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F r o m W i k i p e d i a , t h e f r e e e n c y c l o p e d i a
American pianist and keyboardist
Musical artist
Merl Saunders (February 14, 1934 – October 24, 2008)[1] Hammond B-3 console organ.
Biography [ edit ]
Born in San Mateo, California , United States,[1] Polytechnic High School in San Francisco. Singer Johnny Mathis was in Saunders' first band when the two were in high school.[2] Billy Williams Revue and served in a similar capacity in Oscar Brown Jr. 's off-Broadway show, Big Time Buck White .
Saunders 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 .[2] Grateful Dead , and co-founded the Saunders/Garcia Band which produced three albums, and which became the Legion of Mary , with the addition of Martin Fierro (sax) in 1974. It disbanded the following year, but Saunders and Garcia continued to collaborate in the band Reconstruction during 1979, collaborating with Ed Neumeister (trombone), Gaylord Birch (drums) and John Kahn (bass).[citation needed
Saunders led his own band as Merl Saunders and Friends, playing live dates with Garcia, as well as Mike Bloomfield , David Grisman , Michael Hinton , Tom Fogerty , Vassar Clements , Kenneth Nash , John Kahn and Sheila E. [3] Mickey Hart in the band High Noon.[citation needed
Saunders took the lead in reintroducing Jerry Garcia to his guitar, after Garcia suffered a diabetic coma in the summer of 1986.
In 1990, Saunders released the world music and New Age classic album Blues From the Rainforest , a collaboration with 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 Rainforest Band for the next decade.
Saunders worked with musicians Paul Pena , Bonnie Raitt , Phish , Widespread Panic , Miles Davis , and B. B. King . He also recorded with the Dinosaurs , a "supergroup " of first-generation Bay Area rock musicians.[3]
Saunders had his own record label , Sumertone Records[citation needed (named for his children Susan, Merl Jr., and Tony), and had also recorded on Fantasy Records , Galaxy Records and Relix Records as well as the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia labels. Saunders worked with the Grateful Dead on the theme music for the 1985 TV show The Twilight Zone Nash Bridges Fritz the Cat Steelyard Blues 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 .
Saunders worked with several charitable organizations such as the Seva Foundation , the Rex Foundation , 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, Saunders suffered from a stroke that paralyzed one side of his body and curtailed his musical career, and 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; he was 74 years old.[4] Tony Saunders and Merl Saunders Jr. (a former 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 claimed they were not aware of the album's release and that they had equal rights to the royalties.[5]
Tributes [ edit ]
On Saturday, February 14, 2009, a tribute to Merl Saunders' life and musical career was held at the Great American Music Hall .[6] Max Gail and Wavy Gravy as M.C.s, and many past musical collaborators including Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir , Tony Saunders, David Grisman , Michael Hinton, Melvin Seals , Michael Warren, Larry Vann, Tonedog, Misa Malone, 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 , Misa Malone and other members of the Rainforest Band and other Saunders’ projects.[7] Sikiru Adepoju on talking drum and Douglas "Val" Serrant on steel drum and djembe .
Discography [ edit ]
Main studio, live and compilation releases [ edit ]
1968 - Soul Grooving - Merl Saunders Trio and Big Band
1972 - Heavy Turbulence Jerry Garcia and Tom Fogerty
1973 - Fire Up
1973 - Live at Keystone John Kahn & Bill Vitt
1974 - Merl Saunders
1976 - You Can Leave Your Hat On - with Aunt Monk
1979 - Do I Move You
1982 - San Francisco After Dark
1987 - Meridien Dreams
1988 - Keystone Encores
1990 - Blues From The Rainforest: A Musical Suite - Featuring Muruga Booker , Eddie Moore, Shakti, Joanie Lane aka: Jamie, Special Guest: Jerry Garcia
1991 - Save The Planet So We'll Have Someplace To Boogie - Merl Saunders & the Rainforest Band
1992 - Fire Up Plus
1993 - It's In The Air - Merl Saunders & the Rainforest Band
1995 - Still Having Fun
1997 - Keepers - Merl Saunders and Friends
1998 - Fiesta Amazonica - Merl Saunders & the Rainforest Band
1998 - The Twilight Zone (Vol. 1) : Original Soundtrack from the TV series - Grateful Dead & Merl Saunders
1998 - Merl Saunders Live With His Funky Friends
2000 - Struggling Man - Merl Saunders & His Funky Friends
2004 - Still Groovin' Merls final tracks recorded. Special Guest Mavis Staples, Bonnie Raitt, David Grisman and Huey Lewis. Produced by Tony Saunders
2004 - Pure Jerry: Keystone Berkeley, September 1, 1974
