Otis Ray Appleton (August 23, 1941 – October 7, 2015) was an American jazz drummer.

Early life

Born in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, his interest in drums began when visiting the local fire department to hear their "Drum and Bugle Corps" practice. He played in school bands, but hearing

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

and

James Spaulding James Ralph Spaulding Jr. (born July 30, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United states, Spaulding attended the Chicago Cosmopolitan School of Music. Between 1957 and 1961, he was a member of Sun ...

led to a serious interest in jazz.

Career

Appleton toured and recorded with

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

, Freddie Hubbard,

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

and others. Due to a car accident and

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

, he lost part of his left leg in 1997. He reportedly received his nickname "killer" from bassist

Larry Ridley Larry Ridley (born September 3, 1937) is an American jazz bassist and music educator. Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Ridley was born and reared in Indianapolis, Indiana. He began performing professionally while still in high school in the 1950s ...

and became a person of note in Indianapolis's jazz community.

Personal life

Appleton died of congestive heart failure on October 7, 2015, at age 74.

Discography

;With

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...

* ''

The Blues Is Now ''The Blues Is Now'' is a 1967 studio album by the American singer Jimmy Witherspoon, accompanied by organist Jack McDuff. Reception Thomas Ward reviewed the album for Allmusic and described ''The Blues Is Now'' as "arguably the finest" of With ...

'' (1967) ;With

* ''

Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...

'' (1967)

References

External links

Ray Appleton website
1941 births 2015 deaths African-American jazz musicians American jazz drummers American amputees Musicians from Indianapolis 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people Criss Cross Jazz artists {{US-jazz-drummer-stub