Interview with Paul Merry

ivan

– 03/07/2004Posted in: Magazine Interviews

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Paul Merry is an english writer who started as a journalist on his local paper in 1968. Within three months, he had his own music and entertainment page, syndicated across the English Midlands. This put him in touch with Beatles publicist, Tony Barrow, who invited Paul to join his PR agency in London, publicising artists like Paul MacCartney and Wings and The Kinks. Paul’s own small accounts included then-unknown bands such as Deep Purple, Uriah Heap and Gentle Giant. In 1971, Paul became press officer with CBS Records UK working with everyone from Bob Marley and Jeff Beck to Cliff Williams, now of AC/DC. In 1973, he left England for Melbourne, where he turned to copywriting with Australia’s top ad agency. He then worked as a copywriter and creative director in Hong Kong, London, Singapore, and back in Melbourne, before starting his own advertising consultancy in 1992. He has contributed articles to publications like The Australian, Melbourne Herald, and Sydney Morning Herald.
Paul Merry: I first met Bob Marley in early 1972 in a café in Fleet Street, London EC4. I had arranged for Martin Hayman, a journalist with Sounds, an influential music newspaper, to interview Johnny Nash. Johnny brought along Bob Marley, who then had very short hair and was neatly dressed. I’d even go as far as saying Bob Marley was wearing a suit but perhaps that’s my memory playing tricks. He was certainly well dressed. I bought Bob a drink and we sat together in a booth while Martin interviewed Johnny across the table. We didn’t talk much because we didn’t want to interrupt Martin and Johnny’s flow of conversation and were intent to just listen to their interview.

Marco Virgona: Did Johnny Nash help Bob in his career?
Paul Merry: Can I take this opportunity to stress how influential Johnny Nash was in launching Bob Marley’s career. Hardly anyone seems to have picked up on this. Johnny had just had a big hit in the UK with I Can See Clearly Now. His follow up single was Stir It Up, written, of course, by Bob Marley and released sometime in April 1972. Johnny Nash took Bob Marley everywhere with him in London during the Spring of 1972. He introduced Bob to rock journalists, radio DJs, fellow artists and so on. Johnny really pushed Bob’s barrow and has never had the recognition he deserves for this. If any one individual introduced Bob Marley to the world, it was Johnny Nash. Johnny brought him to England from Jamaica to promote Bob’s career. Johnny Nash was an extremely nice man who championed Bob Marley’s career unreservedly with nothing in it for him. Whatever happened to Johnny? I haven’t heard of him for 30 years. I don’t think Bob was ever on CBS Records. He was just invited everywhere the CBS crew went by Johnny.

Marco Virgona: Bob recorded 6 songs at CBS studio…
Paul Merry: I knew Bob was in the studio at Soho Square but I thought he was making demos. The studio had only just been built and was supposed to float inside the building. Everything in it was state-of-the-art.

Marco Virgona: Do you remember Rita Marley or Peter Tosh?
Paul Merry: I haven’t met Rita Marley and I can’t remember meeting Peter Tosh although I may have. None of these guys were famous back then, although I do remember Rabbit Bundrick playing keyboards, purely because of his unusual name. I do remember a guy called Danny Sims who was involved in some way with Bob Marley’s early career during this time but I don’t know if they ever formalised the relationship.

Marco Virgona: Have you ever had any further contacts with Bob Marley during that time?
Paul Merry: On 30 April 1972, Danny brought Bob Marley along as one of his guests on the last commemorative journey of the Brighton Belle, a luxury commuter train that ran between London and Brighton between 1933 and 1972. We shared a railway compartment together with the English pop group The Tremeloes. Later that evening, a group of us, including Bob Marley, went as Danny Sims’ guests to Mr B’s or Mr Bee’s, a club in Brixton, South London. We watched a reggae band perform and it could well have been Bob Marley & The Wailers band because I certainly saw him perform at Mr B’s in the first half of 1972. I also may have been him at a Reggae Festival at Alexandra Palace in London N22 in 1972. I can’t remember Bob was playing but most reggae acts of the day were: Johnny Nash, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, etc. Marco, that’s about all I can remember about Bob Marley. I had the privilege of meeting him and talking to him but I can’t say I really knew him. We would nod to each other and sometimes chat, but no more than that. I remember him as a quiet and polite guy always well dressed. The dreadlocks would come later!

Please, pay a visit to Paul Merry‘s site at: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~tedcool/front.html