Duane Allman’s Ring Strap

On his 1957 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, Duane used a Ring Strap made by Zebo of Zebo’s Leathers of Sarasota, FL. After his death, the strap ended up with Berry Oakley, and sometime later with Larry Brantley.

After Duane was killed in a motorcycle wreck on Hillcrest Avenue in October 1971, bass player Berry Oakley wore the strap as a tribute. Brantley was introduced to Oakley in 1972 and joined the band as a roadie. He first helped with the sound system, then was responsible for handling the guitar and bass equipment. A few months after Brantley came aboard, Oakley was killed in a motorcycle accident. It happened on Napier Avenue, just a half-mile from where Duane was killed and occurred one year and 13 days after Allman’s death. They were both 24 years old. They are buried side by side in Macon’s Rose Hill Cemetery.

ED Grisamore: Parting With A Piece Of The Brotherhood (first published in ‘The Macon Telegraph’, March 16, 2003)

The original guitar strap was sold by Larry Brantley on auction on eBay on March 3, 2003, for $15,000. The person who bought it was one Michael Pearce, but to our knowledge, the current owner is the same person who owns Duane’s 1959 Gibson Les Paul Jr. – Kunio Kishida.