Lord he was born a ramblin’ man, and died one as well. Perhaps no song encapsulated a rock ‘n’ roll legend more than Dickey Betts’s 1973 “Ramblin’ Man,” a staple of classic rock radio stations across the country. Betts, who was born on Dec. 12, 1943, in West Palm Beach, Florida, and who died this past week in Osprey, Florida, had an itinerant existence from an early age.
As a child, Dickey was compelled to change schools frequently; his one constant was music. At 5 years old, Dickey started out on the ukulele, then switched to banjo. Surrounded by Southern music in his youth, he at first gravitated toward country and bluegrass. After he heard Chuck Berry for the first time in his early teens,
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!