Collins "Bo" Berry, Oral History

Collins "Bo" Berry, Oral History

Collins “Bo” Berry, a much loved horn player in the tradition of be bop jazz, “Bo” - as his many fans call him - was born in Homewood’s Rosedale neighborhood “over the mountain” south of Birmingham Alabama, and has played trumpet since childhood. His formative years will sound familiar to those growing up without a lot in the 1950’s, and with loving parents. A veteran of the second generation Birmingham jazz tradition, its roots reaching back to the early 20th Century, Bo’s commitment to believing in himself saw him travel nationally with the renowned Commodores soul group. Here, Bo shares his recollection of those times including memories of the Sand Ridge Country Club and later, Tall Paul’s “Fun Land,” both night spots in the southern Oxmoor hills of Birmingham. Most moving is his storied struggle to come off the RnB road, back to Birmingham and commit to a new genesis, focusing on mastering jazz.

Collins "Bo" Berry

Bob Friedman

The Birmingham Black Radio Museum

November 2, 2023

TRINT, UAB

Pamela Sterne King, UAB

Emily Bibb

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English

Bob Friedman

Collins 'Bo' Berry

Two minute snippet:

"Bo" Berry: He was the….The teacher I'm talking about was Bonnie Mae Peawine. That's right. Fantastic organ player, one of the greatest organ players in this town, man.

Bob Friedman: And you know how she spells her last name?

BB: I really don't, but I could get it.

BF: Yeah. That's fabulous. What a fabulous story. So here you are in the band room.

What happens next?

BB: The next room. And I ran up talking, the little lady trying to get stuff done.
No, no, he just wanted to talk to me cause, like, I'd being the devil around in
So she was just talking to him. We just had a conversation about playin'… he was telling me about, you know, his playin'. See, see, when I came up man, the reason I have such a love for the music, I came up around these people and these people, from a child, I could realize these people were serious about what they were doing, man.

BF: Right.

BB: And, and Hooper used to talk to me all the time about playin' and where he played. He, you know, he used to go to New York, I mean he was a professional player.

BF: He was a trumpet player?

BB: I was fortunate enough to have a trumpet player for a teacher.

Full Interview:
Audio Snippet: 2 minutes