Chris Ethridge

I've only just learnt of the death of the bass guitarist Chris Ethridge, at the sadly early age of 65 (the big jam session in the sky seems to be on a recruiting drive, taking Levon Helm and Bert Weedon too in recent days). Ethridge co-founded with Gram Parsons the short-lived International Submarine Band and then the legendary Flying Burrito Brothers. After the Burritos folded, he went on to play in the amazing band that backed Gram and Emmylou, with Byron Berline, Clarence and Roland White, Gene Parsons and Sneaky Pete Kleinow. Chris was also briefly in the refounded Burritos, before leaving to concentrate on session work, and backing Willie Nelson, which he did for eight years. Ethridge's greatest legacy is the classic Burritos album Gilded Palace of Sin, on which he played bass and piano, and co-wrote (with Gram) two of its greatest songs - Hot Burrito 1 and Hot Burrito 2. If he had done nothing else, this would have been enough. Here is Hot Burrito 1 in a live recording - ragged compared to the album, but glorious. Note the polite smatter of applause at the end. They did not know what they were hearing...