Ray Appleton

Otis “Killer” Ray Appleton

(August 23, 1941 - October 7, 2015)

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, “Killer” Ray Appleton began his career in the best possible environment. His interest in drums began when visiting the local fire department to hear their "Drum and Bugle Corps" practice. Mentored from an early age by the slightly older Freddie Hubbard, Ray had his first professional gig with Wes Montgomery at fourteen. He attended Crispus Attucks High School and honed his skills on drums by watching performers on Indiana Avenue.  He played in school bands, but hearing Freddie Hubbard and James Spaulding got him more seriously into jazz. Paul Parker’s techniques were an inspiration and he became one of his earliest influencers.  He reportedly received his nickname "killer" from bassist Larry Ridley. 

By the age of nineteen, Ray had followed trumpeter Kenny Dorham to New York where he also met such jazz icons as Philly Joe Jones and John Coltrane. In the mid-60s, Appleton toured and performed with Coltrane and Hubbard, appearing on Coltrane’s Infinity and Cosmic Music and playing a crucial role on Hubbard’s Backlash.

During the 1970s and 1980s Appleton lived and performed primarily in Europe, enjoying work in the jazz community abroad.  Living in New York City, Ray Appleton recorded and performed with his own sextet, with the group’s release on being Killer Ray Strikes Again, featuring alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, trombonist Slide Hampton, and pianist John Hicks. “Killer” Ray came-of-age when jazz was at its zenith, having had the opportunity to play with jazz music’s greats and who deeply understands the concept of “swing.”