Dickey Betts - Biography

Biography

Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Betts grew up in a musical family listening to bluegrass, country and Western Swing music. He started playing ukelele at five and, as his hands got bigger, moved on to mandolin, banjo and guitar. At sixteen and feeling the need for something "a little faster," he played in a series of rock bands on the Florida circuit, up the East Coast and into the midwest before forming the Second Coming with Berry Oakley in 1967. According to Rick Derringer, the "group called the Jokers" referenced in "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" was one of Betts' early groups. He is currently living in Sarasota, Florida.