The general public became acquainted with the high-speed multitracked guitar playing of Buddy Merrill through his long tenure on the Lawrence Welk TV show (1959-1976) and through the dozens of LPs released on the Accent label, mainly in the 1960s and '70s. A few of those albums have appeared on CD.
You can read more about Merrill on his website, which has some great photos, or at the Space Age Pop Music page. Unfortunately neither site has been updated in years, but most of the information is still valid. What is certain is that Merrill hasn't been active in music for a long time.
The Many-Splendored Guitars of Buddy Merrill was released on Accent in 1967 (Billboard listed it among new releases in June). Below you can grab a sample track from this album.
Ask the Wind
Some of Buddy Merrill's CDs are available from Global Recording Artists at a reasonable $9.99. The albums can also be bought as downloads. The site also has a few new copies of his vinyl albums for sale. You'd have to be a real fan, though. They're $25 apiece.
A further selection of Merrill's albums can be had as CDs or downloads from Amazon and other online sites.
Many of the selections on The Many-Splendored Guitars, including Ask the Wind, aren't available in a digital format.
Merrill was also an accomplished steel guitarist, as you can see from this YouTube clip from the Welk show.
For an excellent 2011 interview with Merrill, visit the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) site. The video is part of NAMM's oral history project.
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