Max Merritt - 1964 - Good Golly Max Merritt

Good Golly Miss Molly/Everybody/Be My Baby/I Want to Hold Your Hand


The first Meteors were brought together by Max Merritt in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1956. After becoming one of the country's top bands while based in Auckland, they moved to Australia in 1964. The Meteors went through many personnel changes along the way, before arriving at their classic late-60s line-up of Max Merritt, Bob Bertles, Stewie Speer and John 'Yuk' Harrison. Their biggest hit didn't come till 1976, with Merritt's own composition Slipping Away

A record deal was struck with Viking Records in 1964 and their first release on that label was an EP called "Giddy Up Max", containing "Giddy Up A Ding Dong", "Almost Grown", "Little Bitty Pretty One" and "Sweet and Tender Romance". A single with "Giddy Up A Ding Dong" and "Sweet and Tender Romance" also came out. The releases didn't sell very well, but the band's musicianship so impressed Viking, that the Meteors became the label's house band. They provided backing for the label's solo artists, Tommy Adderley, Dinah Lee and Peter Posa.

Viking released a second EP called "Good Golly Max Merritt", also in 1964. Its contents were "Good Golly Miss Molly", "Everybody", "Be My Baby", and "I Want To Hold Your Hand". Peter Posa did a number of live shows in 1964 and 1965, and these were captured on vinyl on two occasions. Max Merritt and the Meteors contributed one track to each of the "Live On the Peter Posa Show" albums in 1964 and 1965.

 

Max Merritt - Shake

I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)/ I Want So Much to Know You/Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah/Shake


Max Merritt (born Maxwell James Merritt in Christchurch, New Zealand on 30 April 1941) is a New Zealand-born singer-songwriter and guitarist who is renowned as an interpreter of soul music and R&B. As leader of Max Merritt & The Meteors his best known hits are "Slippin' Away", which reached #2 on the 1976 Australian singles charts, and "Hey, Western Union Man" which reached #13. Merritt rose to prominence in New Zealand from 1958 and relocated to Sydney Australia in December 1964. Merritt was acknowledged as one of the best local performers of the 1960s and 1970s and his influence did much to popularise soul music / R&B and rock in New Zealand and Australia.
Merritt is a venerable pioneer of rock in Australasia who produced crowd pleasing shows for over 50 years. He has engendered respect and affection over generations of performers which was evident at the 2007 Concert for Max to provide financial support after it was announced he had Goodpasture's syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) recognised Merritt's iconic status on 1 July 2008 when he was inducted into their Hall of Fame.