Max Merritt facts for kids

Maxwell James Merritt (born 30 April 1941 – died 24 September 2020) was a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from New Zealand. He was famous for his amazing performances of soul music and R&B.

Max Merritt led a band called Max Merritt & The Meteors. Their most famous songs were "Slippin' Away", which reached number 2 in Australia in 1976, and "Hey, Western Union Man", which reached number 13. Max became well-known in New Zealand starting in 1958. He then moved to Sydney, Australia, in 1964. People thought he was one of the best performers in the 1960s and 1970s. He helped make soul music, R&B, and rock popular in New Zealand and Australia.

Max Merritt was a true pioneer of rock music in Australia and New Zealand. He put on exciting shows for over 50 years. Other musicians respected and admired him greatly. This was clear at the Concert for Max in 2007. This concert helped him financially after he became very ill with a serious kidney and lung condition. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) honored Max on 1 July 2008 by adding him to the ARIA Hall of Fame. In 2020, Max Merritt was also added to the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

Max Merritt's Life Story

Starting Out in Christchurch (1956–1962)

Max Merritt was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. He loved music from a young age and started guitar lessons when he was 12. By 1955, he discovered the rock and roll sounds of Bill Haley and Elvis Presley.

After finishing school in 1956, when he was 15, Max formed a band called The Meteors. His friends in the band were Ross Clancy (saxophone), Peter Patonai (piano), Ian Glass (bass), and Pete Sowden (drums). At first, they played music part-time at dances and local charity events. Max still worked as an apprentice bricklayer for his father.

Max's parents and a local theatre manager, Trevor King, turned the Christchurch Railway Hall into a music place called The Teenage Club. They hired Max and The Meteors to play there. The Teenage Club attracted many young people and made the band even more popular.

In 1958, Willi Schneider replaced Ross Clancy. The band released their first song, "Get a Haircut," in June on HMV Records. By 1959, The Meteors were a top band for young people, often playing to crowds of 500 or more. Max sometimes borrowed musicians from other bands if a Meteors member couldn't play. One of these bands was Ray Columbus & the Invaders. From them, Max got guitarist Dave Russell and bass player / keyboardist Billy Karaitiana (also known as Billy Kristian).

In January 1959, a famous New Zealand rocker, Johnny Devlin, played in Christchurch. Devlin later saw Max Merritt at a charity concert. Devlin's manager, Graham Dent, was so impressed that he told Auckland promoter Harry M. Miller about them. Miller then added The Meteors to Australian rocker Johnny O'Keefe's 1959 tour of New Zealand.

Christchurch was chosen for a United States base to go to Antarctica. This project, called "Operation Deep Freeze", used the only airport big enough for large transport planes. The American presence brought more rock and roll and R&B music to the city. Young American servicemen found The Teenage Club and loved Max Merritt's gravelly voice. More rock and roll and R&B songs appeared on local jukeboxes and radio. Because of their American connections, both The Meteors and The Invaders got Fender guitars and basses. These instruments were rare in Australia and the UK because of import rules.

By 1959, The Meteors' band members were Rod Gibson (saxophone), Ian Glass (bass guitar), Bernie Jones (drums), and Billy Kristian (piano). In early 1960, HMV released their first album, C'mon Let's Go. They also released singles like "Kiss Curl" and "C'Mon Let's Go" in 1960, and "Mr Loneliness" in 1961. They were popular in their local area but not well-known outside the South Island. To reach more people, Max Merritt & The Meteors and Ray Columbus & the Invaders both moved to Auckland in November 1962.

Moving to Auckland (1963–1964)

After moving to Auckland, Max's band became the second most popular in New Zealand. Ray Columbus & the Invaders played a beat pop style, while The Meteors focused on rock and roll, soul, and R&B. Max Merritt & The Meteors also played on recordings for singer Dinah Lee. Her most famous song, "Reet Petite", released in September 1964, was number 1 in New Zealand and number 6 in Melbourne, Australia.

The Meteors, with Max Merritt, Peter Williams (guitar), Teddy Toi (bass), and Johnny Dick (drums), recorded songs for their second album, Max Merritt's Meteors. They then moved to Sydney, Australia, in December 1964.

Sydney and Shake (1965–1967)

In Sydney, The Meteors first appeared on Australian television on Johnny O'Keefe's show Sing Sing Sing. By April 1965, their second album was released on RCA Records. It had many different styles, including the song "So Long Babe." More singles followed, but Toi and Dick left to join Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs. Billy Kristian returned on bass, and Bruno Lawrence joined on drums.

In February 1966, The Meteors supported famous UK bands like the Rolling Stones and the Searchers on their tours. After a trip to New Zealand on a cruise ship (where Lawrence suddenly left the band), Max Merritt heard Otis Redding's song "Try a Little Tenderness" and recorded his own version in 1967.

The Meteors had many changes in band members during this time. By May, Max Merritt, with Bob Bertles on saxophone, Stewart "Stewie" Speer on drums, and John "Yuk" Harrison on bass guitar, decided to move to Melbourne.

Melbourne and Max Merritt and the Meteors (1967–1971)

In Melbourne, Max and his band found it hard to get regular shows at first. So, they traveled a lot around the state. On 24 June 1967, their van crashed head-on with a car near Bunyip. This was a very serious accident. Bertles broke a leg, Speer had both legs crushed, broke both arms, and lost parts of his fingers. Max Merritt lost his right eye and had scars on his face. It took the band almost a year to get better.

