RIP: Johnny Ray Allen of the subdudes

Johnny Ray Allen – founding member, bassist and primary songwriter for the subdudes – has died at the age of 56, just two weeks after playing a reunion concert with the band’s original line-up at The Egg in Albany. The cause of Allen’s death wasn’t immediately known, though he had a heart condition. Allen’s wife said he was found dead in bed in New Orleans on Friday morning (August 8).

Allen played with the subdudes from their formation in 1989 ’til the band’s dissolution in 1996. During his tenure with the ‘dudes, they performed regularly in the Local 518 from QE2 to the Empire State Plaza to SPAC. The band reformed without Allen in 2002, but earlier this year, Allen re-joined the band for a tour that brought the original four members to The Egg last month.

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