Max Merritt and The Meteors Get A Haircut (CD)

(Rockstar Records) 24 tracks, digisleeve

Between 1953 and 1963, Max Merritt and the Meteors were New Zealand’s first and hottest rock ’n’ roll band, establishing a reputation that extended all the way to Australia. Born in 1941, Maxwell James Merritt began taking guitar lessons at the age of 12; three years later, in 1956, he was captivated by the new, hot sound coming from the U.S. and used his first paycheck to buy an electric guitar. Their first release appeared in 1959 on His Master’s Voice, and since then the singer’s popularity in the Southern Hemisphere has steadily risen. Despite lineup changes in his band, the artist remained true to his original songs and skillfully chosen cover versions even after switching to the local Zodiac label. The influential singer and guitarist was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame following his death in 2020.