Scott Merritt
OriginBrantford, Ontario, Canada
GenresFolk/pop/rock
Occupationssinger-songwriter, record producer
Years active1970s-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.

Discography

  • Desperate Cosmetics (1979)
  • Serious Interference (1983)
  • Gravity Is Mutual (1986)
  • Violet and Black (1990)
  • The Detour Home (2002)
  • Of (2015)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Scott Merritt at canoe.ca's Pop Music Encyclopedia.
  2. ↑ "Juno nominations list contains many faces that are familiar". The Globe and Mail, September 9, 1986.
  3. ↑ "It's summertime, and folkies find the pickin' is easy". The Globe and Mail, June 23, 1978.
  4. ↑ "Folk contingent to visit U.S., Mexico". The Globe and Mail, September 27, 1983.
  5. ↑ "A singer who comes to life in the midnight hour". The Globe and Mail, December 13, 1984.
  6. 1 2 "Scott Merritt pleasing others en route to pleasing himself". Toronto Star, June 27, 1986.
  7. ↑ "Jane Siberry, the enigma of pop, seems headed for commercial success". Kingston Whig-Standard, October 18, 1985.
  8. ↑ "Gravity Is Mutual: Scott Merritt". The Globe and Mail, June 19, 1986.
  9. ↑ "Scott Merritt lets songs do his talking". Toronto Star, August 31, 1990.
  10. 1 2 "From factories to Ferris wheels". The Globe and Mail, September 12, 2002.
  11. ↑ "Scott Merritt Goes Lo-Fi on Latest Eaglesmith Album". Houston Press, December 20, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Acoustic Waves series draws new faces". Ottawa Citizen, September 21, 1995.
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