Roy D. Mercer

Tulsa, Oklahoma radio personalities Brent Douglas and Phil Stone invented the Roy D. Mercer persona as a rural counterpart to the Jerky Boys, whose routines consist solely of prank telephone calls. The character emerged from local anonymity in 1997 after moving beyond a recurring segment on the pair’s broadcast to sign with Capitol Records. That same February saw the simultaneous arrival of two Mercer collections, How Big 'a Boy Are Ya?, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, with additional installments in the series appearing at a steady and rapid pace thereafter. In 2001 the announcers departed from the established pattern for Roy D. Mercer vs. Yankees, an album marked by its pointed aversion to New York City. Family Album reverted to the earlier How Big 'a Boy Are Ya? approach in 2002. Hits the Road (2003), Get Well Soon (2004), and Black & Blue (2006) maintained the same trajectory.