By July 1968, they competed in Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, a music competition. In 1969, RCA signed the group again. They released their first song in over two years, a cover of Jerry Butler's "Hey, Western Union Man," which reached number 13 on the Australian charts.

In early 1970, their third album, Max Merritt and the Meteors, came out. It had six original songs and five covers. It reached number 8 on the national album charts. Dave Russell (from Ray Columbus & the Invaders) replaced Harrison on bass. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) asked Max's band to make a four-part TV series called Max Merritt and the Meteors in Concert. In late 1970, they released Stray Cats. They followed this with the songs "Good Feelin'" and "Hello LA, Bye Bye Birmingham" in 1971, and "Let it Slide" in 1972. Neither the album nor these songs became big hits. Around this time, Max Merritt moved again, this time to England.

Living in England (1971–1976)

From early 1971, the group played in pubs around the UK. At first, they didn't have much success, but their popularity slowly grew. They supported famous bands like Slade and the Moody Blues on their tours.

In 1974, The Meteors broke up again. Max Merritt and Stewie Speer then found new members: John Gourd on guitar, slide guitar, and piano; Howard Deniz on bass; and Barry Duggan on sax and flute. This new group signed with Arista Records in the UK. They released A Little Easier in 1975, with the song "A Little Easier."

"Slippin' Away" was their second song from the album. It became very popular on the radio in Australia and New Zealand, reaching number 2 in Australia and number 5 in New Zealand. This hit song helped the album A Little Easier sell well, reaching number 4 on the Australian album charts. Another album, Out of the Blue (number 13, 1976), was released with a new version of "Let it Slide" (number 29) as a single in Australia.

During this time, the group played many shows in London pubs. In 1976, they played a memorable show at Alexandra Palace. Max had just traveled back from New Zealand to visit his dying mother, who passed away while he was on his way. By 1977, with the rise of punk rock, the band's popularity in UK pubs went down, and they mostly stopped playing together. Max Merritt then moved to the United States.

Living in the United States (1977–1999)

Max Merritt moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1977. He signed as a solo artist with Polydor Records, which released his album Keeping in Touch in 1979. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to live.

He toured Australia in 1979 and 1980. On his second tour, he formed a band with Stewie Speer on drums. This was Max and Stewie's last big tour together, as Stewie died of a heart attack on 16 September 1986. Max released the songs "Growing Pains" in 1982 and "Mean Green Fighting Machine" in 1986. The second song was used to promote the Canberra Raiders Rugby League team.

He toured Australia in 1991 with Brian Cadd (from The Groop and Axiom). Their band was called the Brian Cadd and Max Merritt Band. In late 1996, Max returned to Australia to tour the club and pub music scene.

Later Years and Passing (2000–2020)

Max Merritt toured Australia again in April 2001, playing a short series of club shows with Doug Parkinson, another veteran rocker from the 1960s. This tour brought new interest in Max's music. He spent April and May touring Australia with Parkinson in a show called "The Heart & Soul of Rock & Roll." In August and September 2002, he was part of the Long Way To The Top concert tour.

After that, whenever Max returned to Australia, a reformed Max Merritt & The Meteors band was in demand for special events and music festivals. These included the Melbourne Music & Blues Festival, the Perth Moonlight Festival, the Veterans Games in Alice Springs, the Queenscliff Festival, and the Toyota Muster in Gympie. In April 2006, the group played at the Byron Bay Blues Festival and the Gladstone Harbour Festival.

In mid-April 2007, Max Merritt was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital. He was diagnosed with a rare and serious illness that affected his kidneys and lungs. Max was struggling with his health and money. So, his manager Wal Bishop and friends from the Australian music industry organized a Concert for Max. This benefit concert was held at the Palais Theatre, St Kilda, Victoria, on 21 October 2007, and raised $200,000 to help him. On 1 July 2008, Max Merritt was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame by Glenn A. Baker. Max was joined on stage by Kasey Chambers and Bill Chambers to perform "Slipping Away."

Max Merritt passed away in Los Angeles, California, on 24 September 2020, at the age of 79. This was 13 years after he was diagnosed with his serious illness. Before he died, Max had recorded a new album called I Can Dream. The album was released on 27 November 2020.

Max Merritt's Music Albums

Max Merritt released several studio albums during his career. His album Max Merritt and the Meteors reached number 7 on the Australian charts in 1970. His album A Little Easier reached number 10 in Australia in 1975, helped by the hit song "Slippin' Away." His last album, I Can Dream, was released after his passing in 2020.

He also released live albums, like Back Home Live in 1977, and several compilation albums that collected his best songs, such as The Very Best of Max Merritt & The Meteors in 2001.

Awards and Honors

ARIA Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a yearly event that celebrates great music in Australia. Max Merritt was honored in 2008.

Aotearoa Music Awards

The Aotearoa Music Awards (also known as New Zealand Music Awards) are a yearly event that celebrates great music in New Zealand. The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame honors important New Zealand musicians. Max Merritt was added to this Hall of Fame in 2020.

Band Members

Here are some of the musicians who played in Max Merritt & The Meteors, Max Merritt's Meteors, or The Meteors over the years:

See also

In Spanish: Max Merritt para niños