stickers on it, and every time the Allman Brothers would come to town, I would bring my photos to show them pictures of the last time they were in New Orleans. Then I started getting to know each band member individu- ally, and Gregg when he would see me, he’d give me 100 bucks and say, send some pic- tures to my Grandmother in Nashville, here is her address, and things like that. In 1973 Dickey asked me to shoot his
wedding to Sandy Bluesky, and I did that. In fact, I had to make a decision on that one, be- cause that wedding was happening on the same night as a Newsweekmagazine photo awards banquet in New York and I had won a national Newsweekmagazine contest in 1972. I went down to Miami Beach as a freelance photographer because both the democratic and republican conventions were being held in Miami that year. It was real political and I was real radical, but I just went down there to shoot pictures and I got my head busted open by the cops and one of the pictures I took won a national Newsweekmagazine photo contest. So the awards banquet was the same night as Dickey’s wedding and I had to make a decision if I was going to go to New York or shoot his wedding. To me, it was a no brainer, so I went to Dickey’s wedding. I thought to myself that I might be losing the opportunity to become a Newsweek magazine photographer or whatever, but I said, I gotta do Dickey’s wedding.
I tell ya that, you segued into my next question because I was going to ask about that, because of all the Allman brothers Dickey Betts was my favorite. He’s always been my favorite, I love his singing and I told him that and he was like, “Oh Man,” but I’ve always loved the country element The Southern Rock. Bands that have the country sound are my favorite, like Marshall Tucker and Cowboy. But I love Dickey. And Sandy, and I’ve known her for
years and years too, at least on the in- ternet. Also, their daughter Jessica. I just recently met her online. A very nice girl. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier woman than Sandy in those wedding pictures. Just gorgeous. I seen pictures of their wedding before, but I had no idea who the guy was that took them. Sandy gave me a really nice compliment for the book, she said, “Sydney was the only pho- tographer that the band members felt relaxed with and pretty much gave full access to be- cause I was virtually invisible.” That is the way she put it. I just knew when to hold them and when to fold them, and especially with Dickey Betts because that guy can fight as well as he can play guitar.
He can be moody too. Bonnie Bramlett told me one time, he is two people - he is a cowboy and an Indian- and when he is a cowboy, you don’t want to be around him. That’s right… that’s very true. I mean, I’ve seen him fight.
He’s a scrapper Yeah, He is, he is. He’s certainly a scrapper. I’ve seen him, it’s scary.
Yeah, I know, but by the same token, he is one the greatest songwriters to me that ever lived and certainly in regard to instrumental compositions. I mean, God, who can write a freaking instru- mental anymore anyway? But he sure as the world could. He’s phenomenal. I never saw, well I did see it but it was never directed at me, this side of Dickey that was scary, he was always a gentle- man around me and a lot of fun to be around. I used to visit him in his hotel room when they’d come to town. In fact, some of the pic- tures in the book are a few of the pictures of me Dickey and Sandy in their hotel room
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