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Merrilee Rush
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Merrilee Rush
Merrilee Rush (née Gunst; January 26, 1944) is an American singer, best known for her recording of the song "Angel of the Morning", a top-10 hit which earned her a Grammy nomination for female vocalist of the year in 1968.
Rush was born in Seattle, Washington to Reuben and Edith Gunst. Her father was a homebuilder. She grew up in north Seattle, and studied classical piano from a young age. In 1960, she auditioned and became the singer for the Amazing Aztecs, a Seattle-area rock and roll band led by saxophone player Neil Rush, whom she would later marry. The two went on to form Merrilee and Her Men, doing mostly cover versions of pop hits, and then joined rhythm and blues group Tiny Tony and the Statics, whose regional hit "Hey Mrs. Jones", on the Bolo label, featured Rush's keyboard playing and vocals.
In 1965, the pair formed Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts, who soon became a popular act on the Pacific Northwest's teen dancehall circuit, touring throughout Washington and Oregon. A member of the group's road crew also worked for Paul Revere & the Raiders, and through this connection, Rush was invited to be the opening act on the Raiders' tour of the southern United States in 1967. While in Memphis, Tennessee, Raiders lead vocalist Mark Lindsay introduced Rush to record producer Chips Moman.
"Angel of the Morning" was written and composed by the songwriter Chip Taylor. Rush's version was recorded at Moman's American Sound Studio in Memphis in early 1968, and was produced by Moman and Tommy Cogbill. Released by Bell Records, the song climbed to No. 7 in late June 1968 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 1 in Canada, and was a major hit in several other countries. The one millionth sale of this record was reported by the Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.) in 1970. Although credited to "Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts", both the single and subsequent album (also called Angel of the Morning) were recorded using the same musicians who played on Elvis Presley's Memphis recordings.
"Angel of the Morning" garnered Rush a Grammy Award nomination for best Contemporary Pop Female Vocalist of the year. She was nominated along with Barbra Streisand ("Funny Girl"), Dionne Warwick ("Do You Know the Way to San Jose"), Aretha Franklin ("I Say a Little Prayer"), and Mary Hopkin ("Those Were the Days"). Warwick was the eventual winner.
The song has been featured in the major motion pictures Jerry Maguire and Fingers.
Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts released one more single on Bell, "That Kind of Woman", in 1968. It reached No. 28 in Canada.
Her next single titled "Reach Out" on AGP Records reached No. 89 in Canada.
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Merrilee Rush
Merrilee Rush (née Gunst; January 26, 1944) is an American singer, best known for her recording of the song "Angel of the Morning", a top-10 hit which earned her a Grammy nomination for female vocalist of the year in 1968.
Rush was born in Seattle, Washington to Reuben and Edith Gunst. Her father was a homebuilder. She grew up in north Seattle, and studied classical piano from a young age. In 1960, she auditioned and became the singer for the Amazing Aztecs, a Seattle-area rock and roll band led by saxophone player Neil Rush, whom she would later marry. The two went on to form Merrilee and Her Men, doing mostly cover versions of pop hits, and then joined rhythm and blues group Tiny Tony and the Statics, whose regional hit "Hey Mrs. Jones", on the Bolo label, featured Rush's keyboard playing and vocals.
In 1965, the pair formed Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts, who soon became a popular act on the Pacific Northwest's teen dancehall circuit, touring throughout Washington and Oregon. A member of the group's road crew also worked for Paul Revere & the Raiders, and through this connection, Rush was invited to be the opening act on the Raiders' tour of the southern United States in 1967. While in Memphis, Tennessee, Raiders lead vocalist Mark Lindsay introduced Rush to record producer Chips Moman.
"Angel of the Morning" was written and composed by the songwriter Chip Taylor. Rush's version was recorded at Moman's American Sound Studio in Memphis in early 1968, and was produced by Moman and Tommy Cogbill. Released by Bell Records, the song climbed to No. 7 in late June 1968 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 1 in Canada, and was a major hit in several other countries. The one millionth sale of this record was reported by the Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.) in 1970. Although credited to "Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts", both the single and subsequent album (also called Angel of the Morning) were recorded using the same musicians who played on Elvis Presley's Memphis recordings.
"Angel of the Morning" garnered Rush a Grammy Award nomination for best Contemporary Pop Female Vocalist of the year. She was nominated along with Barbra Streisand ("Funny Girl"), Dionne Warwick ("Do You Know the Way to San Jose"), Aretha Franklin ("I Say a Little Prayer"), and Mary Hopkin ("Those Were the Days"). Warwick was the eventual winner.
The song has been featured in the major motion pictures Jerry Maguire and Fingers.
Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts released one more single on Bell, "That Kind of Woman", in 1968. It reached No. 28 in Canada.
Her next single titled "Reach Out" on AGP Records reached No. 89 in Canada.
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