MACON, Ga. — Steve Zentner's trip wasn't "Southbound," but he might have rolled "down Highway 41" to the Big House Museum.
Zentner and his wife were driving to Tennessee from their home in Florida, and planned a stop in Macon. That stop included a trip to the museum. Just before they left Florida, Dickey Betts died.
The Zentners knew they couldn't pass up a trip to the Big House.
"We were coming here regardless," Zentner said, "but it just so happens to be on such an occasion like this. But like my friend said, 'Imagine the timing on that.'"
He grew up with the Allman Brothers Band's music — especially songs, like "Ramblin' Man," that Betts wrote. The museum fascinated him.
"Pieces in this room that I love. Pieces in that room that I love," Zentner said.
Sometimes, when you're "doing the best you can," things just work out. Things worked out for Chuck Leavell when he joined the band in 1972.
"I was hired to play keyboards in Gregg Allman's first solo album," he remembered.
That led to late-night jam sessions with the Allman Brothers Band, and eventually, a spot in the band.
"Dickey was one of the first guys in the band that really befriended me," Leavell said.
Their friendship flourished, making memories on the 1973 tour in Tulsa.
"Dickey called me up, and he said, 'Listen, we're going to a reservation. A Cherokee reservation. Would you and Rose Lane like to go?' And it was just such an incredible experience for us," Leavell said.
It was an incredible experience, thanks to an incredibly talented artist who took a "gamble down in Georgia" all those years ago. It's a gamble that most certainly paid out.
"He made an impression on all of those that heard him. Not just the fans, but all the musicians that held him in awe," Leavell said.
After Betts' death, Warren Haynes of Government Mule offered his condolences: "Dickey was the one person I credit for everything amazing that happened in my career," he wrote in part.
Benjy Griffith, a former business partner and friend, wrote: "Dickey was pure artistic genius and a dear friend who respected and loved nature and the outdoors."
Richard Brent with the Big House Museum says they're not planning anything formal to honor Betts. He said they want to allow his family to do so first. He said they'll stay open at their normal hours for people to pay respects.