Because it is 2020, nothing is the same, and music is no exception -- podcasts like this one included. As we all find ourselves in the new reality that the coronavirus pandemic has thrown at us, however, the old mantra that “the show must go on” still holds true. And in our case, Southern Songs and Stories goes on in a new way with this episode. With this podcast on The Allman Betts Band, it is the first time that we have done a show with an interview from a video call. A side benefit with this is that we can also share the video of our conversation, which is worth watching just to see Devon Allman changing his background images throughout the interview, so his Iron Maiden reference makes more sense there, for starters. That video is posted below. 

Devon Allman and Duane Betts are well known as the sons of Greg Allman and Dickey Betts, respectively, and their partnership now seems like it was meant to be, especially now that The Allman Betts Band’s second album, Bless Your Heart, is well on its way to being a big hit. But their friendship and musical partnership did not happen right away after they first met some thirty years ago, as teenagers attending an Allman Brothers show. Listen in for that story, as well as the meaning of letting the song be the boss, the expansion of their band members’ and co-writers’ roles on this album, and much more.

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you enjoy our time with The Allman Betts Band. If you haven’t already done it, please tell someone you know about this series, and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Bonus points if you give it a good rating and a review, which helps make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more visible to more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup on both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available at https://www.osirispod.com/ . You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio at https://www.bluegrassplanetradio.com/. Thanks also to Sean Rubin at WNCW for engineering our interview session. - Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode:

“Magnolia Road” from Bless Your Heart (excerpt)

“The Doctor’s Daughter” from Bless Your Heart (excerpt)

“Savannah’s Dream” from Bless Your Heart