Berry Oakley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Berry Oakley | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Raymond Berry Oakley III | |
| Born | April 4, 1948 Chicago, Illinois, USA |
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| Died | November 11, 1972 (aged 24) Macon, Georgia, USA |
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| Genre(s) | Rock | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician | |
| Instrument(s) | Bass guitar, Vocals | |
| Years active | 1964 – 1972 | |
| Associated acts |
The Allman Brothers Band | |
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.
Oakley was born in Chicago, Illinois then moved to Florida where he met and joined Dickey Betts' band Second Coming. He then helped form The Allman Brothers Band in 1969, along with Duane Allman (guitar), Gregg Allman (vocals and organ), Dickey Betts (guitar), and drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson.
With the Allman Brothers, Oakley was known for his long, melodic bass runs underneath Allman and Betts' furious guitar soloing. "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Whipping Post" from the At Fillmore East live album capture Oakley at his best. Oakley was also the band member most involved in establishing domestic unity among the band's extended family. After Duane's untimely death, Berry became the band's de facto leader onstage and was generally credited with keeping the distraught members going.
On November 11, 1972, Oakley was involved in a motorcycle accident in Macon, Georgia with a bus, just three blocks from where Duane had his fatal accident the year before. Oakley said he was okay after the accident, declined medical treatment, and went back to The Big House. Just three hours later, he was taken to the hospital and died of a skull fracture.
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 memory of the great bassist.
