SR 653 - Duane Allman Boulevard & Raymond Berry Oakley III Bridge - designate

First Reader Summary

A resolution designating a portion of State Highway 19 in Macon as "Duane Allman Boulevard" and a bridge thereon as "Raymond Berry Oakley III Bridge" in honor and remembrance of late founding members of the Allman Brothers Band.

Page Numbers - 1/ 2

SR 653 98                                          LC 25 0978 
 
      SENATE RESOLUTION 653 
 
      By:  Senator Brown of the 26th 
 
 
                             A RESOLUTION 
 
  1- 1  Designating a portion of State Highway 19 in Macon as "Duane 
  1- 2  Allman Boulevard" and a bridge thereon as "Raymond Berry 
  1- 3  Oakley III Bridge" in honor and remembrance of late founding 
  1- 4  members of the Allman Brothers Band; and for other purposes. 
 
  1- 5  WHEREAS, in 1969, a group of young but already seasoned and 
  1- 6  demonstrably and incredibly talented musicians, including 
  1- 7  guitarist Duane Allman, bassist Berry Oakley, vocalist and 
  1- 8  organist Gregg Allman, guitarist Dickey Betts, percussionist 
  1- 9  Butch Trucks, and percussionist Jaimoe, formed the Allman 
  1-10  Brothers Band and established the band's home in Macon in 
  1-11  April of that year; and 
 
  1-12  WHEREAS, at now legendary jam sessions at their initial base 
  1-13  on College Street, their later home at the "Big House" on 
  1-14  Vineville Avenue, and other locations in and around Macon, 
  1-15  including Rose Hill Cemetery and a farm known as Idlewild 
  1-16  South, the band fused elements of blues, jazz, rock, and 
  1-17  country music to create a musical genre now known and loved 
  1-18  as "southern rock" and became one of the most exciting 
  1-19  groups of performers ever to take the stage; and 
 
  1-20  WHEREAS, the band members' talents and tour de force 
  1-21  marathon performances across the nation not only received 
  1-22  critical acclaim and awed their peers among musical greats 
  1-23  but also served to inspire countless others and made Macon a 
  1-24  musical mecca; and 
 
  1-25  WHEREAS, Duane Allman's all too brief life was tragically 
  1-26  ended at age 24 by a motorcycle accident on a street in 
  1-27  Macon on October 29, 1971, and Berry Oakley suffered a 
  1-28  similar fate at the same age and at almost the same location 
  1-29  a year later on November 11, 1972; and 
 
  1-30  WHEREAS, although their presence is sadly missed, these 
  1-31  musicians' incomparable and wide ranging talents, 
  1-32  creativity, inspiration, soulfulness, and dedication to 
  1-33  their art stirringly remain evidenced in legacies of live 
  1-34  performances and studio recordings of such songs and 
  1-35  compositions as "Statesboro Blues," "Dreams," "Midnight 
  1-36  Rider," "Whipping Post," "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed," 
  1-37  "Mountain Jam," "Blue Sky," and "Little Martha"; and 
 
 
                                 -1- 
 
 
 
  2- 1  WHEREAS, while the bodies of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley 
  2- 2  rest peacefully in Rose Hill Cemetery, the spirit of each, 
  2- 3  like the road, "goes on forever," and the love and intensity 
  2- 4  with which they lived their lives and made their music 
  2- 5  remain always in the hearts and minds of family and legions 
  2- 6  of fellow Maconites, musicians, friends, and fans worldwide; 
  2- 7  and 
 
  2- 8  WHEREAS, it is only fitting and proper that their lives and 
  2- 9  memories be honored by this state and in the community which 
  2-10  they graced with their gifts and spirits. 
 
  2-11  NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF 
  2-12  GEORGIA that the portion of State Highway 19 from its 
  2-13  intersection with Holt Avenue to its intersection with 
  2-14  College Street in the City of Macon is designated as "Duane 
  2-15  Allman Boulevard." 
 
  2-16  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the bridge on that same portion 
  2-17  of State Highway 19 which spans Interstate 75 is designated 
  2-18  as "Raymond Berry Oakley III Bridge." 
 
  2-19  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the the Department of Transportation 
  2-20  is authorized and directed to erect and maintain appropriate 
  2-21  signs so designating that portion of the highway and the 
  2-22  bridge, respectively. 
 
  2-23  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is 
  2-24  authorized and directed to transmit appropriate copies of 
  2-25  this resolution to the Department of Transportation, the 
  2-26  family of Duane Allman, and the family of Berry Oakley. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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