Biography
Max Merritt & The Meteors was a New Zealand rock'n'roll band formed in 1956 in Christchurch NZ, by the then 15 year old Max Merritt (born Maxwell James Merritt in Christchurch on 30 April 1941; died 24 September 2020). The band's early recordings have provided an source of inspiration for several generations of New Zealand garage bands
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Merritt became renowned as an interpreter of soul music and R&B. As leader of Max Merritt & The Meteors, their best remembered 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.
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