Jeffrey Paul Merrill

Jeff Merrill lived from 1949 to 2004. His family still loves and misses him very much, and this webpage is a permanent place to keep alive his memory.

The music player to the right contains all of the songs from a recording that Jeff made in the fall of 1972, in the dorms at UC San Diego - La Jolla, CA. Jeff was visiting David Herrick, his future brother-in-law. David was a student at UCSD at the time. Here are David's memories of the recording:

The setting: Muir apartments at UC San Diego, 3C on the door, a nearby coke machine hauled up the stairs demanding only a thin sliver for a drink, but capable of delivering rum and coke in party settings... Inside, college classic ambience with a twist: transfixing sunsets beyond the farm road scrolling into the Pacific. The recording equipment: dinner plate sized reel-to-reel TEAC deck exuding a real sense of authority (but now retired into technological oblivion). The mood: spontaneous, Jeff as a visitor, knowledgeable about both college life and times, fitting in like another roommate. Sitting on an extra long twin while the rest of us tried to be quiet. The Playlist: an assemblage of songs knitted together with verbal asides and a vintage Martin guitar. History: the tape and tape deck was long ago assumed lost until it was found together with a cassette cousin and now pressed into its 3rd life in the digital world. And lastly the audience: anyone who appreciates the warmth and soul of a gifted guitar player converting and preserving his musical being for the enjoyment of others.
-David Herrick

Peter Carr was David's roommate at the time, and he and his family became lifelong friends of Jeff and Jeanne. Here are Peter's memories of the session:

I remember, back at U.C.S.D. during my sophomore year in apartment Q-3 in late '72 or early '73, housemate David Herrick announced his older sister's boyfriend would be paying us a visit the next day. A skinny guy walked in with a guitar slung over his back. It just so happened, (or maybe it was part of the vast Folk-Rock underground) that another housemate, David Solnick, had a very 'primo' reel-to-reel tape recorder. They decided to conduct a recording session in our living room. The next few hours were Musical Magic in Q-3. Back then few of my friends played guitar and I realized Jeff was much better than any of them. Listening to the tape, now masterfully converted to a CD, after over 30 years it actually sounds even better than I thought back then. The guitar playing and the quality of the recording seem like it was done in a professional sound studio.

Q-3 residents: Marc Shaw, Wally McCloskey, David Herrick, David Solnick , Peter Carr, Tom Leanse
-Peter Carr
note: the Martin guitar that Jeff used for this session was owned by another roommate, David Solnick.

Jeff, jamming with David Herrick (banjo) and father-in-law Hugh (harmonica)

..another shot from the same session..

The Smith Brothers

Jeff played more guitar with Mike Jones than with anyone else in his life (including his kids). For a while they called themselves "the Smith Brothers", named after a brand of cough drops that had two bearded gentlemen featured in their logo. Since Jeff and Mike were both bearded, they bore some resemblance to these fellows. Following are a couple favorite Smith Brothers songs:

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Geronimo's Cadillac, performed by Jeff Merrill and Mike Jones as the Smith Brothers (March 1, 1980 at 'Cabrillo Lou's')

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I've Just Seen a Face

the Smith Brothers, deep in rehearsal

the original Smith Brothers

Jeff's Illustrations

Jeff was also a great cartoonist/illustrator. He brought together his loves of drawing and music in the following two illustrated music books, created initially to help teachers who wanted to play songs for kids.

The Great American Music Book: a songbook compiled and illustrated by Jeff Merrill

More Great Music for Kids: another songbook compiled and illustrated by Jeff Merrill

At some point, Jeff had the idea of illustrating a home safety manual. The following 8 black and white drawings were the result, and you can download them and have a look.

Jeff Merrill: sketches for safety manual

Other ways we remember

Minutes of the Watsonville City Council meeting from November 9, 2004 (end of the second page). [cached]

Newspaper

Obituary from Santa Cruz Sentinel and Register Pajaronian

Article from the Register Pajaronian newspaper, Friday November 19, 2004 (PDF version)

Memorial service

The program from the memorial service (only available in PDF format)

Sleeping in the forest, by Mary Oliver (PDF version)

When death comes, by Mary Oliver (PDF version)

"...If you lead your life as (he) did, with people as the priority, making memories, giving of yourself, then when you die, you're not really gone. You'll live inside the hearts of everyone you've ever touched. So when they visit a cemetery or they're walking alone or when they're playing the (guitar) you taught them to play. They can hear everything you've ever given them..."
- Adapted from the play version of "Tuesdays with Morrie", by Mitch Albom

Please share your memories of Jeff by emailing stories and thoughts to dmerrill@media.mit.edu.

If you are having trouble viewing the PDF files, please download and install Acrobat Reader (below).