Raymond Berry Oakley, III
(4th April 1948 - 11th November 1972)
Berry Oakley was an incredibly inventive and melodic bassist - yet somehow has never achieved the kind of revered quality amongst bassists as Duane has amongst guitarists. This is a gross injustice, as without Berry the band would never have developed in the way it did. He was constantly pushing whoever was soloing to greater and greater hights, and had a sense of anticipation which was unparalleled then and has hardly been touched now. You only need to listen to the seminal 1971 album At Fillmore East to hear him constantly stoking Duane and Dickey with little pushes, and when they rose up he was right there behind them. He was an amazing musician, yet there is little information about him as a person. I'm currently in the process of compiling as many quotes and as much information as I can on him. If you have any titbits or little quotes (especially of Berry himself) I'd love to hear from you.
Tributes:
"I think the only time Berry & I really ever played together was on the Muscle Shoals sessions with Duane in '69. He really impressed me with his aggressive style of playing. Most players I had heard, just played a solid "low end" foundation for the band at best. Berry had more of a commanding role & made you take notice. He was the first I remembered hearing with a truly "full range" stage bass amp rig. I mean by this, that he also had the capability of a lot of high end in his sound, that made those outstanding lines really cut through." - Paul Hornsby
While you're here check out Hittin' The Web With The Allman Brothers Band - an excellent source for other ABB information...