Ed Ferris
Musician · Virginia/Maryland region
Best known for
Bass
Edward Warren “Ed” Ferris — nicknamed “Metronome” for the unwavering precision of his timing — was one of the most active bassists in the Washington, D.C. bluegrass scene of the late 1960s and 1970s. He played with Emerson and Waldron, Cliff Waldron's New Shades of Grass, Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys, the Country Gentlemen, and Mike Auldridge.
- Born Edward Warren Ferris.
- Played with Emerson and Waldron as their bassist from the late 1960s — appearing on the influential Rebel albums New Shades of Grass, Bluegrass Country (1969, including the first bluegrass recording of “Fox on the Run”), and One More Step.
- Member of the Country Gentlemen from 1967-1969, playing on The Traveler and Other Favorites (1968), New Look, New Sound (1969), and Play It Like It Is (1969).
- Continued with Cliff Waldron's New Shades of Grass after Bill Emerson rejoined the Country Gentlemen in 1970. Played on Waldron's classic Rebel LPs including Travelling Light (1971) through the mid-1970s.
- Recorded extensively with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys in the early 1970s, appearing on Cry from the Cross (1971), Ralph Stanley Plays Requests (1972), and other Rebel sessions during the classic Roy Lee Centers era.
- Played bass on Mike Auldridge's solo debut Dobro (1972).
- Instrumental in defining the D.C.-area bluegrass bass sound of the late 1960s and 1970s across multiple band configurations.
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The Country GentlemenPlayed on recordings with The Country Gentlemen
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Bill Harrell and the VirginiansPlayed on recordings with Bill Harrell and the Virginians
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Cliff WaldronPlayed on recordings with Cliff Waldron
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Don Reno, Bill Harrell and the Tennessee Cut-UpsPlayed on recordings with Don Reno, Bill Harrell and the Tennessee Cut-Ups
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Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain BoysPlayed on recordings with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys
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Don RenoPlayed on recordings with Don Reno
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Emerson and WaldronPlayed on recordings with Emerson and Waldron
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Bill Emerson, Cliff Waldron and the Lee Highway BoysPlayed on recording with Bill Emerson, Cliff Waldron and the Lee Highway Boys
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Larry StephensonPlayed on recording with Larry Stephenson