(1941-04-30)30 April 1941 Christchurch, New Zealand
Died
24 September 2020(2020-09-24) (aged 79) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Soul, R&B, rock
Occupation(s)
Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Years active
1956–2012
Labels
HMV
Zodiac
Viking
RCA
Parlophone
Arista
Polydor
Raven
Musical artist
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]
^""Slippin' Away" entry at Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)". APRA. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
^"Max Merritt – the legend". Max Merrit.com.au. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
^ abc"Max Merritt & The Meteors". Milesago. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
^Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ abMcFarlane, Ian (1999). Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
^ abNimmervoll, 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.
^ ab"Max Merritt" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
^Dix, John (2005). Stranded in Paradise: New Zealand Rock and Roll 1955 to the Modern Era. Auckland: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-301953-8.
^"Rocker suffering immune disease". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
^"ARIA 2008 Hall of Fame inductees listing". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 15 June 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
^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.
^Donovan, Patrick (5 June 2008). "Hall of Fame for Merritt and Triffids". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
^Cite error: The named reference NZHoF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
who was renowned as an interpreter of soul music and R&B. As leader of MaxMerritt & The Meteors, his best known hits are "Slippin' Away", which reached...
Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, and Lee Morgan. Raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jymie, born James Raleigh Merritt, was the son of Agnes Merritt (née...
Australian and New Zealand bands including, Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, MaxMerritt and the Meteors, Chain and Wild Cherries. Various live albums were recorded...
Zealand's Elvis Presley, and his cover of "Lawdy Miss Clawdy". The 1960s saw MaxMerritt and the Meteors and Ray Columbus & the Invaders achieve success. In the...
MPD Ltd, Mike Furber & The Bowery Boys, Ray Columbus & The Invaders, MaxMerritt, Dinah Lee, Normie Rowe, The Groop, the Groove, The Wild Colonials, Lynne...
Mathis Jimmy McCracklin Skeets McDonald Big Jay McNeely Clyde McPhatter MaxMerritt Big Maceo Merriweather Amos Milburn Chuck Miller Mitch Miller Roy Milton...
temporarily joined Sydney-based rock-soul band MaxMerritt & The Meteors. Only weeks after joining, Bertles, Merritt and drummer Stewie Speer narrowly escaped...
Flemming on drums (ex- Midnighters, Roland Storm and the Statesmen, MaxMerritt and the Meteors), Billy Green on guitar, Duncan McGuire on bass guitar...
Flight of the Conchords Ryan McPhun and the Ruby Suns Merekotia Amohau MaxMerritt Metal Fusion Midnight Youth The Midnights Mild Orange Minuit The Mint...
an Australian drummer best known as a member of the 1960s–70s group MaxMerritt & The Meteors Susan Speer, a British psychologist Thomas J. Speer, also...
Beat". On her early singles she was backed by fellow New Zealanders, MaxMerritt & His Meteors. Lee appeared regularly on both New Zealand and Australian...
The Max Weinberg 7 days, the band included Jimmy Vivino on guitar, Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg on trombone, Scott Healy on keyboard, Mike Merritt on bass...
Richard Wayne Merritt (born September 26, 1967) is an American LGBT activist, adult film actor, writer, and attorney. Merritt has been a public figure...
Retrieved January 20, 2022. AllMusic Sharon Redd discography at Discogs Soulwalking.co.uk MaxMerritt And The Meteors - Memphis Special (1971) on YouTube...
Retrieved September 25, 2020. Brandle, Lars (September 25, 2020). "MaxMerritt, ARIA Hall of Fame Inductee, Dies at 79". Billboard. Retrieved September...
youth in Christchurch who was also attracting attention. He was MaxMerritt of MaxMerritt & the Meteors. His fans were fiercely loyal and the bookings for...
May 1971, and were soon joined by Bees Make Honey, Brinsley Schwarz, MaxMerritt and the Meteors, Ducks Deluxe and others. Other music pubs include the...
Mathis Jimmy McCracklin Skeets McDonald Big Jay McNeely Clyde McPhatter MaxMerritt Big Maceo Merriweather Amos Milburn Chuck Miller Mitch Miller Ned Miller...
comedian Bernice Mene (born 1975), former Silver Ferns netball captain MaxMerritt (born 1941), singer-songwriter and guitarist Juliet Mitchell (born 1940)...
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