More Info on Merl SaundersSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Merl Saunders| image =| caption =| image_size = 200 px| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist| birth_name =| alias =| birth_date = Birth date|1934|2|14| death_date = Death date and age|2008|10|24|1934|2|14| origin = San Mateo, California , United States|USA | instrument = Hammond organ , piano | genre =| occupation =| years_active = 1970s–2006| label =| associated_acts = The Dinosaurs , Legion of Mary (band)|Legion of Mary | website =| notable_instruments = Merl Saunders , (February 14, 1934& nbsp;& ndash; October 24, 2008) was an United States|American multi- genre musician who played piano and Keyboard instrument|keyboards , favoring the Hammond_organ#Console_organs|Hammond B-3 console organ.
Biography
Born in San Mateo, California , Saunders attended Polytechnic High School with singer Johnny Mathis . http://www.dead.net/familylinks/merl-saunders Dead Net Website He served in the Army from 1953 to 1957. He worked as musical director of the Billy Williams Revue and served in a similar capacity in Oscar Brown Jr. 's off-Broadway show, Big Time Buck White .
He gained notice in the 1970s when he began collaborating with Jerry Garcia , with whom he had begun playing in 1971 at a small Fillmore Street nightclub called the Matrix. He sat in with the Grateful Dead , and co-founded the Saunders/Garcia Band which produced three albums, and which became Legion of Mary (band)|The Legion of Mary with the addition of Martin Fierro (saxophonist)|Martin Fierro (sax) in 1974. It disbanded the following year, but he and Garcia continued to collaborate in the band Reconstruction (band)|Reconstruction during 1979, collaborating with Ed Neumeister (Trombone), Gaylord Birch (drums) and John Khan (Bass).
He led his own band as Merl Saunders and Friends, playing live dates with Garcia, as well as Mike Bloomfield , David Grisman , Michael Hinton (guitarist)|Michael Hinton , Tom Fogerty , Vassar Clements , Kenneth Nash, John Kahn and Sheila E. . He also collaborated with Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart in the band High Noon.
Merl Saunders took the lead in reintroducing Jerry Garcia to his guitar after Jerry suffered a diabetic coma in the summer of 1986.
In 1990 he released the world music and New Age classic album Blues From the Rainforest , a collaboration with Jerry Garcia and Muruga Booker . This led to the release of a video which chronicled Saunders' journey to the Amazon, and the subsequent albums Fiesta Amazonica , ''It's in the Air , and Save the Planet so We'll Have Someplace to Boogie . One of the songs from Blues From the Rainforest was used as part of the soundtrack for the TV series Baywatch . Saunders continued to perform with the Rainforest Band for the next ten years.
He has worked with musicians Paul Pena , Bonnie Raitt , Phish , Widespread Panic , Miles Davis , and B. B. King . Merl also recorded with The Dinosaurs , a " supergroup (music)|supergroup " of first-generation Bay Area rock musicians.
He had his own record label , Summertone Records , and had also recorded on Fantasy Records , Galaxy Records and Relix Records as well as the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia labels. He worked with the Grateful Dead on the theme music for the 1985 TV show The New Twilight Zone , and as musical director he worked with Mickey Hart on the score for the show. He also worked on the TV series Nash Bridges , and worked on several soundtracks for movies, including Fritz the Cat and Steelyard Blues . He was production co-ordinator for the Grammy Awards for two years, and for the ''Grammy's Greatest Moments TV special. He also supplied the music for the computer animation video Headcandy: Sidney's Psychedelic Adventure .
He worked with several charitable organizations such as the Seva Foundation , the RexFoundation , the Rainforest Action Network , and the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic , and headlined the Haight Street Music Fair for 24 consecutive years. He has been granted a Doctorate of Music by Unity College, in Unity, Maine.
In 2002, Merl suffered from a stroke that paralyzed one side of his body and curtailed his musical career. Merl Saunders died in San Francisco, California on the morning of October 24, 2008, after fighting infections as a result of complications related to the stroke which he suffered in 2002. http://www.relix.com/Features/Daily_News/Organist_Merl_Saunders_Passes_Away_at_78_200810243286.html Simon, Richard B. "Organist Merl Saunders Passes Away at 74", Relix , October 24, 2008 He is survived by his two sons, Tony Saunders (bassist) and Merl Saunders Jr. (a senior executive director of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences ), and his daughter Susan Mora.
In December 2008, TMZ reported the estate of Merl Saunders had filed a lawsuit against the estate of Jerry Garcia, disputing royalties for a 2004 live album. Saunders’ estate claims they were not aware of the album’s release and claim they have equal rights to the royalties. They want compensation for over $100,000.cite web|title=Ungrateful Dead -- Garcia Sued by Dead Pal |url= http://www.tmz.com/2008/12/30/ungrateful-dead-garcia-sued-by-dead-pal/
Tributes
On Saturday, February 14, 2009 a tribute to Merl Saunders' life and musical career was held at the Great American Music Hall . http://www.musichallsf.com/artist_pages/merl_saunders_021409.htm Great American Music Hall Website It featured actor/director Max Gail and Wavy Gravy as M.C.s, and many past musical collaborators including Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir , Tony Saunders, Dave Grisman, Michael Hinton, Melvin Seals , Michael Warren, LarryVann and Bill Vitt among others.
A re-launch of the Rainforest Band as a tribute to Merl Saunders took place at the 29th Starwood Festival on July 25, 2009, the site of their last performance, featuring his son Tony Saunders, Michael Hinton, and other members of the Rainforest Band and other Saunders’ projects. http://www.moderndrummer.com/events_full/700001454/A%20Rainforest%20Band%20Tribute%20to%20Merl%20Saunders%20& %20Jerry%20Garcia%20at%20the%20Starwood%20Festival Modern Drummer Magazine Website Also appearing were Sikiru Adepoju on talking drum and Douglas "Val" Serrant on steel drum and djembe .
Discography
Main studio, live and compilation releases
1968 - Soul Grooving - Merl Saunders Trio and Big Band
1972 - Heavy Turbulence - with Tom Fogerty and Jerry Garcia
1973 - Fire Up - with Tom Fogerty and Jerry Garcia
1973 - Live at the Keystone - with Jerry Garcia, John Kahn & Bill Vitt
http://www.digitalinterviews.com/digitalinterviews/views/saunders.shtml Digital Interviews: Merl Saunders
Notes and references
Reflist
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/10/24/former-grateful-dead-keyboardist-merl-saunders-dies/ Clark, John Jr. "Former Grateful Dead Keyboardist Merl Saunders Dies", Rolling Stone , October 24, 2008
Joel Selvin|Selvin, Joel . http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi? f=/c/a/2008/10/24/BAGK13NQGB.DTL "Star Keyboardist Merl Saunders Dies", San Francisco Chronicle , October 25, 2008
http://www.legacy.com/ChicagoTribune/Obituaries.asp? Page=LifeStory& PersonID=119400826 Obituary by The Associated Press, published in the Chicago Tribune
GratefulDead Persondata | NAME =Saunders, Merl | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =February 14, 1934 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH =October 24, 2008 | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Merl Category:1934 births Category:2008 deaths Category:People from San Mateo County, California Category:American keyboardists Category:African American musicians Category:Infectious disease deaths in California
