Biography
Aliases: None
Home Country: USA
Mahlon LeGrande Merrick was born on January 28, 1900 in Farmington, Iowa. His family moved to Centralia, Washington when he was 5. He attended college at both the University of Washington and at Washington State University to receive both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and mathematics.
Merrick's choice of majors was obviously to start a career as a teacher. However, in order to pay for his tuition he played in a dance orchestra and found that his love of music was greater than his love of teaching. After graduation in 1923 Merrick decided to peruse music. He moved to Chicago and studied under Leo Sowerby at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. When he graduated he returned to Washington and played in several groups.
In 1927 Merrick moved to California to work for the budding radio industry. During this time he was married, but then shortly after divorced. In 1935 the Jack Benny Show moved from New York to California and Merrick was good enough to take the place of the music director, a position he held for 30 years.
Merrick did a lot of freelance music composition during his time on the Jack Benny Show, and he has over 100 advertising jingles to his name. He also married again with greater success.
Merrick died on August 7, 1969.
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