Formed in Los Angeles in 1966, The Merry-Go-Round was a short-lived but highly-influential baroque and psychedelic pop band led by singer/songwriter Emitt Rhodes. Formed shortly after Rhodes left The Palace Guard in 1966, The Merry-Go-Round featured Rhodes, Gary Kato, Bill Rinehart (The Leaves) and Joel Larson (The Grass Roots). After recording demos, the band caught the attention of A&M Records, who signed them. Their debut single, “Live”, was released in early 1967 and became a hit, rising to Number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their second single was “You’re a Very Lovely Woman”, which, despite its lush production, only reached Number 94. The band’s debut album, The Merry-Go-Round, was released in November 1967, only reaching Number 190 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. Rinehart left the band and was replaced by Rick Dey (The Vejtables). The Merry-Go-Round continued to release singles including “She Laughed Loud”, “Come Ride, Come Ride”, “Listen, Listen”, and “’Til the Day After” but interest in the group faded and they split up in 1969. Emitt Rhodes pursued a successful solo career but abandoned it in 1973 after negative dealings with his label. He resurfaced in 2016 with the critically-acclaimed album Rainbow Ends. Rhodes died in his sleep on July 19, 2020, at the age of 70.
