Scott Merritt | |
---|---|
Origin | Brantford, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | Folk/pop/rock |
Occupations | singer-songwriter, record producer |
Years active | 1970s-present |
Scott Merritt is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer. [1] Most prominent in the 1980s, he was a shortlisted nominee for Most Promising Male Vocalist at the Juno Awards of 1986. [2]
Originally from Brantford, Ontario, [1] in the late 1970s Merritt launched a career as a folk music singer-songwriter, [1] performing both locally and on the folk festival circuit. [3] His debut album Desperate Cosmetics, released in 1979, was engineered by Daniel Lanois. [1]
He followed up with Serious Interference in 1983, [1] supported in part by a cultural exchange tour of the United States with artists including Brent Titcomb and Tamarack. [4] However, the album was not particularly successful, and Merritt began to pursue a more rock-oriented sound. [5]
He signed to Duke Street Records in 1985. [6] The label rereleased Serious Interference in early 1986, released his song "Transistor" as a single, and sent him out on tour as an opening act for Jane Siberry. [7] He followed up later the same year with his third album Gravity Is Mutual, [8] which was produced by Roma Baran and included guest contributions by Adrian Belew. [6] That album's lead single, "Overworked and Underprivileged", became Merritt's most successful song on radio. [1]
In 1990 his fourth album, Violet and Black, was released on Duke Street in Canada and IRS Records internationally. [1] The album was produced by Arthur Barrow. [9] However, both labels soon folded due to financial difficulties, leaving Merritt without a label.
He began at this time to concentrate on work as a recording engineer and record producer for other artists, [10] including Stephen Fearing, Grievous Angels, Ian Tamblyn, Lynn Miles, The Barmitzvah Brothers, James Gordon, Garnet Rogers, Suzie Vinnick and Fred Eaglesmith. [11] He continued to perform occasional live shows. [12]
In 2002, Merritt released The Detour Home on Universal/Maple Recordings, his first new album since 1990. [10]
His latest album, Of, was released in April 2015 as a limited edition vinyl and CD set.
Jane Siberry is a Canadian singer-songwriter, known for such hits as "Mimi on the Beach", "I Muse Aloud", "One More Colour" and "Calling All Angels". She performed the theme song to the television series Maniac Mansion. She has released material under the name Issa – an identity which she used formally between 2006 and 2009.
Stephen John Ging Fearing is a Canadian roots/folk singer-songwriter. In addition to his solo career, Fearing co-founded Canadian roots-rock supergroup Blackie and the Rodeo Kings with Colin Linden and Tom Wilson. He is one half of the duo Fearing & White, with Irish artist Andy White.
Spirit of the West were a Canadian folk rock band from North Vancouver, active from 1983 to 2016. They were popular on the Canadian folk music scene in the 1980s before evolving a blend of hard rock, Britpop, and Celtic folk influences which made them one of Canada's most successful alternative rock acts in the 1990s.
Duke Street Records was a Canadian independent record label established in 1984 by Andrew Hermant, but the record label ceased operating in 1994. The Universal Music Group took over the label when it halted operations.
Frederick John Elgersma, known by the stage name Fred Eaglesmith, is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. He is known for writing songs about vehicles, rural life, down-and-out characters, lost love and quirky rural folk. His songwriting uses techniques of short story writing, including unreliable narrators, surprise endings, and plot twists. In 2016, Eaglesmith toured extensively with his band.
William Patrick "Willie P." Bennett was a Canadian folk-music singer-songwriter, harmonica player, and mandolinist. Bennett was part of the 1970s folk music scene in Canada, and wrote and recorded many original songs. As well as performing as a solo artist, he was part of several well-known Ontario bands.
Sylvia Tyson, is a Canadian musician, performer, singer-songwriter and broadcaster. She is best known as part of the folk duo Ian & Sylvia, with Ian Tyson. Since 1993, she has been a member of the all-female folk group Quartette.
Chalk Circle was a Canadian alternative rock band formed in 1982 in Newcastle, Ontario. The band originally consisted of lead singer and guitarist Chris Tait, bassist Brad Hopkins, keyboardist Tad Winklarz and drummer Derrick Murphy.
The Juno Awards of 1986, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 10 November 1986 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by Howie Mandel at the Harbour Castle Hilton Hotel. CBC Television broadcast the ceremonies nationally.
Bernard Adamus is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Quebec, whose music draws on folk, blues, country and hip-hop influences.
Fat Man Waving was a Canadian folk-rock band from Ottawa, Ontario, active from 1987 to 1996. The band had a diverse, unclassifiable style which drew on folk, rock, Celtic and jazz influences, which made them popular with music critics — in 1990, Musician named them one of the 12 best unsigned acts in the world — but left record labels unsure how to market them effectively.
Michel Lemieux is a Canadian multimedia artist from Quebec, whose career has incorporated work in theatrical design, installation art, film, video, dance and music. First coming to prominence in the early 1980s as a performance artist whose work explored the integration of new media technologies into experimental pop music in a manner similar to Peter Gabriel and Laurie Anderson, more recently he has concentrated primarily on creating, designing, directing and producing multimedia theatrical presentations for events, theatrical companies and other artists.
Tchukon was a Canadian funk and R&B band, active from 1978 to 1990. Best known for winning CBC Television's 1985 music competition Rock Wars and being named Best Vocal Group in the 1986 edition of Star Search, the band ultimately released just one Juno Award-nominated album before dissolving.
Erroll Starr Francis is a Canadian rhythm and blues singer. He is most noted for winning the Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year in 1989 for his single "Angel".
Laura Vinson is a Canadian folk and country singer-songwriter. Prominent in the 1970s and 1980s as a mainstream country performer, in recent years she has concentrated primarily on recording and performing First Nations and Métis music.
Corin Sean Hillier Raymond is a Canadian folk rock and alternative country singer-songwriter. He is most noted for receiving a Juno Award nomination for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year for his album Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams at the Juno Awards of 2017.
Dusty is the 12th studio album by Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter Fred Eaglesmith. It was produced by Scott Merritt, and released by A Major Label on November 23, 2004.
Cherie Camp is a Canadian musician. She is most noted as cowriter with John Welsman of "Oh Love", a song from the film Nurse.Fighter.Boy which won the Genie Award for Best Original Song at the 30th Genie Awards.
Drive-In Movie is an album by the Canadian musician Fred Eaglesmith. It was released in 1996. Drive-In Movie was the first Eaglesmith album to be released in the United States. The album won a Juno Award, in the "Roots & Traditional Album, Solo" category.
Dave Nicol is a former Canadian folk singer-songwriter, most noted as the winner of the Juno Award for Most Promising Folk Singer at the Juno Awards of 1974.