2005 - Legion of Mary: The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 1 Legion of Mary with Jerry Garcia
2006 - Live On Tour - Merl Saunders & Melvin Seals
2006 - Well-Matched: The Best of Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia
2012 - Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings
2013 - Garcia Live Volume Three
2016 - Garcia Live Volume Six
2017 - Garcia Live Volume Nine
2019 - Garcia Live Volume 12
2020 - Garcia Live Volume 15
2022 - Garcia Live Volume 18
Solo, group leader or co-leader - singles [ edit ]
1964 - "Five More / How's That" (Fantasy 588)
1965 - "High Heel Sneakers / Breakin' " Through (Fantasy 600)
1966 - "I Pity The Fool / Tighten Up" (Galaxy 747)
1967 - "Soul Grooving / Up, Up and Away" (Galaxy 755)
1967 - "Soul Roach, Pt. 1 & 2" (Early Bird 49659)
1969 - "Julia / Five More" (Fantasy 620)
1969 - "Mighty Whitey / Right On" (Suemer-Tone 69)
1970 - "Little Bit of Righteousness / The Iron Horse" (Galaxy 776) - with Heavy Turbulence
1971 - "Save Mother Earth, Pt. 1 & 2" (Fantasy 668)
1972 - "My Problems Got Problems / Welcome To The Basement" (Fantasy 678)
1981 - "San Francisco After Dark / Come To Me" (Summertone 214)
Various artist compilations that include previously unreleased Merl Saunders music [ edit ]
1970 - Belafonte By Request - Harry Belafonte
1972 - Black Girl (Soundtrack) - Various Artists
1972 - Fritz The Cat (Soundtrack) - Various Artists
1973 - Heavy Traffic (Soundtrack) - Various Artists
1997 - Fire On The Mountain: Reggae Celebrates The Grateful Dead Volume 2 - Various Artists
1999 - The Third Annual Gathering on the Mountain - Various Artists
2000 - Gathering On The Mountain: Live Part 2 - Various Artists
2000 - Gathering On The Mountain: Live Part 3 - Various Artists
2000 - Sharin' In The Groove - Various Artists
2001 - Into The Music: Jam Band Vol. 1 - Various Artists
Various artist compilations that include previously released Merl Saunders tracks [ edit ]
1992 - All Night Long They Play The Blues (The Galaxy Masters) - Various Artists
1993 - Bad, Bad Whiskey (The Galaxy Masters) - Various Artists
1995 - Jazz Collective - Various Artists
1995 - Sense Of Direction - Various Artists
1996 - Televisions Greatest Hits, Vol. 6: Remote Control - Various Artists
1996 - Fritz The Cat/Heavy Traffic (Soundtrack) - Various Artists
2004 - Get Your Lie Straight: A Galaxy of Funky Soul - Various Artists
Playing contributions to other major albums with others [ edit ]
Playing contributions to singles with others [ edit ]
1972 - "Lady Of Fatima / Cast The First Stone" - Tom Fogerty (Fantasy 680)
1972 - "Faces Places People / Forty Years" - Tom Fogerty (Fantasy 691)
1972 - "Drive Again (Theme from Steelyard Blues) / Swing With It" - Nick Gravenites, Mike Bloomfield (Warner Bros.)
1989 - "Underground" (EP ) - Mike Lawson (Psychotronic Records)
Playing contributions to compilations [ edit ]
1975 - Sampler For Deadheads (#1 of 3) - Jerry Garcia / Robert Hunter
1975 - Sampler For Deadheads (#2 of 3) - Old And In The Way / Keith And Donna
1977 - What A Long Strange Trip It's Been - Grateful Dead
1978 - Grateful Dead Sampler - Various Artists
1978 - Arista AOR Sampler - Various Artists
1985 - The Relix Sampler - Various Artists
1998 - Tom Fogerty/Excalibur - Tom Fogerty
1999 - The Very Best Of Tom Fogerty - Tom Fogerty
2000 - Furthur Most - Various Artists
2000 - The Best Of David Soul - David Soul
2000 - Anti Love: The Best Of Betty Davis - Betty Davis
Non-performing references on albums [ edit ]
1975 - Keith and Donna Godchaux - Keith and Donna Godchaux
1976 - For Dead Heads - Various Artists
1998 - Blue Light Rain - Jazz Is Dead
Filmography [ edit ]
Movies/DVDs [ edit ]
Fritz the Cat (1972)
Black Girl (1972)
Heavy Traffic (1973)
Steelyard Blues (1973)
Headcandy: Sidney's Psychedelic Adventure (1997) Headcandy Productions
A Tribute to Jerry Garcia: Deadheads Festival Japan 1997 (Japanese Laser Disc, Video Super Rock series VPLR-70650) (1997)
Blues from the Rainforest: A Musical Suite (1999) Mobile Fidelity
The Grateful Dead: The End of the Road - The Final Tour '95 (2000) Monterey Video
Diggers (2006)
Television [ edit ]
34th Annual Grammy Awards (TV Special) - Production Coordinator
35th Annual Grammy Awards (TV Special) - Production Coordinator
Grammy's Greatest Moments (TV Special) - Production Coordinator
Vietnam: A Television History (TV Series) - Music Performer (11 episodes, 1997)
The American Experience - Music Performer (6 episodes, 1997–2005)
The Twilight Zone
Nash Bridges (TV series)
Tales From The Crypt (TV series)
Baywatch (TV series)
Simon and Simon (TV series)
Interview [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
^ a b Colin Larkin , ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music Guinness Publishing . p. 2194. ISBN 0-85112-939-0
^ "Simon, Richard B. "Organist Merl Saunders Passes Away at 74" . Relix.com . October 24, 2008.
