Biography
Merl Saunders helped establish the Hammond B-3 organ as a fixture across jazz, blues, and rock circles during the 1970s, lending its distinctive warmth to both studio dates and concert appearances with a wide range of acclaimed artists. In addition to fronting his own ensembles and contributing as a hired player, he earned widespread notice through repeated partnerships with Grateful Dead singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia. Beyond occasional guest spots with the Dead, Saunders joined Garcia on several side ventures, among them the intense 1973 live album Live at the Keystone and later stage collaborations in groups such as Legion of Mary and Reconstruction.
Valentine’s Day 1934 marked his birth in San Mateo, California, where he began piano studies at age ten and counted Johnny Mathis among his junior-high classmates and bandmates. Watching enthusiastic crowds and performers at shows by figures like Cab Calloway persuaded him to make music his career. Early experience included a stint with Jimmy Smith, followed by studies at several music schools.
Beginning in the early 1970s, Saunders sustained an intermittent association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead while carving out a separate path as a jazz keyboardist, appearing and recording with Harry Belafonte, Frank Sinatra, Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, and Paul Butterfield.
One of his numerous joint releases with Jerry Garcia, Blues from the Rainforest, reached the Top Five of Billboard’s new-age chart in the early 1990s. That effort led to the formation of the ecologically themed Rainforest Band, which he headed for the next ten years and which issued three further albums. He also founded his own Sumertone label, which housed much of his catalog together with releases on Fantasy. In 1998 he delivered his twentieth album as a leader, With His Funky Friends: Live! (Sumertone), featuring John Popper of Blues Traveler, Trey Anastasio of Phish, and previously unreleased recordings from his work with Garcia.
Beyond a demanding tour schedule, the San Francisco resident composed scores for television and film projects including Tales from the Crypt, Twilight Zone, Heavy Traffic, and Fritz the Cat. He served two years as production coordinator for the Grammy Awards and supported organizations such as the Rainforest Action Network and the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic.
Saunders maintained an active role as performer, bandleader, composer, and collaborator until a 2002 stroke left one side of his body paralyzed; complications from the stroke claimed his life on October 24, 2008. Two tribute concerts took place the following year in San Francisco to celebrate his musical legacy. Additional material has surfaced on later archival sets, most prominently the Garcialive series, which began issuing recordings of various Jerry Garcia ensembles in 2013, several featuring Saunders on keyboards.
Valentine’s Day 1934 marked his birth in San Mateo, California, where he began piano studies at age ten and counted Johnny Mathis among his junior-high classmates and bandmates. Watching enthusiastic crowds and performers at shows by figures like Cab Calloway persuaded him to make music his career. Early experience included a stint with Jimmy Smith, followed by studies at several music schools.
Beginning in the early 1970s, Saunders sustained an intermittent association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead while carving out a separate path as a jazz keyboardist, appearing and recording with Harry Belafonte, Frank Sinatra, Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, and Paul Butterfield.
One of his numerous joint releases with Jerry Garcia, Blues from the Rainforest, reached the Top Five of Billboard’s new-age chart in the early 1990s. That effort led to the formation of the ecologically themed Rainforest Band, which he headed for the next ten years and which issued three further albums. He also founded his own Sumertone label, which housed much of his catalog together with releases on Fantasy. In 1998 he delivered his twentieth album as a leader, With His Funky Friends: Live! (Sumertone), featuring John Popper of Blues Traveler, Trey Anastasio of Phish, and previously unreleased recordings from his work with Garcia.
Beyond a demanding tour schedule, the San Francisco resident composed scores for television and film projects including Tales from the Crypt, Twilight Zone, Heavy Traffic, and Fritz the Cat. He served two years as production coordinator for the Grammy Awards and supported organizations such as the Rainforest Action Network and the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic.
Saunders maintained an active role as performer, bandleader, composer, and collaborator until a 2002 stroke left one side of his body paralyzed; complications from the stroke claimed his life on October 24, 2008. Two tribute concerts took place the following year in San Francisco to celebrate his musical legacy. Additional material has surfaced on later archival sets, most prominently the Garcialive series, which began issuing recordings of various Jerry Garcia ensembles in 2013, several featuring Saunders on keyboards.
Albums
Live
