Alan Merrill
Alan Merrill (born February 19, 1951 as Allan Preston Sachs in the Bronx , New York City , † March 29, 2020 in Manhattan , New York City) was an American singer , guitarist , songwriter , actor and model . In the early 1970s, Merrill became the first Westerner to achieve pop star status in Japan . He co-wrote and vocalist of the first released version of the song I Love Rock 'n' Roll , recorded by the Arrows in 1975 . Merrill was best known as a singer and songwriter, but also played guitar, bass guitar, harmonica and keyboard.
Life
Family and education
Merrill was born to two jazz musicians , singer Helen Merrill and saxophone player and clarinetist Aaron Sachs . From the age of 9 to 13 he attended the British boarding school Aiglon College in Switzerland. He then attended various schools in New York and Los Angeles as well as the Catholic Sophia University in Tokyo . At the age of 14 in New York City he performed at Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village with the bands The Kaleidoscope , The Rayne and Watertower West , who played in the club from 1966 to 1968.
Career in Japan
After Merril was part of the New York band Left Banke in 1968 , which broke up a short time later, he went to Japan and began his professional career there with the band The Lead in Tokyo at RCA Victor Records . The Lead had a hit single "Akuma ga kureta Aoi Bara" (Blue Rose) and soon broke up. In 1969, Merrill signed a solo management deal with Watanabe Productions , who signed him to Atlantic Records , and adopted the stage name Merrill .
He recorded the album "Alone in Tokyo" with Atlantic Records, which produced a hit single "Namida" (Teardrops).
Merrill starred in the popular TV soap Jikan Desu Yo and was a regular on TBS's morning show for teenagers Young 720 . He has also modeled in commercials for Nissan cars, Jun clothing, AnnAnn, non-no and GT jeans. In 1971 he released an LP in Japan produced by Mickey Curtis with his own compositions under the title "Merrill 1" for the record label Denon / Colombia. At the height of his fame, Tiny Tim covered a song by Alan Merrill from the Merrill 1 album, a song entitled "Movies", on Scepter Records in 1972 . He then formed the band Vodka Collins , which became Japan's top glam rock act. The band included the Japanese superstars Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu and Hiroshi Oguchi. Vodka Collins recorded an LP entitled “Tokyo - New York” in 1972/1973 on the EMI Toshiba label, which is still available today as CD re-releases. The band is best known for recording and releasing the first popular glam rock songs in Japan in 1972, including the double A-sided single "Sands Of Time" and "Automatic Pilot".
Later career
In 1974 Merrill founded the band Arrows in London (as lead singer and bass guitarist) with drummer Paul Varley and guitarist Jake Hooker . Peter Meaden was the first manager of the Arrows. They later signed with Mickie Most's RAK Records. In March 1974 the Arrows were in the top 10 of the British charts with the song "Touch Too Much".
In 1980, Merrill teamed up with Rick Derringer as a guitarist and singer in New York City. In early June 2016 he released a duet with the British rock star Bob Bradbury from the band Hello entitled "Brothers in Rock". He also gave international live concerts.
death
Merrill died on March 29, 2020 at the age of 69 as a result of a SARS-CoV-2 infection during the coronavirus pandemic .
Private
In 1977 Merrill married the model Cathee Dahmen (September 16, 1945 - November 25, 1997). The couple had two children - Laura and Allan Jr. - and later divorced. Merrill then married Joanna Lisanti.
Web links
- Alan Merrill at Discogs (English)
- Alan Merrill in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Obituary in the Guardian (eng.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ben Sisario: Alan Merrill, a songwriter of 'I Love Rock' n 'Roll,' Dies. In: The New York Times , March 30, 2020. Accessed March 31, 2020.
- ↑ Alan Merrill, 'I Love Rock and Roll' songwriter, dies at 69 of coronavirus. March 30, 2020, accessed March 30, 2020 (American English).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Merrill, Alan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sachs, Allan Preston (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and model |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 19th February 1951 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bronx , New York City |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 29, 2020 |
| Place of death | Manhattan , New York City |