The man behind the BBC program Top Gear's iconic theme song "Jessica" has died. Guitarist Dickey Betts was 80 years old.
Dickey Betts is dead.
This is stated by the bereaved family in a post on Instagram .
The American guitarist turned 80 years old. And if the name doesn't tell you anything, the sound of his iconic tune "Jesscia" certainly will.
At least if you've seen Top Gear. Ever since the program was broadcast for the first time in 1977, it has been followed by the theme song "Jessica", which Dickey Betts wrote.
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Not really for the program Top Gear. Instead, the melody was written for the band The Allman Brothers Band in 1972. The instrumental piece of music was actually created in 1972, but it wasn't until the following year in December 1973 that it was released on record.
Top Gear first used the tune on April 12, 1977. And in various variations, "Jessica" stuck around until the BBC decided to put the program on hold. Read more about it here.
However, Top Gear is not the only car program that is currently dormant. So does The Grand Tour, which Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond started in 2015, after Clarkson's dismissal from Top Gear.
The first edition of the Grand Tour was broadcast the following year. The program was extended with several broadcasts and changed format along the way. But back in November last year, the hosting trio announced they were leaving the show.
However, Amazon has not abandoned the format. And most recently it is rumored that a production company has been tasked with renewing the concept and finding new hosts. Read more about it here .
In the clip below, world famous guitarist "Slash" gave the tune a shot during the final show of season 18. That was way back in 2012.
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