Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man,” has died. He was 80 years old.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer died at his home in Osprey, Florida, confirmed David Spero, Betts’ manager of 20 years. Betts had been battling cancer for more than a year and suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Spero said.

“He was surrounded by his entire family and passed away peacefully. They didn’t think he was in any pain,” Spero said by phone.

Betts shared lead guitar duties with Duane Allman in the original Allman Brothers Band to help give the group its distinctive sound and create a new genre: southern rock. Acts ranging from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Kid Rock were influenced by the Allmans’ music, which combined blues, country, R&B and jazz with ’60s rock.

Founded in 1969, the Allmans were a pioneering improvisational band, trampling the traditional notion of three-minute pop songs by performing extended compositions in concert and on albums. The band also stood out as a biracial group from the Deep South.

Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident in 1971, and founding member Berry Oakley died in a motorcycle accident a year later. That left Betts and Allman’s younger brother, Gregg, as leaders of the band, but they clashed frequently and substance abuse caused even more dysfunction. The band broke up at least twice before reforming and has had more than a dozen lineups.

The Allman Brothers Band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Betts left the group for good in 2000 and also performed solo and with his own band Great Southern, which included his son, guitarist Duane Betts.

Forrest Richard Betts was born on December 12, 1943, and grew up in the Bradenton, Florida area, near Highway 41 that he sang about in “Ramblin’ Man.” His family had lived in the area since the mid-19th century.

Betts grew up listening to country, bluegrass and western swing, and played the ukulele and banjo before focusing on electric guitar because it impressed girls. At age 16 he left home for his first road trip and joined the circus to play in a band.

He returned home and with bassist Oakley joined a group that became the Jacksonville, Florida-based band Second Coming. One night in 1969, Betts and Oakley played with Duane Allman, already a successful session musician, and his younger brother, and together they formed the Allman Brothers Band.

The group moved to Macon, Georgia, and released a self-titled debut album in 1969. A year later came the album “Idlewild South”, highlighted by Betts’ instrumental composition “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, which soon became a basic element of concerts. .

The 1971 double album “At Fillmore East”, now considered one of the best live albums of the classic rock era, was the Allmans’ commercial breakthrough and cemented their performing reputation by showcasing the unique guitar interplay between Allman and Betts. Their styles contrasted, with Allman playing bluesy slide guitar, while Betts’ solos and singing pushed the band toward country. When layered in harmony, their playing was especially distinctive.

The group also had two drummers: “Jaimoe” Johanson, who is black, and Butch Trucks.

Duane Allman died four days after “Fillmore” was certified gold, but the band soldiered on and the crowd continued to grow. The 1973 album, “Brothers and Sisters,” rose to No. 1 on the charts and featured “Ramblin’ Man,” starring Betts and bringing the accent to the Top 40. The song reached No. 2 on the singles charts. and it remained. off the number one spot by “Half Breed” by Cher, who later married Gregg Allman.

Betts’ dizzying guitar sound on “Ramblin’ Man” resonated in neighborhood bars across the country for decades, and the song underscored his knack for melodic hooks. “Ramblin’ Man” was the Allmans’ only Top Ten hit, but Betts’ catchy seven-and-a-half-minute instrumental composition, “Jessica,” recorded in 1972, became an FM radio staple.

Betts also wrote or co-wrote some of the band’s other most beloved songs, including “Blue Sky” and “Southbound.” In later years, the group continued to tour successfully with Betts and Warren Haynes on guitar. Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks died in 2017.

After leaving the Allmans for good, Betts continued to play with his own group and lived in the Bradenton area with his wife, Donna.