versions. Here is a a quality 1992 acoustic version with Warren Haynes, Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts playing guitar while Alan Woody adds a complimentary bass line.

Let the lost verse of ‘Ramblin Man’ take us to the cover versions.

Now when I die don’t put me in no graveyard. Lord that’s one place I don’t want to be. Lay me down some place along the highway Lord. Let that lonesome wind take care of me.“

Dickey Betts

To begin the covers portion of today’s post we go back to the ‘70s for a nice bluegrass rendition. The country laced possibility of ‘Ramblin Man’ was only a sidestep away to this cover by Bluegrass Generation.

In 2011, extraordinary rockabilly bassist Lee Rocker of Stray Cats fame released this quality version of ‘Ramblin’ Man on his album ‘The Cover Sessions’.

In 2019 the Allman Betts Band brought their Family Revival tour to The Beacon Theatre in New York City. This band features Gregg Allman’s son Devon and Dickey Betts’s son Duane. This performance of ‘Ramblin’ Man’ features Robin Zander of Cheap Trick on vocals. Quite a treat.

One year later we get the prolific Larkin Poe laying out their rendition of ‘Ramblin Man’. What a beautiful blend of harmonies and quality guitar work.

The Lexington Lab Man is a relatively recent discovery for Ted Tocks. As I write these posts, their name keeps coming up, and whenever I take time to listen, I am never disappointed. Here is their country style take of ‘Ramblin Man’ from earlier this year. This brings ‘Ramblin Man’ back to its country roots.

So, we’ve come full circle.

In order to close the loop, we will go to a live performance from Hofstra University in Nassau County, New York in November of 1972. This is a significant clip because it is the last time Berry Oakley played with his band of brothers.

And now, over fifty years later only Dickey, Jaimoe and Chuck remain.

Lord I was born a ramblin’ man…

May they continue to ramble on.

Let the wind, and the music take them wherever they want to go.