Mercey Brothers
The Mercey Brothers were a Canadian country music group active from 1957 to 1989. The brothers were seven-time Juno Award winners for "The Top Country Group" and were inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
Mercey Brothers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Hanover, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Country |
| Years active | 1957 – 1989 |
| Labels | Columbia Harmony RCA MBS |
| Members | Larry Mercey Ray Mercey Lloyd Mercey |
| Website | www.merceybrothers.com |
Early life
All three Mercey brothers were born in Hanover, a small town south of Owen Sound, Ontario.[1][2] Larry Mercey, the eldest of three, was born on December 12, 1939; Ray was born on November 21, 1940, and Lloyd, the youngest, was born on December 12, 1945.
The Mercey family grew up to music in their household at an early age. Larry Mercey sang on the radio station CKNX Barn Dance in 1956, in the neighbouring town of Wingham, Ontario.
Band history
Formation
Larry and Ray formed a country music group in 1957, singing and playing the guitar (Larry) and bass (Ray). They called their group The Mercey Brothers and patterned their music and their image to resemble the Everly Brothers, a harmony duo popular in the United States at the time.
Larry and Ray placed second in CBC Television's Talent Caravan in 1960 and later went on to sign with Chateau Records in 1961. They made their first chart appearance with "Just the Snap of Your Fingers" that same year.
Trio
Lloyd Mercey joined the group as a singer and drummer in 1966 when he was twenty years old, and together they called themselves The Mercey Brothers. After signing with Columbia Records, they released four RPM chart-topping singles, including "Whistling on the River".[3] In 1968, they released the singles "Uncle Tom", "What’s a Guy to Do?", and "The Great Snowman" under their self-titled album The Mercey Brothers.
Singles "Who Drinks My Beer When I’m Gone" and "Ordinary Peeping Tom" came out under albums titled My Song For You (Columbia) and The Mercey Brothers (Harmony) in 1969.
The Mercey Brothers signed with RCA Records in 1970 and released a string of singles which received radio play.[4] At the 1970 Juno Awards, they were named "Best Country Group or Duo". They went on to win this award for the next four years in a row (1970–1974),[5] and again in 1976.
In 1971, The Mercey Brothers toured England for the first time and made an appearance on BBC television. Their hit singles on the RCA album Have Mercey, were "Hello Mom" and "Who Wrote the Words". They also hosted a television show, The Mercey Brothers Show.[6]
In 2021, Larry Mercey wrote a book titled Have Mercy: My First 60 Years Making Music[7] in which one of his recollections is the band's first dates played in Saulte Ste Marie, Ontario.[8]
Lineup changes
Ray Mercey left the band in 1980 to spend more time with his family. To fill in for Ray's absence, the others brought in bass player Gord Ogilvie and lead guitar Darrell Scott. Over the next few years, artists Dann Peer, Gord Heins, John Dymond, and Eric Mahar filled in for the band. In 1989 the Mercey Brothers disbanded; they were inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame that same year.[9]
Mercey Brothers sound
In 1973, The Mercey Brothers opened their own recording studio called Mercey Brothers Recording Studio. That gave them more control over their music and general sound of the band. Their studio was in Elmira, Ontario between 1973 and 1980. They also started their own Record Label, MBS (Mercey Brothers Sound) during this period. MBS signed on names such as Terry Carisse, Marie Bottrell and Joan Kennedy.[10]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country | CAN | ||
| 1968 | Mercey Brothers | — | — |
| 1969 | My Song for You | — | — |
| 1970 | Mercey Brothers | — | — |
| Naturally | — | — | |
| 1971 | Have Mercey | — | 68 |
| 1972 | Mercey Brothers Country | — | — |
| 1973 | Mercey Brothers | — | — |
| 1975 | Did You Hear My Song | — | — |
| Best of the Mercey Brothers | — | — | |
| 1976 | Homemade | — | — |
| Mercey Brothers Radio Show | — | — | |
