Brother B.O.: Raymond Berry Oakley Jr.

It’s Berry’s birthday today: April 4, 1948. I thought I’d riff a bit on Berry while on a walk today. (Apologies for the wind noise at times.)

I said a lot about Berry in Play All Night and am quite proud of the response I got from so many of y’all.

One of the earliest “secrets” I learned all true believers shared, was an understanding of Berry’s immense importance to the ABB and how that carried through in the ABBassists who’ve followed—Lamar Williams, David Goldflies, Allen Woody, & Oteil Burbridge.

Steel Pier, Atlantic City, NJ July 1971 📷 Kathy Hurley

And of course, a reverence for the 5-man band, the lineup that brought Berry’s bass to the forefront.

And, of course, here’s my paean to Berry, titled from this wonderful Dickey Betts quote about Berry in the Second Coming: “We have one big guitar and two little ones. All we need now is a bass player!”