Roy Lee Ferrell

Roy Lee Ferrell, Jr. (born 26 August 1941) is an American keyboardist and saxophonist, best known for his longtime association of 27 years with The Righteous Brothers. He is the father of American actor/comedian Will Ferrell.

Ferrell was born on August 26, 1941, in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, to Ruth Rebecca Trueblood and Roy Lee Ferrell. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.

As a musician, Ferrell was discovered while playing piano at an old nightclub. He then moved to the West Coast to pursue a career in music. While in California, he began performing with the surf band Dick Dale and the Del-Tones. He also appeared in William Asher's 1964 musical/comedy film Muscle Beach Party, starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. 

In the 1960s, he was introduced to Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley of the duo The Righteous Brothers. As he recounts, "Some of the guys in the group knew Bill (Medley) and Bobby (Hatfield)… They asked us to back them up at their gigs around town. We did that until they hit it big with `You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ‘ and started touring with a different group of players.” 

He toured with The Righteous Brothers for nearly 20 years. He stopped performing with the band in the late 1960s/early 1970s to take care of his children –– future actors Will Ferrell (born July 16, 1967), Patrick Ferrell (born 17 May 1970) and daughter Rachel. In 1978, he returned to music, releasing a solo Country music album titled "Hard Times" under TMS Records. The album featured songwriting by Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus, Shel Silverstein, Dickey Betts, Jack Clement, Troy Seals, and Bill Medley among others. In the same year, he also released pop/rock singles "This Magic Moment", "Cross Bar Hotel," and "Good Time Girl."

In 2006 and 2008, Ferrell wrote and performed music for two of Will Ferrell's films –– "Talladega Nights" (song Goodbye Cowboy) and "Step Brothers" (song Brother) respectively, both starring John C. Reilly along with Will Ferrell.

In October 2017, Ferrell and four other former members of The Righteous Brothers touring band headlined the second installment of the Daily Press/Victor Valley College Concert Series.

Ferrell also has produced benefit shows for many charitable organizations, including Human Options, Steel Magnolias, Mardan School of Irvine, and the Long Beach Cancer League.

Ferrell was married to his wife Betty Kay Overman (born Oct 9, 1940), a teacher, from Oct 28, 1964, to 1975. The marriage ended in an amicable divorce. Ferrell, who was eight years old at the time, recounted later "I was the type of kid who would say, 'Hey, look at the bright side! We'll have two Christmases'."