MAX MERRITT AND THE METEORS

Before coming to Australia, Max Merritt and The Meteors became the second most popular band in New Zealand behind The Invaders which played a beat pop style while The Meteors tackled rock'n'roll, soul and R&B. The Meteors' line-up of Merritt, Peter Williams (guitar), Teddy Toi (bass) and Johnny Dick (drums) recorded material for their second album, 'Max Merritt's Meteors', then relocated to Sydney in December 1964.

In Sydney, The Meteors made their first Australian television appearance on Johnny O'Keefe's Sing Sing Sing. By April 1965, their second album titled 'Max Merritt's Meteors' was finally released on RCA Records and contained a range of styles, including the single "So Long Baby". Other singles followed but Toi and Dick left to join Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs and were eventually replaced by former member Billy Kristian on bass and Bruno Lawrence on drums. During February 1966, visiting UK acts The Rolling Stones and The Searchers were supported on tour by Max Merritt and The Meteors. After a cruise ship gig to New Zealand (during which Bruno abruptly left the group) Merritt heard Otis Redding's version of "Try a Little Tenderness" and recorded his own cover in 1967. Turmoil within The Meteors saw a rapid turn-over of members and by May, Merritt with Bob Bertles on saxophone, Stewart "Stewie" Speer on drums and John "Yuk" Harrison on bass guitar, decided to relocate to Melbourne.

In Melbourne, Merritt and his band initially found it difficult obtaining regular gigs and so travelled widely through the state. On 24 June 1967 the van they were travelling in to Morwell collided head-on with a car near Bunyip—Bertles suffered a broken leg, Speer had both legs crushed, broke both arms and lost the tops off several fingers, and Merrit lost his right eye and had his face scarred. It took the band nearly a year to recover, and by July 1968 they competed in the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds finishing behind winners The Groove, The Masters Apprentices and Doug Parkinson.

1969 saw the group re-signed by RCA and they released their first single for over two years, a cover of Jerry Butler's "Hey, Western Union Man", which reached #15 on the Australian singles charts in 1969. In early 1970 their third album 'Max Merritt and the Meteors' was released with six original tracks and five covers, it reached #7 on the National albums chart. Dave Russell (ex-Ray Columbus & the Invaders) replaced Harrison on bass and Merritt's band were asked by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to provide a four-part TV series Max Merritt and the Meteors in Concert. Late 1970 they released the album'Stray Cats' and followed with singles, "Good Feelin'" and "Hello LA, Bye Bye Birmingham" in 1971, and "Let it Slide" in 1972 but neither album nor singles charted well. By that time, Merritt had relocated again - this time to England.

In London from early 1971, the group played the UK pub circuit, initially with little success but slowly their popularity grew and they supported Slade and The Moody Blues on their tours. In 1974, however, The Meteors fell apart again, leaving Merritt and Speer to recruit John Gourd on guitar, slide guitar and piano; Howard Deniz on bass and Barry Duggan on sax and flute. This line-up were signed by US based Arista Records for their newly established UK label and released the album 'A Little Easier' with the title single "A Little Easier" in 1975. "Slippin' Away" was their second single from the album and captured the attention of radio listeners in both Australia and New Zealand, reaching #2 in Australia and #5 in New Zealand.

Their best performed single drove the sales of 'A Little Easier' which reached #10 on the Australian album charts. Another album 'Out of the Blue' (#13, 1976) was released with a renewed version of "Let it Slide" (#29) as a single in Australia. During this time the group played regular gigs at the White Hart in Willesden Green, the Nashville Rooms in West Kensington, the Windsor Castle on the Harrow Road and in 1976 played a memorable gig at Alexandra Palace where Merritt got to the gig on the day after travelling back from New Zealand to visit his dying mother, who unfortunately died while he was en route. By 1977, with the advent of punk rock the band's popularity on the UK pub circuit had declined and they effectively disbanded. Merritt then relocated to the US. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, drummer Jimmy Hill was being treated for a heart ailment at Gosford Hospital when he died in 2000. Drummer Stewie Speer died in 1986. Drummer Johnny Dick died in 2017. Max Merritt died in 2020. Teddy Toi died in 2022.

Members

Max Merritt (vocals, guitar, drums), Ross Clancy (sax), Ian Glass (bass), Peter Patene (piano), Pete Sowden (drums), Will Schneider (sax), Rod Gibson (sax), Bernie Jones (drums), Billy Kristian (piano, bass), Maurice Cook (guitar), Geoff Cox (guitar), Peter Williams (guitar), Johnny Dick (drums), Mike Angland (bass), Teddy Toi (bass), John Blake (bass), Bill Flemming (drums), Jimmy Hill (drums), Bruno Lawrence (drums), Bob Bertles(sax), Stewie Speer (drums), John 'Yuk' Harrison (bass), Barry Dugan (sax), John Gourd (guitar, piano), Howard "Fuzz" Deniz (bass), Lance Dixon (keyboards, sax)

SINGLES

''Soft Surfie / She's Everything I Wanted You To Be'' 1963 Zodiac
''Many Things / Thinking Of You'' 1964 Viking
''So Long, Baby / You're Treating Me Bad'' 1965 RCA
''Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (#94) / I've Been Trying'' 1965 RCA
''You Deserve What You've Got / I Want So Much To Know You'' 1965 Parlophone
''I Can't Help Myself (#58) / Shake'' 1966 Parlophone
''Fannie Mae (#88) / Baby, Come Home'' 1966 Parlophone
''Western Union Man (#15) / Home Is Where The Heart Is'' 1969 RCA
''Hello L.A., Bye-Bye Birmingham / Live Levi's'' 1971 RCA
''Good Feelin' / I Can't Wait'' 1971 RCA
''Let It Slide / Dedicated To A Friend'' 1972 RCA
''A Little Easier / Long Time Gone'' 1975 Arista
''Slipping Away (#2) / I Keep Forgettin'' 1975 Arista
''Let It Slide (#32) / Whisper In My Ear / Coming Back'' 1976 Arista
''Take Part Of Me / Blame It On The Reggae'' 1976 Arista

EPs

'Shake' 1966 Parlophone

ALBUMS

'Max Merritt's Meteors' 1965 RCA
'Max Merritt & The Meteors' (#7) 1970 RCA
'Stray Cats' 1971 RCA
'A Little Easier' (#10) 1975 Arista

'Out Of The Blue' (#13) 1976 Arista
'Back Home Live' 1977 Arista
'Been Away Too Long' 2012 Los Traxx

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Merritt

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/