Professional Career in Japan
In 1968, Merrill auditioned for the New York band, the Left Banke. The audition was successful, but the band dissolved. Shortly thereafter, he left to reside in Japan, and started his professional career there with the band The Lead, on RCA Victor Records. The band was a foreign Tokyo based act. The Lead had one hit single, "Aoi Bara" (Blue Rose), but the project soon fell apart when two American members of the group were deported.
In 1969 Merrill signed a solo management deal with Watanabe Productions, who contracted him to Atlantic Records, and changed his professional surname from Sachs ( pronounced sax) to Merrill because "Merrill" sounded less lascivious and was more commercially viable when spoken by young Japanese pop music fans. He recorded one album with Atlantic Records, "Alone In Tokyo", which yielded one hit single, "Namida" (Teardrops), and he became the first foreign domestic market pop star in the Japanese Group Sounds.
Merrill acted on the popular TV soap opera "Ji Kan Desu Yo", and had his own corner as a regular on the TBS "Young 720," a morning show for teens. He also was the featured principal as a model in ads for Nissan cars, Jun clothing, and GT Jeans.
In 1971 he released an LP of his own compositions titled "Merrill 1", in Japan for Denon/Columbia (a company not affiliated with the Columbia Records labels outside Japan.) He then formed the band Vodka Collins, who became Japan's top glam rock act. The band included Japanese superstars Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu and Hiroshi Oguchi. Vodka Collins recorded one LP in 1972-1973 titled "Tokyo-New York", on the EMI Toshiba label, which is still available today in CD re-issues.
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