NEWS
DEREK TRUCKS GUESTS WITH PALMETTO MOTEL
Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel featuring Derek Trucks at Sun, Sand, and Soul Festival. Photo captured by Bradley Strickland.
WILD & PRECIOUS LIFE – OUT NOW!
Duane Betts assembled his dream team of musicians — including guitarist Johnny Stachela, bassist Berry Duane Oakley, keyboardist John Ginty, and drummer Tyler Greenwell — and took up his old friends Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks on an offer to record at their own Swamp Raga Studio in Jacksonville. Wild & Precious Life was recorded to two-inch analog tape during a series of live-in-the-recording-studio performances in 2022.
“We set up as a band, tracked everything live, and kept whichever takes had the magic,” says Duane, who co-produced the album with Stachela and Ginty. The band welcomed a number of guests into the fold too, finding room for Marcus King (who swaps guitar solos with Duane on “Cold Dark World”), Nicki Bluhm (whose haunting harmonies run throughout the country-flavored “Colors Fade”), and Derek Trucks (who contributes searing guitar leads to the album highlight “Stare at the Sun”). Bobby Tis handled the album’s engineering duties, while seven-time Grammy winner Jim Scott mixed.
Wild & Precious Life offers up a timeless version of American music — a mix of blues, rock, folk, and country that could’ve blanketed the FM radio airwaves during any number of decades. It’s a modern album inspired by some of the best parts of the past, full of sharply crafted songs written in a state of deep reflection and Duane’s journey toward sobriety.
NEW ALBUM WITH DUANE BETTS COMING SOON
Stay tuned for the record release announcement coming soon!
In session at Swamp Raga Studio – Jacksonville, FL / Photo by Bradley Strickland
SHOWS
ABOUT
At the quarter-turn of the 21st century, Johnny Stachela stands as prolific as ever. In 2026, the singer-songwriter and guitarist is prepping a new series of original singles- the first, “Sun Is Going Down,” lands July 17- that follow a similar set of releases in 2025; a batch of singles eventually compiled into Stachela’s EP, The Stroll. Additionally, the six-stringer remains a vital player for Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel, both in the studio and on the road. Stachela’s songcraft and guitar-work both feature prominently on Betts’ sophomore LP, Isle of Hope, produced by Grammy-winner, Dave Cobb, which dropped in June, via Sun Records.
Stachela’s collaborative partnership with Betts traces back over a decade, with the two formalizing the bond on tour in 2018, guesting with the Devon Allman Project, supporting and sitting-in on a nine-month Allman/Betts World Tour, with stops at such iconic venues as NYC’s Beacon Theater and Colorado’s Red Rocks amphitheater. The European leg took Stachela to Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, UK and Germany. Additionally, he performed on the second single, “Downtown Runaround,” and subsequent video from Betts’ debut EP, Sketches of American Music.
As well, Stachela joined The Allman Betts Band as a charter member- recording at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound studio- for their 2019 debut LP, Down to the River, and their 2020 follow-up, Bless Your Heart, touring internationally with the group, including dates in Europe and multiple summer festival stops. Subsequent tours with the ABB and the Allman Betts Family Revival have included appearances at New Orleans’ famed Jazz Festival, as well as overseas dates in Australia and Japan- at Byron Bay and Fuji Rock, respectively.
Among the myriad guest spots Stachela has made include jams with Little Feat, Gov’t Mule, and North Mississippi Allstars. With Betts, he’s also welcomed Derek Trucks and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty) for notable onstage collaborations. As a solo artist, Stachela joined the legendary Wet Willie on the band’s 2020 Rock Legends cruise. As well, in the spring of 2023, Stachela released the single, “County Farm Blues”, a cover of the 1930s Son House folk blues, across all digital platforms.
Additionally, Stachela contributed writing, performing, and production work for Betts’ second solo project. Recording sessions for the new effort commenced in Spring 2022 at Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi’s Swamp Raga Studio in Jacksonville, Florida. The resulting album, “Wild & Precious Life,” issued by Royal Potato Family records, arrived in the summer of 2023 to much critical acclaim, making several year-end “Best of” lists.
As a founding member of Betts’ new band, Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel, Stachela embarked on an extensive U.S. tour including festival dates and headlining appearances, and a noteworthy night at the Grand Ole Opry. Touring in support of the LP continued throughout 2024. Too, in September of 2025, Stachela had the honor of performing the national anthem before a sold-out Dodgers/Giants baseball game at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium.
With his well-crafted style of bottleneck slide evoking favorable comparisons to his heroes- influenced and inspired, never imitating- Johnny Stachela has become one of the more highly respected guitarists in modern blues and rock.
MEDIA
County Farm Blues
by Johnny Stachela
Digital Album Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high quality download in MP3, FLAC, & more. Buy Now $10 USD
1. County Farm Blues
2. Firefly
3. Hard Rain
4. Handle It
released March 21, 2023