Chris Merrell

Jock Christian Merrell, September 10,1955 in Wade, North Carolina to Robert and Peggy Merrell (Irwin maiden name).

 

Robert and Peggy both graduated from Leesburg High School and were raised here. Bob, Chris's Dad, was an Air Force Chaplain. At age 5, Chris started singing in church, not knowing it was the start of his career. At age 10 he learned to play the bass and concentrated on singing.  He later taught himself to play guitar.

Chris and Robert - 1979.

Chris has two brothers and a sister. They moved every few years to a new base, but the Leesburg area was always home because his mother's and father's families were here.  They lived in Maine, Florida, Indiana, England, and Tampa.  The most influential of these was England.  Chris was a young teen and the music scene in England in the late 60's was huge.  The Beatles were a enormous influence on Chris and from a young age listening to them determined his path for the future.

After moving back from England Chris graduated from High School in Tampa and left the military life with his parents and started making a living from music.

Chris played in many local bands including, Rambo Street, Sneaky Pete, and The Malones.  He left The Malones to go to Texas to do a recording project with a group called Streets of Ice.  He demoed the songs at Dickey Betts and The Allman Brothers studio in Sarasota.  Streets of Ice never went anywhere, but Dickey remembered Chris's voice and called him in 1986 and asked him to be in Nashville the next day.  Chris went on the road with the Dickey Betts band the day after that.

.Dickey Betts Band.

He toured with Dickey Betts for two years until the Dickey Betts band broke up and The Allman Brothers reconciled.  A short time with The Allman Brothers and Chris returned to Florida.

Chris played in several local bands until he put together a Disney show band for Pleasure Island where he played for the next two years.

In 1990, The Derek Trucks band was looking for a singer and Chris got the part.  So he went back on the road with Derek. The Derek Trucks band was voted entertainer of the year by Jam Magazine that year.  Chris was the lead singer.

By this time, Chris was the proud papa of Casey Rhea Merrell born on 7/15/1989.

By the time Casey was three, Chris and Sue Merrell had divorced and Chris spent any time off the road with his little girl.  In the mid nineties Chris left the road again and began doing a single act in the local area.

 

From 1998 through 2006, Chris went back on the road with The Grass Roots as the lead guitar player and vocalist.  Whenever he wasn't on the road he played local spots to many devoted fans.

 

In 2003 Chris met Tammy Buxton. Chris and Tammy married in 2004.  Tammy's daughter Kelsey - 12 at the time was instantly part of the family and Chris's daughter Casey, by now 13, joined the new family permanently. Casey and Kelsey became immediate best friends and remain so.

 

On August 9, 2005, Mia Kai Merrell was born adding a third daughter to the home.  Chris decided after Mia was born to get off the road permanently so he could be with his family and watch his new little one grow up.  Chris now does his solo act throughout Florida.  He can be seen often at Lighthouse Point in the Villages and Reno's Grille on the square in Ocala.  Chris also performs for many private events, parties, weddings, etc...

February 2007.  With no symptoms, problems, or reason to see a doctor, Chris took a routine insurance physical.  The results sent Chris to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Chris was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer which has spread through his lymph nodes and bones. See Diagnosis.

Chris and Tammy would like this to be a lesson to all.  Early detection might have lead to a cure.  Please start or continue a program of routine checkups.