Merrilee rush biography band

Another single, credited to The Statics and Tiny Tonyappeared late in ; one listen to "Harlem Shuffle," a cover of the hit by Bob and Earlproves she was wrong about one thing: Merrilee has insisted she "wasn't that good" in those days, yet in reality her smoky vocal sound a contrast to her sweet-and-innocent looks set her apart from most female vocalists, particulary the white suburban ones.

This girl had the goods! Her vocals and the arrangement on "Tell Me the Truth" had a much more rocking vibe, a direction she was to explore further in the British-influenced merrilee rush biography band environment of post-' The sound evolved a bit for the better with "It's Alright" on Ru-Ro Neil's own label, also an outlet for a couple of other local bands.

Two singles were issued on Merrilin Records young entrepreneurs! One catch was she had to use a different backing band, the Board of Directors. They toured the southeast and Merrilee was later asked to attended recording sessions with the Raiders, where she met Chips Moman. The record was release in and shot to 7 on Billboard. Merrilee received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary female vocalist of the year.

Over the next several years, Merrilee continued to record and tour, switching labels a couple of times. She still lives in the Seattle area and together they breed and raise Sheepdogs, which she has been doing since the late 70s. Merrilee still plays oldies shows, fairs and conventions around the country, but mostly in the northeast.

July 28, University Libraries of the University of Washington. University of Washington. Retrieved April 13, The Book of Golden Discs 2nd ed. London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. ISBN Awards and Shows. Archived from the original on June 22, Retrieved June 22, Retrieved November 10, External links [ edit ]. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Merrilee Rush.

But all was not what it appeared to be. And ultimately Rush parlayed her success into seven nonstop years of solo touring -- including a major gig in at The Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, where she appeared alongside the likes of comedian Don Adams and the Carpenters. But whenever possible Rush also returned home, taking on rather more humble gigs where she could perform for old friends.

In she played at the Aquarius Tavern, the hippie-era identity of the old Parker's Ballroom. By this point, the original fans of Northwest rock were aging and nostalgia was beginning to settle in and she was invited to participate in the big Northwest Rock 'n' Roll Revival concert at Seattle's Paramount Theatre -- a gig which also featured her fellow first-generation rock stars the Kingsmen, the Frantics, the Viceroys, Dave Lewis, Don and the Goodtimes, and the Wailers.

The following year United issued her Merrilee Rush album United Artistsand the singles "Rainstorm" and "Save Me" -- which entered Billboard on June 11, charted for seven weeks, and peaked at No. The year also saw the end of her marriage. In the years since the split, Neil Rush operated several recording studios, record labels, and other businesses including the Artists Development Management firm and Entertainment Authorities.

Merrilee rush biography band

For the rest of and most ofMerrilee Rush took a break from showbiz. She settled into a rustic old house on the acre parcel along the Redmond-Fall City Road that her maternal grandfather -- George Magnuson, who had emigrated from Sweden in -- developed as a dairy farm. She also took up the raising of Arabian horses and Old English Sheepdogs. Meanwhile, during a gig at the Swinger Lounge in Miami Beach, Florida, back inshe had crossed paths with a talented New Orleans-based pianist named Billy "Mac" McCarthy who was also working there with his band.

Fate saw to it that the very same night that her pianist quit, Mac's band was fired. Thus began their musical partnership, performing together while touring the nation for the following decade, and along the way the duo married. Mac fell right in with Merrilee's circle of musician friends in the Northwest and remained busy performing and recording.

And before long a new tradition developed: the annual MacFest on their farm, with musicians gathering each summer and performing for each other. Merrilee also carved out a sideline activity of recording TV and radio jingles including for the Bon Marche, Metro Transit, and the Washington Dairy Council and in she remained in demand as a performer at conventions and county fairs far and wide.

It featured the Wailers, Jr. By Rush was fronting a new quintet, The Edge, playing big local rooms like Parkers -- which had reverted back from the Aquarius. In Rush was invited to contribute to the Seattle Helps the Hungry fund-raising benefit project. Cadillac, Rail, the Dynette Set, the Cowboys, and more. By Rush was gigging at Chicago's in the Lower Queen Anne Hill neighborhood with Billy Mac and the Knives, and she was also being included in the growing wave of "oldies" revue shows over on the East Coast.

Smith once recalled the stage-show elements that made them such an entertainment powerhouse: "What we had at that time was Decades later, Neil Rush recalled: "We drove into town in our little Volkswagen bus all painted up [with the Statics' logo]