''Highway Call'' is the debut album by

Dickey Betts Forrest Richard Betts (born December 12, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. Early in his career, he collaborated with Duane Allman, introducing melodic tw ...

(under the name Richard Betts), of

The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guita ...

. It was recorded in 1974 in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

, at Capricorn Studios. Betts further develops the country sound that emerged on the Allmans' 1973 album '' Brothers and Sisters''. Tracks include "Long Time Gone", "Highway Call", and the extended country jam "Hand Picked". Guest musicians include

Vassar Clements Vassar Carlton Clements (April 25, 1928 – August 16, 2005) was an American jazz, swing, and bluegrass fiddler. Clements has been dubbed the Father of Hillbilly Jazz, an improvisational style that blends and borrows from swing, hot jazz, and ...

on fiddle and

Jeff Hanna Jeffrey R. Hanna (born July 11, 1947) is an American singer-songwriter and performance musician, best known for his association with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. His professional music career has spanned six decades. Early life Hanna was born in D ...

on acoustic guitar. The album peaked at #19 on Billboard's "Pop Albums" chart in 1974.

Critical reception

'' No Depression'' called the album "exhuberant," writing that "Betts conjured a rollicking brew of bluegrass, western swing, and jazz." ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' wrote that Betts's "hesitant vocals can't match the pace of his lightning fingers."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

said "''Highway Call'' stands as the artist's finest solo moment, one that holds his true voice easily expressing itself far from the madding blues wail of the Allmans..."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Dickey Betts, except "Kissimmee Kid" by

#"Long Time Gone" – 4:31 #"Rain" – 3:40 #"Highway Call" – 4:26 #"Let Nature Sing" – 5:10 #"Hand Picked" – 14:20 #"Kissimmee Kid" – 3:13

Personnel

*Dickey Betts - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, dobro, lead vocals *

- fiddle *

Chuck Leavell Charles Alfred Leavell (born April 28, 1952) is an American musician. A member of the Allman Brothers Band throughout their commercial zenith in the 1970s, he subsequently became a founding member of the band Sea Level. He has served as the pri ...

- piano *

Tommy Talton Tommy Talton (born January 9, 1949) is an American guitarist who is most noted for having played with Cowboy, Gregg Allman, and numerous recording sessions with Paul Butterfield, Allman Brothers Band, Bonnie Bramlett, Clarence Carter, Corky Laing ...

- acoustic guitar *

John Hughey John Hughey (December 27, 1933 – November 18, 2007) was an American musician. He was known for his work as a session pedal steel guitar player for various country music acts, most notably Vince Gill and Conway Twitty. A member of the Steel Guit ...

- steel guitar *Walter Poindexter - banjo, backing vocals *Leon Poindexter - acoustic guitar, backing vocals *Frank Poindexter - dobro, backing vocals *Stray Straton - bass, backing vocals *

Johnny Sandlin John Everett Sandlin Jr. (April 16, 1945 – September 19, 2017) was an American recording engineer and record producer. He is best known for producing albums by bands such as the Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, Wet Willie, and Col. Bruce ...

- bass *Oscar Underwood Adams - mandolin *David Walshaw - drums, percussion *

- acoustic guitar *

Reese Wynans Reese Wynans (born November 28, 1947) is an American keyboard player, who has done session work and has been a member of Double Trouble and progressive rock band Captain Beyond. In 2015, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a ...

- harmonica *The Rambos (Buck, Dottie, and Reba) - backing vocals

Production

*Producer: Johnny Sandlin, Dickey Betts *Recording Engineer: Sam Whiteside, Johnny Sandlin *Remixing: Johnny Sandlin *Mastering Engineer:

George Marino George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

*Photography: Sydney Smith *Liner Notes: n/a

Charts

References

{{Authority control Dickey Betts albums Capricorn Records albums 1974 debut albums