John Merchant's earliest memories revolve around one thing: making music. "There was never a time where I thought 'I want to be a fireman, or I want to be a soldier', from day one it's been music". Although his father left when Merchant was very young, he made enough of an impression that John's music obsession was ceaseless.
"My dad was a bassist and singer in a very popular regional country act (Jack Kittle and the Now Country)". Along with charismatic front man Kittle, Merchant can still recall a cast of characters being around that only added to the mystique and pull of music. "Lots of turquoise jewelry, denim jackets, pointed-toe cowboy boots...these guys looked like (and in some cases were) outlaws". This led to being (along with a life-long best friend who dreamt of a life as an over-the-road truck driver) the only kid on the playground in cowboy boots, pearl-snap western shirts, and Mack Truck belt buckle. "In my defense, when Jerry Reed in 'Smokey and the Bandit' is your fashion icon, you're going to end up a bit out of step with the other 7 year olds".
School friends still recall Merchant putting on playground concerts where he would sing songs by Don Williams, Waylon Jennings, and Marty Robins. "I tried, but I couldn't care less about sports, bicycles, movies, or anything else, I ONLY wanted to talk about music, songs, bands, and instruments". Pals who would come to the small duplex John and his single-working mother shared often found themselves with an instrument or microphone in hand, a Beatles album on the record player and a full-on lip sync concert underway. In lieu of an allowance, Merchant's mother allowed him one vinyl Beatles album a week from a surprisingly well-stocked local K-Mart store. It was in the "B" section of that K-Mart where Merchant found LPs from the "Silver Beatles" (pre-Beatles), "Tony Sheridan with the Beatles" and every Beatle album that was to follow (later to be accidently tossed out in an old suitcase by his mother). Along with what can only be described as an unhealthy Beatle obsession, a pair of local friends had a family record collection stocked with Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Mamas and Papas, and other 60's hits. Again (just like his fashion choices) young Merchant's exposure to this music put him out of step with his peers.
Soon Merchant discovered the hard rock music of his own generation and brought his love of traditional country music, 60s pop, 70s radio staples (like personal favorites Bobbie Gentry and Fleetwood Mac), into his newfound rock n roll home. From the rock/metal/hair artists of the 80s, he researched and backtracked, truly finding his calling in blues-based rock n roll like Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stone, the Faces, and the Who. 1980s hair metal pointed him to the glitter rock of Mott the Hoople, David Bowie, and the New York Dolls, as well as acts like the Ramones, Stooges, MC5, and Sex Pistols.
After seeking guitar lessons with locally revered and acclaimed guitarist (and future Dutch Henry cohort Greg Miller), Merchant was able to synthesize all of these influences and more into an instantly recognizable and very personal style. From the beginning of his professional career he established himself as a working mans guitarist. Merchant's focus was always on tone, feel, and a loose swagger that always kept the song as king.
As a songwriter and arranger the focus remained on the song. Constructing music that compliments and moves literate, revealing, and honest lyrical content forward. Weather it be early original bands like Novocain Tongue, cover acts like Sweatin Bullets, rockabilly with Carl Bensen's Wildcats, playing guitar, mandolin, lap steel, and accordion on internationally celebrated and acclaimed "Neighborhood Noir" by West Michigan based The Lonesome Trailers, writing and recording with Dutch Henry, to his latest release "Midwest Blues" featuring Ashley Youngstrom and his band "the Desolation Angels", a relentless dedication to the song remains. The song is number one and will always has been for Merchant.
20+ years in and the exact same thrill remains. "I swear it's what I imagine being called to the ministry is like. I just don't know anything else. Whenever I'm playing, I still feel like the same kid with 'Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl' on the turntable, an unplugged guitar around my neck and a mirror in front of me, it's all I've ever wanted." Playing music has allowed him to travel the country, make music in major markets like New York City, Nashville, Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, and Key West, and share stages with acts like CCR, the Goo Goo Dolls, Swag, Robbie Fulks, Rachel Proctor, Deana Carter, and others as a member of Dutch Henry, and with artists such as Ray Wylie Hubbard and Peggy Young as a solo artist.
