Allman Bro Out.

ALLMAN BROTHERS: Dickey Explains Where He Was

It wasn't a missed flight that forced former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts to miss the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards -- he chose not to go. The Allmans received a Lifetime Achievement Award at this month's ceremony in Los Angeles earlier this month. Betts's manager, David Spero, says, "At the last minute, Dickey called me and asked if I would represent and accept his award... He wasn't sick, he didn't miss a plane -- he simply decided not to attend... It was a great evening and he was certainly missed. A couple of the Brothers even called Dickey to share the moment." Betts will be back on the road next month with dates in California and Nevada.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has made former Allman Brothers keyboardist Chuck Leavell an honorary forest ranger. He received the honor yesterday at a private ceremony in Atlanta. Leavell is a noted conservationist and co-founder of the Mother Nature Network, an online environmental news service.

Sources: DickeyBetts.com, Associated Press http://www.mnn.com/