Max Merritt

Max Merritt
Birth nameMaxwell James Merritt
Born(1941-04-30)30 April 1941
Christchurch, New Zealand
Died24 September 2020(2020-09-24) (aged 79)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresSoul, R&B, rock
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Years active1956–2012
Labels

Maxwell James Merritt[1] (30 April 1941[2] – 24 September 2020) was a New Zealand-born singer-songwriter and guitarist who was renowned as an interpreter of soul music and R&B.[3] As leader of Max Merritt & The Meteors, his best known hits are "Slippin' Away", which reached No. 2 on the 1976 Australian singles charts, and "Hey, Western Union Man" which reached No. 13.[4] Merritt rose to prominence in New Zealand from 1958 and relocated to Sydney, Australia, in December 1964.[3][5][6] Merritt was acknowledged as one of the best local performers of the 1960s and 1970s and his influence did much to popularise soul music / R&B and rock in New Zealand and Australia.[3][5][6][7]

Merritt was a venerable pioneer of rock in Australasia who produced crowd-pleasing shows for over 50 years.[8] He engendered respect and affection over generations of performers. This was evident at the 2007 Concert for Max[7] which was organised to provide financial support for him after it was announced he had Goodpasture's syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease.[9] The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) recognised Merritt's iconic status on 1 July 2008 when he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.[10][11][12] In 2020, Merritt was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.[13]

  1. ^ ""Slippin' Away" entry at Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)". APRA. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  2. ^ "Max Merritt – the legend". Max Merrit.com.au. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  3. ^ a b c "Max Merritt & The Meteors". Milesago. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ^ a b McFarlane, Ian (1999). Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  6. ^ a b Nimmervoll, Ed. "Max Merritt and the Meteors". Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Max Merritt" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  8. ^ Dix, John (2005). Stranded in Paradise: New Zealand Rock and Roll 1955 to the Modern Era. Auckland: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-301953-8.
  9. ^ "Rocker suffering immune disease". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  10. ^ "ARIA 2008 Hall of Fame inductees listing". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 15 June 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  11. ^ Cashmere, Paul (5 June 2008). "Max Merritt and The Triffids To Be Inducted Into Hall of Fame". undercover.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  12. ^ Donovan, Patrick (5 June 2008). "Hall of Fame for Merritt and Triffids". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference NZHoF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).