21 Facts About Alan Merrill

Alan Merrill wrote the song "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", and was the lead singer on the original recording of it, made by the band the Arrows in 1975.

Alan Merrill died during the COVID-19 pandemic due to complications brought on by the virus.

Alan Merrill attended Aiglon College in Switzerland from age 9 to 13, schools in New York and Los Angeles and, briefly, Sophia University in Tokyo.

In 1969, Alan Merrill auditioned for the New York City band, the Left Banke.

Alan Merrill recorded one album with Atlantic, Alone in Tokyo which yielded a single, "Namida".

In other activities, Alan Merrill acted on the TV soap opera Jikan Desu Yo and occasionally had his own 'corner' on the TBS's Young 720, a morning show for teens.

Alan Merrill then formed the band Vodka Collins, which became a prominent glam rock act.

In 1974, in London, Alan Merrill formed the band Arrows, with drummer Paul Varley and guitarist Jake Hooker.

The Arrows became a popular band with teenagers, and Alan Merrill had slid back into the teenage market he had fought hard to get out of in Japan.

In 1977, Alan Merrill formed a new group, the album-oriented rock act Runner, with Steve Gould, Mick Feat, and Dave Dowle.

In 1977 Alan Merrill met and married fashion model Cathee Dahmen in London, and had their wedding reception at Mr Chow's in Knightsbridge.

In 1986, Alan Merrill joined the Meat Loaf band for the promotional tour of his Blind Before I Stop album, and stayed for several years, and appears on Meat Loaf's 1987 Live at Wembley album for Arista Records.

In 1989, Alan Merrill was offered a role on the television series Encyclopedia Brown on HBO, and was a part of the successful series in his role as principal character Casey Sparkz.

Albums by Alan Merrill titled The Face Of 69, Numbers, Snakes and Ladders, Songer Singwriter, Arrows, 40th Anniversary Edition, Demo Graphic On A Blue Avenue and Radio Zero were released.

The Arrows 1974 top 10 UK hit "Touch Too Much", featuring lead vocals by Alan Merrill appears on the soundtrack of the feature film The Look Of Love, a 2013 biopic of Paul Raymond.

In September 2015, Alan Merrill added his guitar parts to popular Japanese vocalist Superfly's cover of his composition, "I Love Rock N Roll", released three months later on Warner Brothers-Japan records.

Alan Merrill did live concerts internationally, both with backing bands and solo acoustic.

Alan Merrill hosted the television series Across the Pond for the MyJam Music Network.

Alan Merrill wrote and recorded the show's theme song "Across the Pond" which was released March 2018.

Alan Merrill died of COVID-19 in Manhattan on March 29,2020, aged 69.

Alan Merrill was survived by his second wife, his three children and his mother.