Jerry Mercer
Encyclopedia
Jerry Mercer is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 rock drummer, best known for his work with the groups Mashmakhan
Mashmakhan
Mashmakhan was a Canadian rock fusion band that was most active in the early 1970s, and is best known for their hit single "As the Years Go By."-History:...

 and April Wine
April Wine
April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969. According to the band, they chose the name 'April Wine' simply because members thought the two words sounded good together...

.

Personal life

Prior to becoming a full-time musician, Mercer worked both as a cattle farmer and as an IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

 computer programmer.

Music career

Mercer's start in the music industry was as a singer, but quickly moved to drums while still a teenager. He played several different styles in his early years, including Latin and jazz, before becoming a member of a Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

-based band known as The Triangle, who later changed their name to Mashmakhan
Mashmakhan
Mashmakhan was a Canadian rock fusion band that was most active in the early 1970s, and is best known for their hit single "As the Years Go By."-History:...

 upon obtaining a record deal in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

. Mercer's work can be heard on the band's most successful single "As the Years Go By
As the Years Go By
"As the Years Go By" is the first single by rock fusion band Mashmakhan from their self-titled debut album. The single was first recorded in Columbia B Studios and was released as the first single to Mashmakhan's self-titled debut album. The other single "Days When We Are Free" was used as the...

". As part of Mashmakhan, Mercer played on the Festival Express
Festival Express
Festival Express is a 2003 documentary film about the eponymous 1970 train tour across Canada taken by some of North America's most popular rock bands, including The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends...

tour and was interviewed for the 2003 documentary.

Following Mashmakhan's dissolution in the early 1970s, Mercer played for Roy Buchanan
Roy Buchanan
Roy Buchanan was an American guitarist and blues musician. A pioneer of the Telecaster sound, Buchanan was a sideman and solo artist, with two gold albums early in his career, and two later solo albums that made it on to the Billboard chart. Despite never having achieved stardom, he is still...

, and then The Wackers
The Wackers
The Wackers were an American Elektra Records group, produced by Gary Usher, who established the band from members of Roxy, which had moderate success. Musicians Bob Segarini, fellow Roxy member Randy Bishop on vocals, Bill 'Kootch' Trochim on bass and keyboards, guitarist Michael Stull and drummer...

, before joining April Wine
April Wine
April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969. According to the band, they chose the name 'April Wine' simply because members thought the two words sounded good together...

, who were in the process of changing their line-up following the departure of two founding members in 1973. His first public performance with the band was as an opening slot for T. Rex
T. Rex (band)
T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...

 and Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...

 at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium
Exhibition Stadium
Canadian National Exhibition Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that formerly stood on the Exhibition Place grounds, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada....

. Shortly thereafter he completed his first album with the band, Electric Jewels
Electric Jewels
Electric Jewels is the third album by Canadian rock band April Wine, released in 1973. In a 2007 publication by Goose Lane Editions, Electric Jewels ranked number 73 on Bob Mersereaus' The Top 100 Canadian Albums list.-Track listing:...

, which contained the hit "Weeping Widow". Mercer has remained with the band consistently since joining, and has played on all their subsequent albums and tours. In November 2008, he stated that he was retiring at the end of the year. He was replaced by Blair Mackay in January 2009. In May 2010, Mercer became the first Canadian to receive a Legends Award at the 10th annual Cape Breton International Drum Festival
Cape Breton International Drum Festival
The Cape Breton International Drum Festival, also known as the Cape Breton Drum Fest or just CBIDF, is an annual event held in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The first festival was in 2001, and there have been festivals ever since, around the beginning of May of each year.-History:This festival is...

.

In his live shows, Mercer is known for lengthy drum solos (often during April Wine's cover of King Crimson's
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...

 "21st Century Schizoid Man
21st Century Schizoid Man
"21st Century Schizoid Man" is a song by progressive rock band King Crimson from their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King.-Personnel:* Greg Lake – Vocals, bass guitar* Ian McDonald – saxophone* Robert Fripp – guitars* Michael Giles – drums...

") which frequently include a strobe light
Strobe light
A strobe light or stroboscopic lamp, commonly called a strobe, is a device used to produce regular flashes of light. It is one of a number of devices that can be used as a stroboscope...

 show.

In addition to performing, Mercer was also involved in manufacturing drums with a company he co-founded with Bill Hibbs called Monolith Drums. Briefly assuming the brand name "Solstice Drums", now back to Monolith and about to celebrate 20 years of drum making.

Health

In 1997, Mercer was diagnosed with prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...

, but finished treatment for it the following year.

External links

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