Jailhouse Rock

After Betts was fired by the Allman Brothers in May, he calmly gathered his thoughts, cursed the rest of the band, then called Houston's favorite local guitar hero since Billy Gibbons. A seven-piece outfit was in place in early August when rehearsals started. What was supposed to be a two-week tour has turned into a monthlong gig. May dropped everything he was doing, including his solo album, to join the legendary Betts. "It has helped other guitarists immensely," says May of playing alongside rock royalty. "It'll help my band a lot, if they're patient. It's a step up from what I was doing." May had tried out for Allman Brothers Band guitarist in 1997, but says he didn't have the slide chops to pass muster. Thankfully many of the Allman Brothers songs Betts has written and performs solo -- and the May songs that the Betts band plays -- don't depend much on slide lines.