Remembering Merl Saunders

A couple of weeks ago I was driving home from the Witches Ball in Denver where I had performed with Tuatha. It was the usual late night drive from Denver to Fort Collins and I usually bring music to play to keep my mind occupied and alert. I was driving a Subaru with a tape deck, so I brought a batch of cassettes that I don’t get to listen to often. The first thing I played was “Go” by Stomu Yamashta (A great album that includes Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve and Al DiMeola. Worth seeking out if you’ve never heard it). The other side of the tape was “Sports” by Huey Lewis and the News. That didn’t fit the mood, so I pulled out an old reliable, “Live at The Keystone” by Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders, John Kahn and Bill Vitt. This recording is one of my favorites of Jerry. He was playing just a Fender Stratocaster into Fender Twin Reverb amps with no effects. It’s basic and pure and his playing is lyrical and inspiring. Being a guitar player I always tune into what’s going on in guitar land.

But not on this night. The organ caught my ear. It took me back to nights in San Francisco or Berkeley hearing that band at some club or dance hall. I could see in my mind’s eye Merl with his black leather cap rocking behind the keyboard with a grin on his face. Listening as I drove I could hear the details of his playing, how he’d change the drawbar settings or change the speed of the Leslie speaker cabinet’s rotors. And I really keyed into his playing; how he’d comp behind Jerry’s solos keeping the groove going or his soloing. I’d forgotten just how good his playing was. And the whole band, John Kahn with his Motown and blues influences and the solid drumming of Bill Vitt from Elvis’ TCB Band, holding down songs like “Hi Heel Sneakers,” “I Second That Emotion” or “How Sweet It Is.” I rode that music all the way to Fort Collins and had it ringing in my ears the next day.

That’s when I learned Merl Saunders had passed away.

At one of those shows at the Longshoreman’s Hall in SF, I met Jerry, Merl and Tom Fogerty, the former Credence Clearwater Revival guitarist, who was playing with them at the time. I was with two of my bandmates, Ronnie Lee Smith and Richard “Snakehips” Sinkler and we had a quantity of a candy called “Zots” with us. Zots had a hard candy coating with a fizzy candy in the middle so when you got through the outside layer you got a little tongue rush. We’d already shared some with members of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks who were also on the bill. Singer Maryanne Price took one from us reluctantly but after a few minutes turned to me with a smile and said, “Can I have another?”

There was no real backstage area, just a place beside the stage where the musicians gathered before taking the stage. We decided to share our stash with Jerry, Merl and Tom asking, “Would you like a Zots? It’ll give you a rush.” Tom Fogerty was quite apprehensive. “It’s not drugs is it? We’ve got to play.” Jerry was more direct. “Candy rots your teeth,” he told us explaining that he’d recently had a bunch of dental work done. Merl was more laid back and I don’t remember his comments, but it broke the ice. We shared a little herb and I mostly talked to Jerry about his pedal steel playing complimenting it highly. He took it with a grain of salt, as he didn’t think he was that good at it and quit playing it around that time.

They were kind and tolerant of us young fans. Soon they were on stage and delivering the goods. I remember most being on the dance floor and sharing smiles and more Zots with one of the Lickettes. It was a good night.

I told Laura about listening to Merl on the way home from the gig in Denver. She just smiled and said, “It was his way of saying goodbye.”

Goodbye Merl Saunders. Thanks for the music. I guess Jerry, John and Tom needed an organ player. RIP.