January 2017 saw the release of his maxi-single/E.P. "Midwest Blues" on the Highway Driver label. The effort features the single "Midwest Blues" which appears in another form on Dutch Henry's 2005 debut "1973", as well as another Dutch Henry re-record, "Down So Long" and a new track featuring Dave Feeney (Loretta Lynn, Jack White) on steel guitar titled "No Graceland". Merchant also formed RUSTY HORSE: a Celebration of Neil Young and Crazy Horse for occasional salutes to one of his idols, and joined WHITE RABBIT with former members of RCA act Papa Vegas, and Robert Wackley from Australian major label act The Screaming Tribesmen.
In late 2019, he partnered with his 30+ year friend and former bandmate Todd Long, and the pair started the 80s hard rock influenced, "Ghosts of Sunset" (ghostsofsunset.com). The duo were signed to Australian record label Golden Robot Records, and released their debt EP "Headed West" and were joined by a cast of musicians with their roots in the 1980’s hard rock/hair metal scene especially in Los Angeles, California. The duo brought in well-known musicians that included Tim Mosher (Junkyard), Traci Guns (LA Guns) , Adam Hamilton (Tuff) , Johnny Monaco (Enuff Z’Nuff) , Stacey Blades (Ratt) and Bruno Ravel (Danger Danger) to name but a few.
The 5-song effort garnered world-wide attention, airplay, downloads and streams for its well-crafted songs that told the story of the rise and fall of a fictional hair-metal band in the 1980s. As ambitious as it was to try and develop characters and a storyline over such a short span, somehow the pair pulled it off and listeners connected. Ghosts of Sunset had found an audience who longed for a connection with a genre they loved, but whose musical tastes were mature enough to demand solid songwriting.
2021 ushered in a full-length album titled “No Saints in the City”. Following the formula laid down by “Headed West”, Merchant and Long once again invited musical input from a cast of influences that includes members of 1980s “hair-metal” staples like Bang Tango, Little Caesar, Lita Ford, and E’nuff Z’nuff, but widens its musical palette with guests from bands like Gene Loves Jezebel, the Cruzados, and the Great Affairs. The album continues to garner critical acclaim and world-wide airplay and success.
He lives in Ludington Michigan with his wife, Jenifer, 14 year old son Quinn, dog Ela, works a day job where he helps alcoholics and drug addicts navigate early sobriety, plays solo dates, duos with former Dutch Henry bandmate Greg Miller, violinist Angela Corbin, 80's hair metal throwback "American Hairband", does freelance gigs, teaches, and still occasionally straps on a guitar for a live Beatle show in front of the mirror.
"My dad was a bassist and singer in a very popular regional country act (Jack Kittle and the Now Country)". Along with charismatic front man Kittle, Merchant can still recall a cast of characters being around that only added to the mystique and pull of music. "Lots of turquoise jewelry, denim jackets, pointed-toe cowboy boots...these guys looked like (and in some cases were) outlaws". This led to being (along with a life-long best friend who dreamt of a life as an over-the-road truck driver) the only kid on the playground in cowboy boots, pearl-snap western shirts, and Mack Truck belt buckle. "In my defense, when Jerry Reed in 'Smokey and the Bandit' is your fashion icon, you're going to end up a bit out of step with the other 7 year olds".
School friends still recall Merchant putting on playground concerts where he would sing songs by Don Williams, Waylon Jennings, and Marty Robins. "I tried, but I couldn't care less about sports, bicycles, movies, or anything else, I ONLY wanted to talk about music, songs, bands, and instruments". Pals who would come to the small duplex John and his single-working mother shared often found themselves with an instrument or microphone in hand, a Beatles album on the record player and a full-on lip sync concert underway. In lieu of an allowance, Merchant's mother allowed him one vinyl Beatles album a week from a surprisingly well-stocked local K-Mart store. It was in the "B" section of that K-Mart where Merchant found LPs from the "Silver Beatles" (pre-Beatles), "Tony Sheridan with the Beatles" and every Beatle album that was to follow (later to be accidently tossed out in an old suitcase by his mother). Along with what can only be described as an unhealthy Beatle obsession, a pair of local friends had a family record collection stocked with Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Mamas and Papas, and other 60's hits. Again (just like his fashion choices) young Merchant's exposure to this music put him out of step with his peers.
Soon Merchant discovered the hard rock music of his own generation and brought his love of traditional country music, 60s pop, 70s radio staples (like personal favorites Bobbie Gentry and Fleetwood Mac), into his newfound rock n roll home. From the rock/metal/hair artists of the 80s, he researched and backtracked, truly finding his calling in blues-based rock n roll like Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stone, the Faces, and the Who. 1980s hair metal pointed him to the glitter rock of Mott the Hoople, David Bowie, and the New York Dolls, as well as acts like the Ramones, Stooges, MC5, and Sex Pistols.
