A beloved veteran musician of the Bakersfield Sound era Larry Petree and his lovely wife Betty have died. The bodies of Larry Petree and his wife Betty were discovered on a desert dirt road east of California City last Sunday afternoon.
Larry Petree’s body was in the driver’s seat while his wife’s was found outside the couple’s car, leaning against the rear tire.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office, which did not immediately identify the Petrees, does not suspect criminal activity played a factor in the couple’s death.
What happened To Larry Petree and wife Betty? The Petrees, who had been married for over 60 years, are believed to have run out of gas and become stranded.
Larry Petree had just performed with a local band, the Soda Crackers, about three weeks ago at the Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame.
Larry Petree was born in Oklahoma in 1933 and moved to Bakersfield in 1942 at the age of 9.
He worked for years with Tommy Hays and the Western Swingsters, passing on offers to play for well-known artists but, except for an occasional gig, chose to keep his day job with the fire department for 30 years and stay home with Betty.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said it will release the Petrees’ cause of death at “a later date.”