January 15, 2008 – Bobby Ferrara was born Robert Patrick Ferrara on July 22nd 1965 Bobby Ferrara in Queens Village, Long Island, New York.
He was in sixth grade when he started playing guitar and never received formal lessons. His major influences were Eddie van Halen and Kiss’s Ace Frehley and he practiced them 4 to 5 hours every day. He was a quiet introvert kid who loved his music and waited out his life for the right woman.
But those qualities made him an extraordinary shredder. His jaw-dropping solo flurries, wah-drenched fusillades and high-energy freakout got him New York’s Hot Licks guitar contest twice, and made him a world class guitarist.
Before moving to California in the early nineties, he also wrote a bimonthly guitar technique/effects column called “The Clinic” for New Jersey’s only heavy metal magazine, “Ironworx”.
He has been described by the world’s top guitar shredders as .. melting metal with burning speed – chaotic melodic maniac – jaw-dropping – faster than the flight of the bumble bee at double speed, then faster ~ a metal burner and the praise go on.
Bobby was all this, and much more. Shredders are usually sloppy, but his playing was the cleanest I have ever heard at such high speeds while losing absolutely nothing. Also his shredding contained far more melody than his worldly counterparts, but he was more than this too. His composing was fresh, clever, and as passionate as his playing, his haunting guitar work cried in his rock ballads, using as much compassionate control and projection in his slow work as he did in his high speed shredding. Bobby Ferrara was a true guitar virtuoso.
When asked during one of the rare interviews with him about his secrets on the guitar he said: “No secrets at all, it takes drive and a passion , I think too many kids today don’t have good role models to look up to. Picking up a guitar for 5 minutes and chatting on the computer won’t do the trick… if you put the time in , your rewards are great”.
Not a lot is known about his musical career, other than that in the early 90s, he did an EP with Joe Lyn Turner, who at one point fronted Rainbow with ex-Deep Purple guitar monster Ritchie Blackmore.
Deep inside the annals of the cyberworld I catch a memory of Bobby’s neighbor in Palm Springs that makes me think, he was a great musician who could not find his turn in the exceedingly complicated music industry.
‘Bobby and Angel were good friends whom I’ve missed since they moved away from their Palm Springs area home. I’ve been a music lover since I was a small child. I play guitar as a hobby and really appreciated seeing Robert play at his home studio, knowing I was watching one of the greatest players ever.”
Bobby Ferrara who sadly died in his sleep at his home was far more than a fast guitarist and inspirational composer, he was a loving husband to his still newlywed wife Angel, and a clean living young man with a kind and generous personality to all he met.
He sadly died from a fatal heart attack that woke him up in the night, followed by a two hour fight to survive, but sadly on January 15, 2008 at the age of 42.
“Bobby is equipped and destined for stardom. He’s got the look, the vibe, the attitude and majorly huge chops. Wear a hard hat around this cat — he’s gonna explode”! Brad Wendkos, TrueFire, Guitar Player Tv, Guitar Player Magazine
He has been described by the world’s top guitar shredders as .. melting metal with burning speed ~ chaotic melodic maniac ~ jaw-dropping ~ faster than the flight of the bumble bee at double speed, then faster ~ a metal burner and the quotes go on. Bobby is all these, with much more, his playing is the cleanest I have ever heard at such high speeds and looses absolutely nothing, his shredding contains far more melody than his worldly counterparts, but he is more than this too. His composing is fresh, clever, and as passionate as his playing, his haunting guitar work cries in his rock ballads, using as much compassionate control and projection in his slow work as he does in his high speed shredding. Bobby Ferrara is a true guitar virtuoso.
