Profile
Alan Merrill
Singer + Songwriter + Guitarist
Male
Born
Feb 19, 1951
Age
62
Hometown
The Bronx
Alan Merrill is an American vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, actor and model. In the early 1970s Merrill was the first westerner to achieve pop star status in Japan. He is the lead singer of the first ever released version and co-author of the song "I… Read More
Romance
Check out the latest love interests for Alan Merrill.
News + Updates
Browse recent news and stories about Alan Merrill.
-
Buyers Bullish On Montana Wheat Billings GazetteGoogle News - Aug 17, 2011
-
Budget Crunch Could Bog Down Farm Bill Great Falls TribuneGoogle News - Jun 25, 2011
-
Natives' Day Offers Storytelling, Drumming, Dance Creswell ChronicleGoogle News - Jun 22, 2011
-
John W. Harrison Philly Burbs.ComGoogle News - Jun 20, 2011
Timeline
Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Alan Merrill.
CHILDHOOD
1951
Birth
Alan Merrill was born Allan Preston Sachs on February 19, 1951 in The Bronx, New York City, the son of two jazz musicians, singer Helen Merrill, and saxophone/clarinet player Aaron Sachs.
… Read More
TEENAGE
1969
18 Years Old
In 1969 Merrill signed a solo management deal with Watanabe Productions, who contracted him to Atlantic Records, and changed his professional surname from Sachs (sax) to Merrill because "Merrill" sounded less lascivious and was more commercially viable when spoken by young Japanese pop music fans.
… Read More
TWENTIES
1971
20 Years Old
In 1971 he released an LP of his own compositions titled "Merrill 1", in Japan for Denon/Columbia (a company not affiliated with the Columbia Records labels outside Japan.) He then formed the band Vodka Collins, who became Japan's top glam rock act.
… Read More
1974
23 Years Old
In 1974 in London Alan Merrill formed the band Arrows (as lead singer and bass guitarist), with drummer Paul Varley and guitarist Jake Hooker.
… Read More
1977
26 Years Old
…
In 1977, Merrill married fashion model Cathee Dahmen, and formed a new group, the album-oriented rock act Runner, with Steve Gould (Rare Bird), Mick Feat (Van Morrison band), and Dave Dowle (Whitesnake).
… Read More
1980
29 Years Old
In 1980 Alan Merrill joined forces with Rick Derringer as a guitarist/vocalist in New York City.
… Read More
THIRTIES
Lou Rawls recorded Alan Merrill's song "When The Night Comes" as the title track of his 1983 Epic Records album.
… Read More
1986
35 Years Old
In 1986 Alan Merrill joined the Meat Loaf band for the promotional tour of his "Blind Before I Stop" album, and stayed for several years, recording Meat Loaf's 1987 Live at Wembley album for Arista Records.
1989
38 Years Old
In 1989 Alan Merrill was offered a role in the television series Encyclopedia Brown on HBO, and was a part of the successful series in his role as principal character Casey Sparkz. In 1990, a Vodka Collins reunion tour was organized due to popular demand as a result of the successful CD reissue of their debut vinyl LP "Tokyo-New York."
… Read More
Original Authors of this text are noted on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Merrill.
Text is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
Text is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.