Dickey Betts and his Great Southern Band are set to headline the Dan Toler ALS Support Benefit Festival on November 12th and 13th at Herschberger Ranch in Sarasota. The benefit is being held to raise funds for Toler's battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Herschberger Ranch is located at 13010 Fruitville Road, in Sarasota.
Also scheduled to appear are legendary singer Bonnie Bramlett, the queen of blue-eyed soul, and BlackHawk (headlining on the second day), which had a string of Top 10 country hits in the 1990s including "Every Once in A While" and "I'm Not Strong Enough to Say No." Others set to appear include "American Idol" season four runner-up Bo Bice, The Artimus Pyle Band, Sean Chambers, Wilson Williams and His Platters, Tony Tyler's newly named act Come Back Alice, the Mike Kach Group and many more. With such an impressive lineup, fans can hopefully get a chance to hear such Dickey Betts signature Allman Brothers Band classics as "Ramblin' Man," "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Jessica."
Details: Dan Toler ALS Support Benefit Festival, Nov. 12 and 13 at Herschberger Ranch, 13010 Fruitville Road, Sarasota. Tickets: $20 (one day), $35 (two day pass), $100 (one day VIP), $150 (two day VIP), $5 for children ages 12 and under. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (941) 228-5099 or go online at the
Dan Toler official website here. Tickets will also be available at the ticket office on the days of the event.
"Dan's always taken care of everybody around him," said Mark Serio, charity event co-organizer and Mike Kach Group guitarist. "He's a wonderful cat who I've known for 30 years and I would do anything for him. "This is a labor of love for all of us," Serio added.
A resident of Manatee County's Whitfield neighborhood, "Dangerous" Dan Toler played guitar in Great Southern before Betts, a resident of Sarasota, landed him The Allman Brothers Band gig in 1979. Toler can be heard on three ABB albums, including the group's comeback Enlightened Rogues, which reached No. 9 on the Billboard album chart.