After seeking guitar lessons with locally revered and acclaimed guitarist (and future Dutch Henry cohort Greg Miller), Merchant was able to synthesize all of these influences and more into an instantly recognizable and very personal style. From the beginning of his professional career he established himself as a working mans guitarist. Merchant's focus was always on tone, feel, and a loose swagger that always kept the song as king.
As a songwriter and arranger the focus remained on the song. Constructing music that compliments and moves literate, revealing, and honest lyrical content forward. Weather it be early original bands like Novocain Tongue, cover acts like Sweatin Bullets, rockabilly with Carl Bensen's Wildcats, playing guitar, mandolin, lap steel, and accordion on internationally celebrated and acclaimed "Neighborhood Noir" by West Michigan based The Lonesome Trailers, writing and recording with Dutch Henry, to his latest release "Midwest Blues" featuring Ashley Youngstrom and his band "the Desolation Angels", a relentless dedication to the song remains. The song is number one and will always has been for Merchant.
20+ years in and the exact same thrill remains. "I swear it's what I imagine being called to the ministry is like. I just don't know anything else. Whenever I'm playing, I still feel like the same kid with 'Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl' on the turntable, an unplugged guitar around my neck and a mirror in front of me, it's all I've ever wanted." Playing music has allowed him to travel the country, make music in major markets like New York City, Nashville, Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, and Key West, and share stages with acts like CCR, the Goo Goo Dolls, Swag, Robbie Fulks, Rachel Proctor, Deana Carter, and others as a member of Dutch Henry, and with artists such as Ray Wylie Hubbard and Peggy Young as a solo artist.
January 2017 saw the release of his maxi-single/E.P. "Midwest Blues" on the Highway Driver label. The effort features the single "Midwest Blues" which appears in another form on Dutch Henry's 2005 debut "1973", as well as another Dutch Henry re-record, "Down So Long" and a new track featuring Dave Feeney (Loretta Lynn, Jack White) on steel guitar titled "No Graceland". Merchant also formed RUSTY HORSE: a Celebration of Neil Young and Crazy Horse for occasional salutes to one of his idols, and joined WHITE RABBIT with former members of RCA act Papa Vegas, and Robert Wackley from Australian major label act The Screaming Tribesmen.
In late 2019, he partnered with his 30+ year friend and former bandmate Todd Long, and the pair started the 80s hard rock influenced, "Ghosts of Sunset" (ghostsofsunset.com). The duo were signed to Australian record label Golden Robot Records, and released their debt EP "Headed West" and were joined by a cast of musicians with their roots in the 1980’s hard rock/hair metal scene especially in Los Angeles, California. The duo brought in well-known musicians that included Tim Mosher (Junkyard), Traci Guns (LA Guns) , Adam Hamilton (Tuff) , Johnny Monaco (Enuff Z’Nuff) , Stacey Blades (Ratt) and Bruno Ravel (Danger Danger) to name but a few.
The 5-song effort garnered world-wide attention, airplay, downloads and streams for its well-crafted songs that told the story of the rise and fall of a fictional hair-metal band in the 1980s. As ambitious as it was to try and develop characters and a storyline over such a short span, somehow the pair pulled it off and listeners connected. Ghosts of Sunset had found an audience who longed for a connection with a genre they loved, but whose musical tastes were mature enough to demand solid songwriting.
2021 ushered in a full-length album titled “No Saints in the City”. Following the formula laid down by “Headed West”, Merchant and Long once again invited musical input from a cast of influences that includes members of 1980s “hair-metal” staples like Bang Tango, Little Caesar, Lita Ford, and E’nuff Z’nuff, but widens its musical palette with guests from bands like Gene Loves Jezebel, the Cruzados, and the Great Affairs. The album continues to garner critical acclaim and world-wide airplay and success.
He lives in Ludington Michigan with his wife, Jenifer, 14 year old son Quinn, dog Ela, works a day job where he helps alcoholics and drug addicts navigate early sobriety, plays solo dates, duos with former Dutch Henry bandmate Greg Miller, violinist Angela Corbin, 80's hair metal throwback "American Hairband", does freelance gigs, teaches, and still occasionally straps on a guitar for a live Beatle show in front of the mirror.