Raymond Berry Oakley III (April 4, 1948 - November 11, 1972), was an American bassist and one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band. He is ranked number 46 on Bass Player magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time".
Video Berry Oakley
Biography
Oakley was born in Chicago, Illinois, raised in the suburb of Park Forest, Illinois, then moved to Florida where he met and joined Dickey Betts's band, The Second Coming. He was a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1969, along with guitarists Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, singer and keyboardist Gregg Allman, and drummers and percussionists Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson.
Oakley was known for his long, melodic bass runs that formed a throbbing foundation underneath Allman and Betts' furious guitar solos and jams. "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", "Mountain Jam" and "Whipping Post" from the live album At Fillmore East capture Oakley at his best. Oakley was also the band member most involved in establishing domestic unity among the band's extended family. When Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident on October 29, 1971, Oakley was devastated.
Maps Berry Oakley
Equipment
Oakley's bass guitar, nicknamed "The Tractor Bass", was a Fender Jazz Bass with a Guild bass pickup (manufactured by Hagström, a Swedish company).
Death and tribute
On November 11, 1972, Oakley was involved in a motorcycle accident in Macon, Georgia, just three blocks from where Duane Allman had his fatal motorcycle accident the year before. Oakley was driving around a sharp right bend of the road on Napier Avenue at Inverness when he crossed the line and collided at an angle with a city bus making the bend from the opposite direction. After striking the front and then the back of the bus, Oakley was thrown from his bike, just as Allman had been, and struck his head. Oakley said he was okay after the accident, declined medical treatment, and caught a ride home. Three hours later, he was rushed back to the hospital, delirious and in pain, and died of cerebral swelling caused by a fractured skull. Attending doctors stated that even if Oakley had gone straight to the hospital from the scene of the accident, he could not have been saved. He was 24 years old when he died while late bandmate Duane Allman was 24 years old.
In 1998, the Georgia state legislature passed a resolution designating a bridge on State Highway 19, in Macon, Georgia, as the 'Raymond Berry Oakley III Bridge' in "honor and remembrance" of the late founding member of the Allman Brothers Band".
Family
He is survived by his sister, Candace Rose Oakley, his widow Linda Diane Oakley Miller and daughter, Brittany Ann Oakley (whose photo appeared on the back cover of the Allmans' 1973 album, "Brothers and Sisters"). His son, Berry Duane Oakley (aka Berry Oakley Jr.) was born in March 1973.
Discography
- The Allman Brothers Band
- The Allman Brothers Band (1969)
- Idlewild South (1970)
- At Fillmore East (1971)
- Eat a Peach (1972)
- Brothers and Sisters (1973) tracks 1 & 2
References
External links
- The Hoochie Coochie Man - John Ogden
- Georgia House of Representatives SR653, designating Duane Allman Boulevard and Raymond Berry Oakley Bridge
- Account of the fatal accident
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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