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Artist
Alan Merrill
12+ albums
j-poppopbritpopgsuk-pop
about
One very important fact about Alan Merrill: He was the lead singer and songwriter of the first and original 1975 version of "I Love Rock N Roll" with his band, The Arrows. The song has become an enduring international rock anthem, recorded by Joan Jett, Britney Spears, and many others. Joan Jett saw Merrill perform the song on a British television pop show in '76, while on tour with her band, The Runaways, and she was deeply inspired. Her 1982 version of the song was #1 for 8 weeks in the USA. Alan Merrill was literally born into the world of music. Named Allan Sachs at birth, his parents, Helen Merrill, and sax/clarinetist Aaron Sachs of Earl 'Fatha' Hines Band, are world-renowned musicians. After starting to play music in semi-pro bands in Greenwich Village, Alan eventually moved to Japan in his late teens. Starting his professional career in music with the RCA-Victor Tokyo-based recording group, The Lead, in 1968, Alan replaced Mark Elder as guitarist in the band. They had one hit single, titled "Blue Rose." It was also then that his management changed his professional name to Alan Merrill. When The Lead broke up, Merrill went solo, recording two popular albums: "Merrill 1" and "Alone In Tokyo" in 1970 -'71. He became the biggest foreign pop star in Japan's domestic market, hosting his own segment on the popular TV show "Young 720," acting in the soap opera "Ji Kan Desu-yo," and being featured in commercials, including major campaigns for Nissan cars and Jun clothing.
