Jerry Merrick was an American folk singer-songwriter. His songs have been recorded by

Richie Havens Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk, soul (both of which he frequently covered), and rhythm and blues. He had a rhythmic guitar styl ...

B.J. Thomas Billy Joe Thomas (August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021) was an American singer widely known for his pop, country and Christian hits of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Popular songs by Thomas include " Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin ...

Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country music and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He was bes ...

, and

Susan Tedeschi Susan Tedeschi (; born November 9, 1970) is an American singer and guitarist. A multiple Grammy Award nominee, she is a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, a conglomeration of her band, her husband Derek Trucks’ and other musicians. Early ...

. Merrick is best known for writing "Follow," which appeared on the 1967 Richie Havens LP ''Mixed Bag'' (MCA Verve/Folkways), which ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' called a "Sixties folk epic."Barry Walters, "''Hope and Desire'':Review", ''

'', November 17, 2005
link
Havens also performed the song in concert appearances at the

Newport Folk Festival Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. It was one of the first modern music festivals in America, and remains a foc ...

and Carnegie Hall. It has since appeared on the soundtracks of several films. Merrick also wrote "From the Prison," which Richie Havens recorded for his second studio LP, ''

Something Else Again ''Something Else Again'' is the second studio album by American folk singer and guitarist Richie Havens, released in January 1968. The track "Run, Shaker Life" was based on a Shaker dance song by elder Issachar Bates and reworked from Havens' ol ...

'', released in January 1968. Havens opened his set at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair ("Woodstock") with "From the Prison", Havens was the opening act at Woodstock, so Merrick's song thus has the distinction of being the first song sung at Woodstock. Subsequently, Merrick went on to record an album of original compositions for

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

, released in 1969. Following this he moved his family away from New York City and teamed up briefly with fellow Mercury artist

Kenny Rankin Kenneth Joseph Rankin (February 10, 1940 – June 7, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter in the folk rock and singer-songwriter genres; he was influenced by jazz. Rankin would often sing notes in a high range to express emotion. Biogr ...

to appear on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 2010� ...

'' and open for

Flip Wilson Clerow "Flip" Wilson Jr. (December 8, 1933 – November 25, 1998) was an American comedian and actor best known for his television appearances during the late 1960s and 1970s. From 1970 to 1974, Wilson hosted his own weekly variety series '' The ...

in various venues throughout the US. He later decided to focus on his growing family, eventually leading him to withdraw from the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, trai ...

Meanwhile, his song "Guess I'll Pack My Things" was recorded by Tom Ghent on his self-titled debut for

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentri ...

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. This led B.J. Thomas to include the song on his 1970 Scepter album, ''Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head.'' Jerry Jeff Walker later recorded Merrick's "The Stranger (He Was the Kind)" on his double album ''A Man Must Carry On.'' Walker also included "Follow" on his Electra release, ''Jerry Jeff.'' In 1999, Merrick located temporarily in Nashville, Tennessee. During this time he recorded ''Suddenly I'll Know You,'' produced by Tom Ghent on his Sutherland Records label. Jerry Merrick died on January 2, 2019, from thyroid cancer.

Discography

* ''Follow'' (1969, Mercury Records) * ''Suddenly I'll Know You'' (2002, Sutherland Records)

Filmography

* ''Coming Home'' (1978) with Jane Fonda and Jon Voight * ''Flying Blind'' (1992 TV movie) with Corey Parker, Téa Leoni, Robert Bauer * ''The War'' (1994) with Elijah Wood, Kevin Costner,

Mare Winningham A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fou ...

* ''The Pallbearer'' (1996) with David Schwimmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Rapaport * ''Hideous Kinky'' (1998) with Kate Winslet, Saïd Taghmaoui, Bella Riza * The Practice (1998) Television series, final episode * ''A Walk on the Moon'' (1999) with Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen, Liev Schreiber * ''Steal This Movie'' (2000) with Vincent D'Onofrio, Janeane Garofalo, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Kevin Pollak * ''I'm Your Woman'' (2020) Amazon Studios * ''For All Mankind'' (2021) season 2, episode 7

References

External links

Jerry Merrick
Jerry Merrick website Year of birth missing 2019 deaths American male singer-songwriters {{US-singer-songwriter-stub