Tracy Ferrie

Last updated
Tracy Ferrie
Origin Elkhart, Indiana, U.S.
Genres Rock, hard rock, Christian rock
Occupation(s)Bass guitarist, singer
Instrument(s) Bass guitar, vocals
Years active1996–present

Tracy Ferrie is an American musician, who is the current bass player for the classic rock band Boston and is the former bass player of Christian metal band Stryper.

Contents

Biography

Ferrie grew up in Northern Indiana where he was encouraged by his high school band director to pursue music, leading him to study at Berklee College of Music in the Music Production and Engineering deptartments. During his grade school days, Ferrie learned to play various instruments including tuba, guitar, upright bass, and percussion, but was requested to play electric bass by his band director. Bass quickly became Ferrie's main instrument and gained him many session gigs, live and in the studio.

After two and a half years of studying at Berklee, Ferrie was attacked and mugged outside of Boston. After hospitalization and multiple surgeries, Ferrie moved back home to Indiana recover. He eventually moved to Hollywood and enrolled at Musicians Institute. While in Los Angeles he began taking jobs for recording sessions and performing live with bands and in videos, some of which were featured on MTV. Ferrie's first touring act across the south western United States was with the band Electrik.

Ferrie's big break came from Dez Dickerson, who played guitar for Prince's band The Revolution. Dickerson was able to get Ferrie an audition for the Christian metal band Whitecross, with whom he recorded two full albums and completed two world tours with. He also played and wrote for Whitecross's labelmate, Seraiah. [1]

Since 1996, Tracy played bass for Michael Sweet's solo band, Sally Steele, Guardian, Rebecca St. James, Plumb, Sonicflood, Greg Long and Strange Celebrity before joining Stryper in 2004. [2] He participated on stage in the Boston Strong Benefit along with Aerosmith, J. Geils, Jimmy Buffett, Carole King and James Taylor. As a member of Stryper, Tracy was joined By Tom Scholz and Gary Pihl to play "Peace of Mind" for the Station nightclub fire benefit for the families and victims of the tragic fire in Rhode Island.

Some of his recording credits are with Stryper, Plumb, April McLean, Strange Celebrity, Whitecross, Jeff Deyo, Boe Braswell, Kristy Starling, Danielle Bollinger, Paul Alan, and Kimberley Locke. Tracy is the Assistant Minister at Grace Church of East Dennis on Cape Cod.

Ferrie has since left Stryper to join Boston, replacing Kimberley Dahme in mid-2012. [3]

Ferrie is also a national roller skating champion. [4]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston (band)</span> American rock band

Boston is an American rock band formed in 1975 by Tom Scholz in Boston, Massachusetts that had its most commercial successes during the 1970s and 1980s. The band's core members include multi-instrumentalist, founder and leader Scholz, who played the majority of instruments on the band's 1976 self-titled debut album, and former lead vocalist Brad Delp, among a number of other musicians who varied from album to album. Boston's best-known songs include: "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", "Foreplay/Long Time", "Rock and Roll Band", "Smokin'", "Don't Look Back", "A Man I'll Never Be", "Hitch a Ride", "Party", "Amanda" and "Feelin' Satisfied". The band has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, including 31 million units sold in the United States, of which 17 million were the band's debut album and seven million copies of the band's second studio album, Don't Look Back (1978), placing the group amongst the world's best-selling music artists. Altogether, the band has released six studio albums in a career spanning over 48 years. Boston was ranked the 63rd-best hard rock artist by VH1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cars</span> American pop-rock band

The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes (keyboards), and David Robinson (drums). Ocasek and Orr shared lead vocals, and Ocasek was the band's principal songwriter and leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitecross (band)</span> American Christian metal band

Whitecross is an American Christian metal band from Illinois, formed in 1985 by singer Scott Wenzel and guitarist Rex Carroll, and re-formed in 2000. The band won three Dove Awards in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Sweet</span> American Metal Guitarist

Michael Harrison Sweet is a singer and guitarist from Whittier, California; he is the co-founder, songwriter, guitarist and lead singer of the Christian metal band Stryper. He's also had a successful solo career, and briefly served as singer and guitarist for Boston from 2007 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Sweet (musician)</span> American drummer

Robert Lee Sweet is the drummer of the Christian metal band Stryper. He and his brother Michael founded the band as Roxx or Roxx Regime. Robert became known as the "Visual Time Keeper" for his wild drumming and captivating drum kits. Unlike most drummers, Sweet faces in the direction of stage left or right while playing, not straight ahead, so that the audience can see him and not have their view of him obscured by his drumkit. He began using a sideways setup in 1978 as a way to enhance his showmanship and connect with the audience. Sweet also played a key role in the visual direction of the band itself as well as being a significant contributor to the group.

