Alan Merrill

Few musicians navigated a path through the industry as varied as Alan Merrill. Across decades he rose to prominence in Japan, hosted a television program in England, composed a rock standard that proved timeless, fronted multiple groups, served as a sought-after supporting player for leading artists, and still found room for his own recordings. As a vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and songwriter, Merrill earned recognition in Japan through his tenure with the pop outfit the Lead and the glam unit Vodka Collins, whereas in England the glam-tinged group the Arrows notched several chart entries and cut "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" long before Joan Jett turned it into an American success. During the 2000s he launched a renewed solo phase, issuing a consistent sequence of discs that blended fresh material with archival tracks. Although a full survey of his work would demand an expansive box set, the 2002 collection Cupid Deranged—containing fresh versions of a broad selection of his compositions—offers an effective introduction, while his self-titled 1985 solo effort remains an underappreciated recording populated by notable guests.

Born Allan Preston Sachs in the Bronx, New York, on February 19, 1951, Merrill grew up with a mother, Helen Merrill, already established as a respected jazz singer, and a father, Aaron Sachs, whose saxophone and clarinet work had placed him alongside Benny Goodman, Stan Getz, and Earl "Fatha" Hines. He was also a distant relative of songwriter Laura Nyro. Between the ages of 9 and 13 he attended boarding school in Switzerland; upon returning to the United States he played in several short-lived ensembles, among them the Rayne, the Kaleidoscope, and Watertower West. At 18 he auditioned successfully for the Baroque pop band the Left Banke, yet the group disbanded before he could appear with them. With Helen Merrill then residing in Japan, Allan chose to relocate there after the Left Banke opportunity collapsed. He encountered a lively local rock scene filled with Beatles-inspired acts drawing crowds of enthusiastic young fans and sensed an opening for himself. Adopting the streamlined name Alan Merrill, he joined the Lead, a band whose members were all born outside Japan. The group secured a contract with RCA Victor and scored a substantial Japanese hit with "Akuma ga kureta Aoi Bara," also known as "Blue Rose," though immigration difficulties forced two members to depart, prompting Merrill to pursue a solo route. His appeal and appearance positioned him as teen-idol material, leading to regular appearances on youth-oriented television, a role in a soap opera, successful modeling work, and the release of Merrill 1 (1971) and Alone in Tokyo (1972).

Seeking a tougher musical direction, Merrill abandoned solo performances to assemble the glam rock band Vodka Collins. Their first album, Tokyo-New York, surfaced in 1973 and yielded popular singles such as "Sands of Time," yet dissatisfaction with management prompted him to leave the group and relocate to London. There he formed the Arrows, another glam-styled act, which signed to Mickie Most’s RAK label. The Arrows reached the charts with "Touch Too Much" and "My Last Night with You," but lasting recognition came from the B-side of "Broken Down Heart"—the track "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," conceived as a response to the Rolling Stones’ "It’s Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)." A televised performance of the song proved so popular that the single was re-pressed with it as the A-side, and the exposure also secured the Arrows their own U.K. television series. A conflict with Most, however, resulted in his refusal to issue further Arrows recordings, and the band dissolved at the close of 1978. Joan Jett, then touring England, witnessed that pivotal broadcast and immediately recognized the song’s potential; her own 1981 cover, with gender references reversed, reached the top of the U.S. singles chart.

Immediately after the Arrows ended, Merrill formed Runner alongside Steve Gould, formerly of Rare Bird. The new band obtained deals with Acrobat in the U.K. and Island in the U.S.; their self-titled debut enjoyed modest American chart success, remaining listed for four weeks, yet creative tensions surfaced and Runner disbanded before completing a second album. Merrill then moved from London to New York City, where he joined Rick Derringer’s band, performing with him from 1980 to 1983 and appearing on releases such as Good Dirty Fun. In 1985 Polydor issued the solo album Alan Merrill, which included contributions from Steve Winwood and Mick Taylor, though commercial response was limited; it was later reissued in 1998 as Never Pet a Burning Dog. Merrill next joined Meat Loaf’s touring band in 1986, remaining until 1990. After departing, he composed the theme for the HBO children’s series Encyclopedia Brown and took a recurring acting role as rock musician Casey Sparks.

Even after a 15-year absence from Japan, Merrill retained a following there, and in 1990 he returned for a Vodka Collins reunion tour. The concerts proved highly successful, leading the group to record three additional albums: Chemical Reaction (1996), Pink Soup (1997), and Boy’s Life (1998). Back in New York City, he released Cupid Deranged in 2002, presenting newly recorded versions of 21 songs spanning his career. That project initiated a steady flow of solo albums throughout the 2000s and 2010s, among them Double Shot Rocks (2003), a tribute to Arthur Alexander and Otis Blackwell, Rive Gauche (2007), an homage to the Left Banke, and Songer Singwriter (2013), a collection of rare and previously unreleased material. He continued performing in Japan, Europe, the U.K., and regularly in New York City. Alan Merrill died on March 29, 2020, while receiving treatment for COVID-19, two weeks after what proved to be his final concert; he was 69.