[UPDATE 10/18/22]: The extended Allman Brothers Band family on Sunday rallied around brother Berry Duane Oakley, whose family lost their home in Hurricane Ian, with an Oteil Burbridge-hosted fundraising concert at Crazy Uncle Mike‘s in Boca Raton, FL billed as the Benefit for Berry Jr.
As Burbridge, the longtime ABB member and current Dead & Company bassist, noted in a social media post, “Thanks to our Allman Brothers Band and Grateful Dead south Florida family for showing up Sunday night to support Berry Duane Oakley and his family. Your generosity was very touching and we want to make sure you know how grateful we are for helping us raise $14,000 for Berry!”
He continued, “Special thanks to Mike Goodwin, the owner of Crazy Uncle Mikes, for giving us a home for the benefit on such short notice. Special thanks to Allman Bros Band member Marc Quinones for playing, hanging and donating the signed drum head from the The Doobie Brothers for the auction. Thank you to Melody Trucks, Vaylor Trucks, Pete Lavezzoli, Jaden Lehman, Brad Miller and the members of south Florida favorites Crazy Fingers and Funkin’ Grateful. I’m sure you could feel from the fans reaction how much the music meant to them. What a great night! … Thank you to Phillip Nawroth for the photos, Jimmy Rector for the event art and Meagan Pava Lewis for the total raffle mastery.”
Scroll through some photos from the event below. If you wish to make a donation toward the Oakley family’s Hurricane Ian recovery efforts, visit their GoFundMe page.
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[10/5/22]: Berry Duane Oakley and his family were among the scores of Florida residents who lost their homes to the destructive Hurricane Ian last week. The extended Allman Brothers Band family is now rallying around Oakley—who plays alongside fellow ABB kin Devon Allman and Duane Betts in The Allman Betts Band and various other related projects—with an Oteil Burbridge-hosted benefit concert in Boca Raton, FL later this month.
“Cell service is spotty at beset so my apologies if I haven’t gotten back,” Oakley, the son of late Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley, said in a message on a GoFundMe campaign launched on Tuesday. “We are ok. A bit frazzled but staying strong for each other. … We are upside down and a mess trying to plan and find a new place to live while trying to keep each other’s spirits up and the little kids happy and busy. We will be temporarily living in a hotel as we have four kids (5, to, twins 17) and a cat. When schools open we’d love the kids to get back in school and have some kind of normalcy. … We will have to work very hard to salvage whatever we can out of the house before it’s condemned.”
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The Benefit for Berry Jr., set to take place at Crazy Uncle Mike‘s on Sunday, October 16th at 7:00 p.m., will help raise money for Oakley, his wife, and his four kids as they navigate this difficult time. The concert is due to feature Burbridge, Pete Lavezzoli, Vaylor Trucks, Melody Trucks, members of Crazy Fingers and Funkin’ Grateful, south Florida bass phenom Brad Miller, and more to be announced. The event will also include a fundraising auction.
Related: Riding The Great Sine Wave With Oteil Burbridge [Interview]
“Berry is a crucial part of the living legacy of the Allman Brothers Band,” says Oteil. “Let’s show him and his family that they are not fighting this battle alone!”
Tickets for the Benefit for Berry Jr are available here. If you cannot make it to the show but would like to contribute to the fundraising efforts for Barry Oakley and his family, visit the GoFundMe page.
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