| 1977 | Comin' on Stronger | 4 | — |
| 1980 | Command Performance | — | — |
| 1982 | Mercey Brothers | — | — |
| 1984 | Latest and Greatest Volume 1 | 26 | — |
| 1985 | Love Is the Reason | — | — |
| 1988 | Latest and Greatest Volume 2 | — | — |
| 1990 | 30 Greatest: Their Hits and More | — | — |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country | CAN AC | CAN | |||
| 1966 | "Whistle on the River" | 1 | — | — | The Mercey Brothers (1968) |
| 1967 | "Uncle Tom" | 1 | — | — | |
| 1968 | "Absent Minded Me" | 27 | — | — | |
| 1969 | "Who Drinks My Beer When I'm Gone" | 1 | — | — | My Song for You |
| "Ordinary Peeping Tom" | 3 | — | — | ||
| 1970 | "My Song for You" | 2 | — | — | |
| "Goodbye" | — | — | 75 | ||
| "Pickin' Up the Pieces" | 4 | — | — | ||
| "Old Bill Jones" | 1 | 18 | — | The Mercey Brothers (1970) | |
| 1971 | "Knocking Down the Hard Times" | 36 | 26 | — | |
| "Hello Mom" | 1 | 1 | 36 | Have Mercey | |
| "Who Wrote the Words" | 1 | 1 | — | ||
| "The Day of Love" | 35 | 20 | — | Non-album song | |
| 1972 | "Kentucky Turn Your Back" | 3 | 3 | — | Mercey Brothers Country |
| "The Day of Love" (re-release) | 41 | 33 | — | Non-album song | |
| 1973 | "It's So Easy to Please Me" | 4 | — | — | Mercey Brothers Country |
| "Meant to Be with Me" | 19 | 39 | — | The Mercey Brothers (1973) | |
| "Our Loving Times" | 6 | — | — | ||
| 1974 | "I Heard Bells" | — | 21 | — | |
| "California Lady" | — | 25 | 77 | Did You Hear My Song | |
| 1975 | "Did You Hear My Song" | 9 | — | — | |
| 1976 | "Lovin' You from a Distance" | 12 | 19 | — | Homemade |
| "Old Loves Never Die" | 20 | 41 | — | ||
| "If I Believed in Myself" | 18 | 23 | — | ||
| 1977 | "Jamie" | 20 | — | — | |
| "You Know It Felt Good" | 23 | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "Home Along the Highway" | 31 | — | — | Comin' on Stronger |
| "Comin' on Stronger" | 10 | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "Stranger" | 9 | — | — | |
| "Hell Bent for Mexico" | 13 | — | — | Command Performance | |
| "I Wish You Could Have Turned My Head" | 15 | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "Your Eyes Don't Lie to Me" | 27 | — | — | |
| "Makin' the Night the Best Part of My Day" | 48 | — | — | ||
| 1981 | "Sweet Harmony" | 20 | 22 | — | |
| "The Same Eyes That Always Drove Me Crazy" | 24 | — | — | The Mercey Brothers (1982) | |
| 1982 | "Maybe It's Love This Time" | 8 | — | — | |
| "I've Already Left You (In My Mind)" | 12 | — | — | ||
| 1983 | "The Day That You Walked In" | 29 | — | — | |
| "Anytime Down" | 32 | — | — | ||
| 1984 | "Leader of the Band" | 9 | 21 | — | Latest and Greatest Volume 1 |
| "Love at Last Sight" | 8 | — | — | Love Is the Reason | |
| 1985 | "You Lifted Me High Enough" | 10 | — | — | |
| "Love Is the Reason" | 7 | 13 | — | ||
| 1986 | "Take a Little Chance on Love" | 6 | — | — | |
| "Pretty Diamond Ring" | 8 | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "Heroes" | 9 | — | — | |
| "Raised by the Radio" | 8 | — | — | Latest and Greatest Volume 2 | |
| 1988 | "Straight to Your Heart" | 14 | — | — | |
References
- "Mercey Brothers honoured by Hanover". By Patrick Bales, The Orillia Packet & Times, July 3, 2014
- "Two musical acts from Hanover inducted into Hall of Fame". The Post, June 8, 2016
- "'Stranger Things 2' music is both heavy, mellow". Indianapolis Star, Oct. 30, 2017
- "Mercey Brothers popular". Medicine Hat News]. August 6, 1976, page 25.
- Richard York. "Canada's Juno Awards: An Appraisal". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.; 7 April 1973. ISSN 0006-2510. p. 56–.
- Dallas Williams. Shania Twain: On My Way. ECW Press; 1997. ISBN 978-1-55022-297-5. p. 53–.
- " "Remembering the hits". Brian Kelly, The Sault Star, Apr 06, 2021
- "Mercey remembers band's Sault ties". . The Sault Star.; Apr 06, 2021.
- "Mercey keeps his music country". James Reaney, The London Free Press, December 1, 2011
- "Country Boosters". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.; 2 October 1976. ISSN 0006-2510. p. 97–.
External links
- Mercey Brothers discography at Discogs
- Mercey Brothers at IMDb
- Entry at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca