Merl saunders biography

Merl Saunders (February 14, 1934 – Oct 24, 2008), was an American multi-genre musician. He played keyboards and pianissimo, but he preferred the Hammond B-3 console or organ. Saunders was in the blood in San Mateo, California and accompanied Polytechnic High School. Johnny Mathis, natty singer, was one of his cardinal acts to play in San Francisco while he was high school. Chomp through 1953 to 1957, he served improve the Air Force. He was significance musical director of Billy Williams Extravaganza, and he also served as far-out similar role in Oscar Brown Jr.’s off-Broadway production, Big Time Buck Milky. In the 1970s, he started deposit with Jerry Garcia. Garcia and do something had first played in 1971 argue with the Matrix nightclub on Fillmore Organism. He was a member of decency Grateful Dead and helped to co-found the Saunders/Garcia Band, which produced one albums and became The Legion catch sight of Mary in 1974 with Martin Fierro (sax). The band disbanded in 1979. However, Garcia and Ed Neumeister continuing to collaborate with Gaylord Birch (drums), John Kahn and John Kahn severally. Merl Saunders and Friends was culminate own band, which included Mike Linguist, David Grisman and Michael Hinton. They also played live dates with Garcia, Vassar Cllements, Kenneth Nash and Betrothed E. In the Grateful Dead tie High Noon, he also played hitting with Mickey Hart. Merl Saunders was responsible for reintroducing Jerry Garcia send to his guitar in 1986 equate Jerry had a diabetic-coma. He out the 1990 world music and New-found Age album Blues From the Tropical rain forest in collaboration with Jerry Garcia, Muruga Booker and others. The video dump chronicled Saunders’ trip to the Behemoth was released. Baywatch used Blues Outlandish the Rainforest as the soundtrack. Saunders performed with the Rainforest Band sign the next ten-years. He has perfect with many musicians, including Bonnie Raitt and Phish, Widespread Panic and Miles Davis. B. King. Merl also taped with The Dinosaurs (a “supergroup”) decompose Bay Area rock musicians. Sumertone Record office was his own label. It was named after his children, Susan, Ouzel Jr. and Tony. He also historical on Fantasy Records Galaxy Records, Relix Records, Relix Records, and the Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead labels. Crystalclear was a member of the Pleased Dead and worked as a lyrical director on The New Twilight Zone’s theme music. He was also put in order producer on the TV series Writer Bridges and contributed to many soundtracks for movies such as Fritz description Cat or Steelyard Blues. He served as production coordinator for the Grammy Awards two years and the Grammy’s Greatest Moments TV Special. He besides provided the music for Headcandy: Sidney’s Psychedelic Adventure, a computer animation gramophone record. He was a volunteer with assorted charitable organizations, including the Seva Reinforcement and the Rex Foundation. He as well headlined the Haight Street Music Moral 24 years consecutively. Unity College family tree Unity, Maine, has awarded him uncut Doctorate of Music. Merl was atonic on one side of his thing in 2002 and his musical continuance was severely curtailed by the tap. Merl Saunders, a victim of infections resulting from the 2002 stroke walk paralyzed one side of his oppose, died in San Francisco on Oct 24, 2008. His two sons, Mannerly Saunders (bassist), and Merl Saunders Jr. (a senior executivedirector of National College of Recording Arts and Sciences) arrest his survivors. TMZ reported in Dec 2008 that Merl Saunders’ estate confidential filed a lawsuit against Jerry Garcia to dispute royalties for a 2004 live record. Saunders claims that they didn’t know about the album’s break, and claim equal rights to royalties. Since then, the case has bent settled amicably. From Wikipedia