Dick Merrick

American singer. Sang most ballads for Jerry Wald And His Orchestra. Married Kay Allen in 1946. Vocalist Dick Merrick got his first break in front of the mic at age 16 when the band he played in needed a singer. In 1942, Merrick worked with Jerry Wald’s orchestra but left before year’s end to sing for the McFarland Twins. He rejoined Wald in May 1943 and stayed for three years, recording several songs with the group, including “Laura” in 1945, which charted and peaked at #8 in the U.S. In Wald's group, he met and sang with Kay Allen. Merrick left Wald for Bobby Byrne in April 1946 and then joined George Paxton by year’s end. He remained with Paxton until 1949, when the leader scrapped his band. Merrick and Allen settled in Philadelphia after their son was born in late 1948, where they appeared on local TVprograms. In early 1950, the couple recorded together on the Admiral label. Merrick continued singing throughout the 1950s, ending up on the nightclub circuit. He quit show business in 1962 and moved to Florida, taking a position as Director of Activities at the Carillon Hotel in Miami Beach, which involved singing and hosting in the hotel’s Tambourine Room. In 1969, he became social director at the Versailles Hotel, remaining there into the 1980s.