David ‘Frankie’ Toler
Former Allman Brothers Band drummer David “Frankie” Toler, formerly of Holmes Beach, died June 4 in Bradenton, while in hospice care after a prolonged illness that included two liver transplants. He was 59.
The drummer and older brother Dan Toler rose to fame while living on Anna Maria Island as members of the classic 1970s version of Dickey Betts & Great Southern.
They played at the Oar House bar in Bradenton Beach shortly before Betts reunited with Gregg Allman, then also living in Holmes Beach.
Frankie Toler appears on the Great Southern’s 1978 album Atlanta’s Burning Down. Dan Toler joined the reformed Allman Brothers Band in the late 1970s and Frankie Toler came to the group in 1980. The Tolers remained with the Allman Brothers Band through the band’s second break in 1982 and appear on the 1981 album Brothers of the Road. The album spawned the single “Straight From the Heart,” which was a radio hit at the time.
After the Allman Brothers Band parted ways, Dan and Frankie Toler continued to perform in Gregg Allman’s solo band. The brothers also continued to work with Allman in the studio and both appear on his 1986 comeback hit album “I’m No Angel.”
Frankie Toler performed as part of an Allman Brothers Band family reunion tour that same year with his brother, Allman and Betts.
“Frankie was absolutely the best drummer I have ever played with in my entire life,” Dan Toler said in a statement. “He was a part of my life for the past 60 years and to lose him now is just devastating. But I did have the opportunity to grow up with one of the best rock ’n’ roll drummers in the world and it was truly a gift from God. I was blessed to have known him.”
The Allman Brothers Band and the Tolers cut their ties after the 1989 reunion, and Frankie Toler continued to perform as a member of the Marshall Tucker Band from 1992-1994. He also appears on the group’s 1993 release “Walk Outside the Line” and a pair of albums with his brother as the Toler Brothers Band. More recently, he drummed with the supergroup the Renegades of Southern Rock, as well as his brother’s Toler-Townsend Band.
He received two liver transplants in 2009, and musicians such as the Outlaws, Gwen Fogts All-Star Band, John Townsend, Johnny Hiland Band, Michael Allman and Frankie’s brother appeared at a benefit concert to help with his medical bills.
Mr. Toler is survived by wife Marsha and daughter Aja Kayle.
Portions of this obituary are reprinted with permission from the website jambands.com.