The heyday of Southern rock in the 1970s began with the 1973 release of the Allman Brothers Band’s "Brothers and Sisters" album, with its major hit "Ramblin' Man", and other Southern inflected tunes like "Jessica". This album was a departure from previous Allman Brothers work, which until the death of band leader Duane Allman in late October 1971 had been purely blues rock. Dickey Betts' song "Blue Sky", which had appeared on the 1972 "Eat a Peach" album, was the one song recorded during the Duane Allman era that could in retrospect be seen as a bridge to Southern rock. Betts' ascension as band leader following the death of Allman and then Berry Oakley, the band’s original bassist, turned the direction of the band — and American pop music in general — toward a more Southern-fried sound.