Chris Ethridge

John Christopher "Chris" Ethridge (February 10, 1947 – April 23, 2012) was an American country rock bass guitarist. He was a member of the International Submarine Band (ISB) and The Flying Burrito Brothers,[3] and co-wrote several songs with Gram Parsons. Ethridge worked with Nancy Sinatra, Judy Collins, Leon Russell, Delaney Bramlett, Johnny Winter, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Jackson Browne, and Willie Nelson.[2]

Chris Ethridge
Birth name	John Christopher Ethridge
Born	(1947-02-10)February 10, 1947[1] Meridian, Mississippi, United States
Died	April 23, 2012(2012-04-23) (aged 65) Meridian, Mississippi, United States
Genres	Country rock[2]
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Bass guitar, piano
Years active	1964–2012
Associated acts	International Submarine Band, The Flying Burrito Brothers[2]

Career

Ethridge was born in Meridian, Mississippi, United States.[3][4] He began playing in local bands in the South before moving to California aged 17,[3] having been spotted in Biloxi.[5] He played with Joel Scott Hill before joining Gram Parsons in ISB; in 1971, Hill and Ethridge would record a trio album (L.A. Getaway) with drummer John Barbata, best known for his work with The Turtles and Jefferson Starship.[3] He played with Parsons after the end of ISB, and again after Parsons left The Byrds, before cofounding the Burrito Brothers with him.[3] He played bass and piano on The Gilded Palace of Sin, but left before Burrito Deluxe due to creative differences. When Parsons left the Burritos, Ethridge briefly played with him again, touring with Byron Berline, Emmylou Harris, Clarence White, Gene Parsons, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, and Roland White in 1973.[6] After Parsons' death, Ethridge played in 1974 with the Docker Hill Boys,[3] an informal group which included Gene Parsons and Joel Scott Hill. These three refounded the Burritos in 1975 with Sneaky Pete and Gib Guilbeau,[3][6][7] recording Flying Again.

Ethridge left the Burritos again in February 1976, returning to session work.[8] He had been a session musician throughout his career, recording with many leading country-tinged acts, including Nancy Sinatra, Judy Collins, Johnny Winter, Ry Cooder, Leon Russell, Randy Newman, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds and Jackson Browne.[3] He also toured with Willie Nelson's band for almost eight years,[9] and later played with the Kudzu Kings.

Ethridge died on April 23, 2012 at age 65 at a hospital in Meridian, Mississippi of complications from pancreatic cancer.[2][10]

Discography

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

On the following albums, Ethridge played bass unless stated otherwise:

Year	Album	Act	Notes
1968	Safe at Home	International Submarine Band
1969	The Gilded Palace of Sin	The Flying Burrito Brothers	co-wrote "Hot Burrito No. 1 (I'm Your Toy)" and "Hot Burrito No. 2" with Gram Parsons
1969	John Braden	John Braden	bass on "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", "Carriage House Song", and "Ribbons of Friendship"
1970	Greatest Hits	Phil Ochs
1970	Washington County	Arlo Guthrie
1970	Alone Together	Dave Mason
1970	Ry Cooder	Ry Cooder
1970	The Candlestickmaker	Ron Elliott	bass on "Molly in the Middle", "Lazy Day", "All Time Green" and "To the City, To the Sea"
1971	L.A. Getaway	Joel Scott Hill, Chris Ethridge, John Barbata
1971	Just as I Am	Bill Withers
1971	Songs for Beginners	Graham Nash
1971	Home Grown	Johnny Rivers
1971	White Light	Gene Clark
1971	Rita Coolidge	Rita Coolidge
1972	Full Circle	The Doors	bass on "Get Up and Dance"
1972	Sail Away	Randy Newman
1972	Into the Purple Valley	Ry Cooder
1972	Graham Nash David Crosby	Graham Nash & David Crosby
1973	Baron Von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun	Paul Kantner/Grace Slick / David Freiberg
1973	GP	Gram Parsons	did not play; co-wrote "She" with Parsons
1973	Maria Muldaur	Maria Muldaur	played bass on 'Long Hard Climb', 'I Never Did Write You A Love Song', 'My Tennessee Mountain Home' and The Work Song'
1973	Don't Cry Now	Linda Ronstadt
1974	Heart Like A Wheel	Linda Ronstadt	played bass on 'Faithless Love'
1974	Paradise and Lunch	Ry Cooder
1975	Flying Again	The Flying Burrito Brothers
1976	Chicken Skin Music	Ry Cooder
1977	Simple Dreams	Linda Ronstadt	background vocals
1977	Class Reunion	Delaney Bramlett	bass
1978	Stardust	Willie Nelson
1979	Pretty Paper	Willie Nelson
1980	Honeysuckle Rose OST	Willie Nelson	also had a small role in the film
1991	From Another Time	The Flying Burrito Brothers	recorded live in 1975
1994	A John Prine Christmas	John Prine
1996	Eye of a Hurricane	The Flying Burrito Brothers	bass; vocals on one track
2002	Red Album: Live Studio Party in Hollywood	The Flying Burrito Brothers	recorded live in 1976
2002	Cherry Smiles: The Rare Singles	Nancy Sinatra	a collection of Sinatra's rare singles and B-sides from 1970-1980
2007	Junkyard Junky	Dan Penn

References

1. "Chris Ethridge, founding member of Flying Burrito Brothers, dies". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
2. Doc Rock. "2012 January To June". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
3. Aubrunner, Thomas. "Gib Guilbeau solo and with bands, part 5". Archived from the original on 2007-12-07. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
4. Zimmerman, Keith (2004). Sing My Way Home: Voices of the New American Roots Rock. Backbeat Books. p. 4. ISBN 0-87930-790-0.
5. "Parsons and Hillman, Part Three". I Witness. 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2007-12-04. I was playing with this group in Biloxi, and I met this cat, and he brought me out. I played session stuff with different people then for about a year and a half. Then I joined the Burritos.
6. Palczynski, Bruno. "Country Gazette (Part 3): 1973 - 1975". Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
7. "Linden, Texas: Richard Bowden". Linden, Texas. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2007-12-04. In the summer of 1974 Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Gib Guilbeau came together with Gene Parsons, Joel Scott Hill and Chris Ethridge from the DOCKER HILL BOYS to reform the FLYING BURRITOBROTHERS.
8. Palczynski, Bruno. "FLYING AGAIN - THE COLUMBIA PERIOD: September 1974 - February 1976". Archived from the original on 2007-11-27. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
9. "Mississippi writers and musicians". Retrieved 2007-12-04.
10. "Flying Burrito Brothers bassist Chris Ethridge dies". The Line Of Best Fit. April 23, 2012. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-23.

External links

• Chris Ethridge on IMDb
• Chris Ethridge credits at MSN Music