A co-founder of the defining country-rock band of the genre's formative years, Chris Ethridge left his mark on music by playing with Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman in the Flying Burrito Brothers, and then as a session and tour musician for Willie Nelson, Randy Newman, Jackson Browne, and Linda Rondstadt, among many other artists. It was Nelson who confirmed via Twitter that Ethridge died Monday at the age of 65. The cause of death hasn't been announced, thorugh Ethridge's friend Booker T. Jones had previously tweeted that the bassist was hospitalized last week and was not expected to live long.
Ethridge died in the same town he was born in, Meridian, Miss., in 1947. He first met up with Parsons in the International Submarine Band, a pre-Burritos outfit that led to Parsons briefly joining the Byrds before re-teaming with Ethridge in The Flying Burrito Brothers. Ethridge played on the landmark 1969 album The Gilded Place Of Sin as well as Parsons' 1973 solo album GP. You'll also find his name in the liner notes of scores of other early '70s classics, including Gene Clark's White Light, Graham Nash's Songs For Beginners, and Ry Cooder's Ry Cooder. Later, he backed up Nelson for several years on the road and albums like Stardust and Honeysuckle Rose. [via Rolling Stone]