^ "Ungrateful Dead -- Garcia Sued by Dead Pal" . TMZ . 30 December 2008.
^ "Great American Music Hall Website" . Archived from the original on December 17, 2010.
^ "Modern Drummer Magazine Website" . Archived from the original on May 16, 2011.
Other sources [ edit ]
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30 Trips Around the Sun: The Definitive Live Story 1965–1995
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July 1978: The Complete Recordings
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R e t r i e v e d f r o m " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Merl_Saunders&oldid=1233440740 " C a t e g o r i e s : ● 1 9 3 4 b i r t h s ● 2 0 0 8 d e a t h s ● P e o p l e f r o m S a n M a t e o , C a l i f o r n i a ● 2 0 t h - c e n t u r y A m e r i c a n k e y b o a r d i s t s ● I n f e c t i o u s d i s e a s e d e a t h s i n C a l i f o r n i a ● L e g i o n o f M a r y ( b a n d ) m e m b e r s ● R e c o n s t r u c t i o n ( b a n d ) m e m b e r s ● R a i n f o r e s t B a n d m e m b e r s ● 2 0 t h - c e n t u r y A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n m u s i c i a n s ● 2 1 s t - c e n t u r y A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n p e o p l e ● T h e D i n o s a u r s m e m b e r s H i d d e n c a t e g o r i e s : ● A r t i c l e s w i t h s h o r t d e s c r i p t i o n ● S h o r t d e s c r i p t i o n m a t c h e s W i k i d a t a ● S h o r t d e s c r i p t i o n i s d i f f e r e n t f r o m W i k i d a t a ● A r t i c l e s w i t h h C a r d s ● P a g e s u s i n g i n f o b o x m u s i c a l a r t i s t w i t h a s s o c i a t e d a c t s ● A l l a r t i c l e s w i t h u n s o u r c e d s t a t e m e n t s ● A r t i c l e s w i t h u n s o u r c e d s t a t e m e n t s f r o m A p r i l 2 0 2 3 ● A r t i c l e s w i t h u n s o u r c e d s t a t e m e n t s f r o m O c t o b e r 2 0 2 2 ● A r t i c l e s w i t h I S N I i d e n t i f i e r s ● A r t i c l e s w i t h V I A F i d e n t i f i e r s ● A r t i c l e s w i t h B N E i d e n t i f i e r s ● A r t i c l e s w i t h B N F i d e n t i f i e r s ● A r t i c l e s w i t h B N F d a t a i d e n t i f i e r s ● A r t i c l e s w i t h G N D i d e n t i f i e r s ● A r t i c l e s w i t h L C C N i d e n t i f i e r s ● A r t i c l e s w i t h N K C i d e n t i f i e r s ● A r t i c l e s w i t h M u s i c B r a i n z i d e n t i f i e r s
● T h i s p a g e w a s l a s t e d i t e d o n 9 J u l y 2 0 2 4 , a t 0 2 : 2 5 ( U T C ) . ● T e x t i s a v a i l a b l e u n d e r t h e C r e a t i v e C o m m o n s A t t r i b u t i o n - S h a r e A l i k e L i c e n s e 4 . 0 ;
a d d i t i o n a l t e r m s m a y a p p l y . B y u s i n g t h i s s i t e , y o u a g r e e t o t h e T e r m s o f U s e a n d P r i v a c y P o l i c y . W i k i p e d i a ® i s a r e g i s t e r e d t r a d e m a r k o f t h e W i k i m e d i a F o u n d a t i o n , I n c . , a n o n - p r o f i t o r g a n i z a t i o n . ● P r i v a c y p o l i c y ● A b o u t W i k i p e d i a ● D i s c l a i m e r s ● C o n t a c t W i k i p e d i a ● C o d e o f C o n d u c t ● D e v e l o p e r s ● S t a t i s t i c s ● C o o k i e s t a t e m e n t ● M o b i l e v i e w
