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Biography
Infobox person| name = Merrilee Rush| image =| image_size =| caption =| birth_name =| birth_date = January 26, 1944,| birth_place = Seattle, Washington | death_date =| death_place =| death_cause =| nationality = United States|American Merrilee Rush (January 26, 1944 in Seattle, Washington ) is an United States|American singing|singer , best known for her recording of the song " Angel of the Morning ", a Top 40|Top 10 song which earned her a Grammy Awards|Grammy nomination for Female Vocalist Of The Year in 1968.
Career
As a girl, Merrilee studied classical piano for 10 years. In 1960, Rush auditioned for a musical ensemble|band , directed by her first husband, that played sock hop s. Next, she was part of Merrilee and Her Men, doing cover version|covers of male pop music|pop hit record|hits . Then she joined a Seattle rhythm and blues group called Tiny Tony and the Statics.
The band "Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts" was formed in 1965. One member of the group's road crew worked for Paul Revere and the Raiders , which was doing a concert tour|tour of southern states in 1967, and through this connection, Revere, Raiders lead vocalist Mark Lindsay , and the other Raiders invited Rush to be their opening act.
Rush's version of " Angel of the Morning " was sound recording and reproduction|recorded in Memphis, Tennessee , in early 1968, and was record producer|produced by Chips Moman and Tommy Cogbill . Released by Bell Records (1950s-1970s)|Bell Records , in late June 1968, the song climbed to #7 on the United States|U.S. Billboard Hot 100 record chart|chart , and it reportedly reached the #1 spot in seven countries. The one millionth sale of this record was reported by the Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.) in 1970.cite book|first=Joseph|last=Murrells|year=1978|title=The Book of Golden Discs|edition=2nd|publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd.|location=London|page=247|isbn=0-214-20512-6 The "Angel Of The Morning" sessions were recorded at Chips Moman's American Studio in Memphis and featured the same musicians who played on Elvis Presley 's famous Memphis recordings.
This song garnered Rush a Grammy Award nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year. She was nominated along with Barbra Streisand (" Barbra Streisand discography#Singles|Funny Girl "), Dionne Warwick (" Do You Know the Way to San Jose "), Aretha Franklin (" I Say a Little Prayer "), and Mary Hopkin (" Those Were the Days (song)|Those Were the Days "). Warwick was the eventual winner.
Rush appeared on numerous television program s in the 1960s and 1970s, including American Bandstand , The Joey Bishop Show , Happening, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour , The Everly Brothers Show, and Something Else hosted by John Byner. In 1984, she appeared as herself, performing the holiday favorite " White Christmas ," in the syndicated Christmas special titled '' Scrooge's Rock and Roll Christmas , which starred Jack Elam as Ebenezer Scrooge. That program also featured holiday performances by Three Dog Night , Paul Revere & The Raiders (from whose membership Lindsay had resigned by that time), The Association , Bobby Goldsboro , Mike Love of The Beach Boys , Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean , and Mary MacGregor .
The song "Angel of the Morning" was written and composed by the songwriter Chip Taylor (né James Wesley Voight, the younger brother of the actor Jon Voight and the uncle of the actress Angelina Jolie ). Taylor had also written and composed " Wild Thing (Chip Taylor song)|Wild Thing ," a hit for The Troggs in 1966, and "I Can't Let Go," a hit for The Hollies in the United Kingdom . Rush's recording of "Angel of the Morning" was featured prominently in the movie, Girl, Interrupted (film)|Girl, Interrupted , for which Jolie won an Academy Award . "Angel of the Morning" has also been featured in the major motion pictures Jerry Maguire and Fingers (1978 film)|Fingers starring Harvey Keitel .
In 1971, Rush signed with Scepter Records and released one single (music)|single , a cover of the Carole King song, "Child Of Mine". While that was Rush's lone release on Scepter, she cut several tracks for the label including a femme version of the Billy Joel song "She's Got A Way" (He's Got A Way). In 1976, Merrilee would sign up with United Artists Records . While at U/A she released three singles, "Could It Be Love I Found Tonight," "Save Me," and "Rainstorm." Her self-titled album for that music company was released in 1977.
By the turn of the 20th to 21st century, Rush was living in the countryside near Seattle, Washington , in a century-old farmhouse that was built by her grandfather. She continued to perform with her own band in rock and roll nostalgia shows across the country. She is married to the singer-songwriter and entertainer Billy Mac , and together they have a successful Old English Sheepdog breeding business.
In 1989, the Northwest Area Musicians' Association (NAMA) honored Rush with membership in the NAMA Hall of Fame.
In 2003, Rush appeared as herself in the PBS special At the Drive-In along with Jan Berry and Dean Torrence (of Jan and Dean ), Fabian (entertainer)|Fabian , Bobby Vee , Chris Montez , Matthew Nelson and Gunnar Nelson (the sons of Rick Nelson ), and Dodie Stevens .
Rush's Angel Of The Morning album has been re-published on compact disc via the Rev-Ola record label . The re-issue includes the entire original 1968 LP, and it features the Top Ten title track and the follow-up single " That Kind of Woman ," as well as nine non-LP album singles and A-side and B-side|B-sides as bonus tracks. The bonus tracks include a psychedelic version of the Four Tops' " Reach Out I'll Be There|Reach Out " (an AGP label single release that reached #79 on the Billboard Hot 100), and a cover of Burt Bacharach 's " What the World Needs Now Is Love|What the World Needs Now ," which was produced by Quincy Jones for the soundtrack album to the film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice . All tracks are also available digitally from the Arista/Legacy label.
References
reflist
External links
Portal|Biography
http://www.merrileerush.com/ Merrilee Rush official site
http://www.billymac.com/ Billy Mac official site
http://www.classicbands.com/MerrileeRushInterview.html Gary James interview
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421649 IMDB's "At the Drive-In" entry
Persondata|NAME=Rush, Merrilee |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |SHORT DESCRIPTION= American musician |DATE OF BIRTH=January 26, 1944, |PLACE OF BIRTH= Seattle, Washington |DATE OF DEATH= |PLACE OF DEATH= DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Merrilee Category:Bell Records artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Washington (state) Category:People from Seattle, Washington Category:1944 births