<i>Corporate America</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Boston

Corporate America is the fifth studio album by American hard rock band Boston, released in 2002. Most editions feature a live version of "Livin' for You". The original version of "Livin' for You" is from Boston's previous full-length album Walk On (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oz Fox</span> Musical artist

Richard Alfonso Martinez, better known by the stage name Oz Fox, is the lead guitarist of the Christian glam metal band Stryper. Martinez' high school friends called him Oz in honor of Ozzy Osbourne due to his ability to emulate the vocals of Osbourne while playing Black Sabbath covers in his pre-Stryper days. He was recruited by the Sweet brothers in 1983 to form what would become Stryper. As a founding member of the band, Fox recorded and toured with Stryper until the band's first break up in 1992 but has since rejoined the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Gaines</span> Musical artist

Tim Gaines is an American bass guitarist best-known as the long-time bassist for the Christian metal band Stryper until his departure in 2017.

<i>Reborn</i> (Stryper album) 2005 studio album by Stryper

Reborn is the ninth release, and sixth album, from the Christian metal band Stryper, and the first full-length album of new material since Against the Law in 1990. Reborn was slated to be a Michael Sweet solo record, but after their reunion tour, Sweet played it for the other members, at which time Oz Fox suggested it should be a Stryper record. So the other members came in and learned their parts from the original demos. Sweet says in his autobiography, Honestly: My Life and Stryper Revealed, that he convinced Big3 Records, which had signed him for a solo release, to make it a Stryper record deal. Thus, Reborn became the first all-original Stryper record in 15 years.

<i>Against the Law</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Stryper

Against the Law is the fifth release, and fifth studio album, from the Christian metal band Stryper, released on August 21, 1990. Three singles and videos were released for this album including "Shining Star", "Two Time Woman" and "Lady" but received minimal airplay.

Strange Celebrity was an American Christian rock band, formed in Nashville, Tennessee, composing of four members: Luke Brown, Rick Wilson (drums), Quinton Gibson (guitar), and Tracy Ferrie. The band is now defunct, as Luke Brown has pursued a solo career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guardian (band)</span> American Christian hard rock/metal band

Guardian is an American Christian hard rock and metal band. The band has released seven studio albums, three additional albums in Spanish, and toured extensively worldwide. There are also numerous compilations, independent releases, live records and bootlegs available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Rowe</span> American singer

Jamie Rowe is a musician best known as the lead vocalist of the Christian hard rock band, Guardian. He has also been vocalist for New York-based AdrianGale, power pop band, London Calling and most recently collaborating with Jamey Perrenot in The Lost Days of Summer. He has also released several solo works including the single "I Do" written for his wife, Amber Rowe, for their wedding. In 2019, a solo album, This Is Home, was recorded.

<i>The Roxx Regime Demos</i> 2007 compilation album by Stryper

The Roxx Regime Demos is the eleventh release and third compilation album by Stryper consisting of songs originally released under the band's previous name, Roxx Regime, except for the track "Honestly", which is taken from a later demo. While the album's general release was on July 10, 2007, pre-sale purchases at Stryper.com shipped on July 7, 2007, a reference to 777, a number that used to appear onstage at Stryper concerts.

<i>Murder by Pride</i> 2009 studio album by Stryper

Murder by Pride is the twelfth release and sixth full-length studio album by Stryper. It was released on July 21, 2009 by Big 3 Records. The first single for the album, "Peace of Mind", debuted at No. 27 on Christianrock.net on October 24, 2008 and peaked at 1 on February 22, 2009. The track is a cover version, originally performed by rock band Boston on its debut 1976 self-titled album. Michael Sweet was a touring member of Boston for several years, before parting ways amicably in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stryper</span> American Christian metal band

Stryper is an American Christian metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet, Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson, and Robert Sweet (drums).

Ferrie is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

<i>The Covering</i> 2011 studio album by Stryper

The Covering is the thirteenth release and eighth studio album by American Christian heavy metal/hard rock band Stryper, released by Big 3 Records/Sony on February 15, 2011. The album is a collection of twelve cover songs from bands that inspired Stryper and helped to shape the band's sound and musical identity. The album also includes "God", a new original recording.

<i>No More Hell to Pay</i> 2013 studio album by Stryper

No More Hell to Pay is the fifteenth release and tenth studio album from Christian glam metal band Stryper, produced by band frontman Michael Sweet and released on November 5, 2013 by Frontiers Records. The album garnered positive critical reception from music critics as well as commercial success.

References

  1. "Bio: Tracy Ferrie Bass Player". Tracy Ferrie Bass Player. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  2. Latham, Aaron. "Biography: Strange Celebrity". Allmusic . Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  3. "A Message from Gary Pihl". 29 January 2009.
  4. Coplen, Katherine (27 June 2017). "Boston bassist Tracy Ferrie on rollerskates, tubas and breakfast with Gene Simmons" . Retrieved 8 January 2018.