Killer Ray Appleton

“Killer” Ray Appleton (b. Indianapolis, August 23, 1941 - d. October 7, 2015) – Drummer. At around age ten, Appleton earned his nickname “Killer” when buddies Freddie Hubbard and Larry Ridley observed him trying to play along with Max Roach on a Charlie Parker album. At age fourteen, he started playing with Wes Montgomery and later played with David Baker’s quartet, which had a regular gig at the Topper on 34th Street. At age nineteen, he left Indiana Avenue behind and headed to New York, where he led his own groups (at times in a quartet with Indy native Melvin Rhyne) and played with headliners. In fact, he played and recorded with John Coltrane (Cosmic Music, 1966), Freddie Hubbard (Backlash, 1966), Jimmy Witherspoon (The Blues is Now, 1967), and Jack McDuff (Do It Now!, 1966). After losing a leg to Diabetes in the 1990s and battling Hepatitis C, Appleton resumed performance activities in New York, and he returns to Indianapolis regularly, including several visits in 2008. In 2006, he and Melvin Rhyne released Latin Dreams, which consists of all original tunes by Appleton.