06/30/2026
Spade Cooley and the Deputies
Starting in 1964, deputies were called to Berkeley for various demonstrations, such as the free speech movement. Late in the sixties, anti-war demonstrators began using more violent methods. They threw anything they could find, like bricks, chunks of cement, pieces of rebar, hunks of pipe, and garbage cans. When deputies changed out of their uniforms, they found bruises and cuts they suffered from being targeted.
A man named James Rector was throwing these potentially deadly items from the roof of a three-story building at deputies down on the street. When he ignored repeated warnings to stop, deputies shot and killed him. Following this event, twelve deputies were indicted on federal civil rights violations. Some deputies were brand new and had no representation or means of defending themselves in court, not to mention the DSA had no funds for this purpose. Various methods were suggested to raise money for their defense. A fund was started and donations were solicited from supporters of the Sheriff’s Department (as it was known at the time). Deputies spoke to various groups and money poured in. Buddy Ebsen assisted in raising donations. The DSA figured having a benefit concert at the Oakland Auditorium on Lake Merritt would raise a great deal of money. They contacted the Grand Old Opry and musicians said they would play but they needed a headliner.
Donnell Cooley was a poker player who once won three hands in a row with a spade flush, hence the nickname “Spade.” He was a country swing musician and band leader who made millions as a performer on stage and in movies starting the 1930s, including one with the Three Stooges, and later appeared on television. Gene Autry had introduced him to Roy Rogers because Rogers and Cooley looked so much alike.
Someone suggested that Cooley, who was incarcerated in Vacaville State Prison, could be the show’s headliner. He was in prison for murdering his wife on April 3, 1961 in gruesome fashion in front of his 13 year-old daughter. It probably did not help that he had been combining alcohol and Thorazine. Hollywood friends lobbied Governor Reagan for his parole, which was due to commence in February 1970.
Deputies received permission from the Attorney General and Governor Reagan to speak to Cooley about the show and he readily agreed to perform. When a date was set he was released to the custody of then-Sergeant Gene Saper. The musicians showed up and the concert took place. Cooley’s friend, actor Chill Wills (an Academy Award nominee) was the emcee.
The concert took place on November 23, 1969 with two shows, with the first one lasting about 90 minutes. He gave a great performance and the crowd cheered. He thanked everyone for making it one of the great days of his life. While congratulating the other musicians backstage, he suffered a massive heart attack and died. He was 58 years old. Vacaville Prison was not surprised, in that Cooley had been housed in the hospital ward because of heart problems. The second show went off without him and Chill Wills delivered a stirring eulogy to a weeping crowd. His funeral was held in Hayward and he’s buried at the Chapel of the Chimes cemetery. He is likely the only killer with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The money in the legal defense fund helped bring about the exoneration of all twelve deputies and allowed the DSA to buy a meeting hall.
