Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1941, “Killer Ray” Appleton was fortunate to start his career in the best environment. Ray was fourteen when he got his first gig as a professional musician with Wes Montgomery. Ray was mentored by Freddie Hubbard at an early age. Ray was nineteen when he accompanied Kenny Dorham, a trumpeter, to New York. There, he met jazz legends like Philly Joe Jones, and John Coltrane. Appleton performed and toured with Coltrane and Hubbard in the mid-60s. He appeared on Coltrane’s Infinity and Cosmic Music, and played a key role on Hubbard’s Backlash. Appleton spent the 1970s and 1980s primarily performing and living in Europe. He also enjoyed international festivals like the Antibes Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival and The Vienna Concert with Dizzy Giillespie. Ray Appleton now lives in New York City and records and performs with his own band, Killer Ray Strikes Yet. The group’s most recent record is Killer Ray Strikes again. It features Charles McPherson as alto saxophonist, Jim Rotondi as trumpeter, Slide Hampton as trombonist, and John Hicks, pianist. “Killer” Ray is one of the few surviving musicians who 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.” from http://killerrayappleton.net
