The 2001 edition of the Charlie Daniels Band's Volunteer Jam will feature the package tour’s namesake, the Dickey Betts Band and .38 Special [ tickets ], according to tour sources. The month-long, 15-city expedition is scheduled to open in May.

The first Volunteer Jam took place in 1974 in Nashville, and was organized because Daniels wanted to record songs before a large, live audience for his "Fire on the Mountain" album. The Volunteer Jam's 16 runs prior to 1999 were all in the Nashville area.

Two years ago--when the show first took to the road--the Volunteer Jam visited 33 cities with a bill that featured Molly Hatchett, the Marshall Tucker Band, and, on some dates, Hank Williams, Jr. Last year, when Hank Williams Jr., Little Feat and Edgar Winter joined Daniels and band, the tour visited fewer than 20 cities.

The latest Charlie Daniels Band album, “Road Dogs” (Blue Hat), was released last May.

Dickey Betts, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, hasn’t played with that group since prior to the band’s summer 2000 tour. According to the fan-run website Hittin’ the Web with the Allman Brothers Band, the Dickey Betts Band is currently recording its first CD in Florida.