In memory of Ted Ferrell, who passed on Nov. 12, 2017. Most everybody in The Way knew Ted or heard him sing some of his songs through the years. He was a kind man with a big heart. Click here to see Ted's profile on this site. Our sincere condolences to his wife, Debra who said that Ted requested not to have a public memorial service. She said that he was listening to THIS SONG called "Ready to Go" when he passed, a song he wrote and sang many years ago.
Doug McMullen, a long time friend of Ted's, summarizes some of the qualities of his life:
"Albert Thomas Underwood, known to us as the man, the legend, TED FERRELL, fell asleep this last week, November 12, 2017. Those of us that knew him well probably have in common enough knee-slapping, doubled-over laughing stories about this live-wire writer, performer, and producer to make two vinyl records.
One gold record would certainly not be enough. But gold records weren’t really Ted’s thing anyway. He clearly heard a different drummer.
Dr. Wierwille came down to close a PFAL class back in April of 1971 at East Carolina University. And before Dr. Wierwille took the floor, out walks this guy with the shades and blue suede shoes. That’s the first time I saw him. And for those who didn’t know him well, perhaps that is their only memory of Ted—the guy in the sunglasses doing the Elvis thing before Dr. Wierwille would come out to teach. But what they didn’t see was that there was something electric about Ted when he was doing his thing. And that electric thing fired-up Dr. Wierwille. I felt it once when I was very close to Ted when he was doing “Let’s All Go Down to the River”. This focused energy he put out was palpable. And he was a pro. He could do it day after day, show after show, on demand. He was 100 percent Ted in the moment. He was the real deal.
His knowledge of music was extensive. He wasn’t hung up or pigeon-holed into one form or style. He had an eye for talent, and his passion was to develop talent and try to move it to the next level to bless God’s people.
There may be those that think his music was his legacy. I think that falls short of the mark. His home never was the Hall of Fame. I am his legacy. Those of us who knew him well are his legacy. He touched our lives in a special way. Those of us who mourn his passing will no doubt see our names etched in a jewel on the crown he will be wearing in that future day.
Till then, I’m wearing sunglasses and blue suede shoes to remember a dear old friend who helped me and made my life richer."
God bless you Ted! You will be missed, my friend.
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I wanted to say how much I enjoyed working with Ted and that I'm glad to have joined him on his journey for a few years.
Ted was a song smith, and could weave a melody and words together into a song in minutes. He had a knack for grabbing phrases and writing them out in conversational lyrics that were simple and easy to remember.
Someone wrote me once how his songs stuck in their head and how they hated this one song so much but even after 30 years it was still in their head. I had to tell them that in the music industry they call that a "hit". : )
Well put, John. Thank you.
David Bailey was Ted's best man at his wedding in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2006 where Ted lived until his passing. .
I am thankful to have observed this great entertainer. Ted was a soft-hearted man with a huge heart to give. I once sent him an email requesting some songs from Way Productions. He sent me all the Joyful Noise songs in a CD format. I called him and thanked him with great passion. He was very glad he was able to bless me that way. I still have most of those CDs.
I went to the ROA in 1975, before I took the class later in December. I remember when he came out on the stage I wasn't that impressed at first. But he grew on me. I could see his love for the Las Vegas sound. As a musician, I appreciated his skills the more I saw him. I'm thankful I got to see him all those years.
With JP Wierwille in 2002
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