Merry-Go-Round
Formed in Hawthorne, California, USA, in 1966, the Merry-Go-Round were bit players in the Los Angeles pop scene at the same time groups such as the Doors and Buffalo Springfield were gaining national success. Original members Emitt Rhodes (keyboards/bass) and Gary Kato (lead guitar) were influenced by the harmonies and melodies of the Beatles. Completing the group with Bill Rinehart (guitar/bass) and Joel Larson (drums), they signed with A&M Records and recorded a single, Live, which was successful locally in southern California but barely gained notice in the rest of the US. A follow-up single, You're A Very Lovely Woman, and the group's only album, a self-titled effort also released in 1967, were ignored outside of LA. The group disbanded in 1969, and Rhodes embarked on a solo career, releasing four albums, before disappearing from the pop scene. Rhino Records issued a compilation of the group's issued and unissued recordings in 1985, and the Bangles recorded their Live for their debut album.